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חַוָּה

𐤇𐤅𐤄

Chavah

H2332 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חוה to declare, to show; possibly to live (as a secondary, folk connection)

Definition

Personal name: Chavvah, the first woman created in the Genesis narrative, traditionally rendered "Eve". The name is associated with the concept of 'life' or 'living one', emphasizing her role as the mother of all human beings as described in Genesis 3:20. The semantic range of the name focuses on the theme of life and origin.

Semantic Range

proper name, first woman, mother of all humanity; associated with giving life, origin; 'living one'

Root / Etymology

Root: חוה (ḥ-w-h). The root itself is debated; it is possibly related to חָיָה (ḥ-y-h, 'to live'), though its precise derivation is uncertain. The form חַוָּה (Chavvah) is likely intended as a play on words in Genesis 3:20 to connect the name with the idea of 'life-giver' or 'living one'. The resemblance to the verb חָיָה ('to live') underlies the folk etymology offered in Genesis, though it does not adhere to regular morphological development.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חַוָּה appears only as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible, designating the spouse of the first human, Adam, and the mother of all subsequent human beings according to Genesis 3–4. The identification of the name with 'life' is explicitly made in Genesis 3:20: 'And the man called his wife's name Chavvah because she was the mother of all living (כִּי הִוא הָיְתָה אֵם כָּל־חָי)'. The rendering 'Eve' is based on the Greek Septuagint Εὕα (Heua) and Latin Eva, which influenced English and other modern translations. In later Jewish literature and tradition, Chavvah/Eve often embodies archetypal roles associated with origin, motherhood, and sometimes with mortality. The meaning and interpretation of the name in the biblical context differ from later religious and cultural understandings. Unlike other Hebrew personal names, there is no attested independent usage of חַוָּה outside this narrative context. The English term 'Eve' does not preserve the connotation of 'life' present in the Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

causatively from חָוָה; life-giver; Chavvah (or Eve), the first woman; Eve.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חוה (ḥ-w-h) — to declare, to show; possibly to live (folk association)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2324 חֲוָא I will fully declare
H2331 חָוָה I will declare
H2333 חַוָּה villages of
H2334 חַוּוֹת יָעִיר dwelling-villages of
H262 אַחְוָה and my declaration

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2332-01 חַוָּ֑ה chavah HNp Eve Living-One 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2332-01 Genesis 3:20 חַוָּ֑ה chavah HNp Eve Living-One
H2332-01 Genesis 4:1 חַוָּ֣ה chavah HNp Eve Living-One
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