Who is Lilith? And Why is She Not in the Christian Bible?

For many readers of the Bible, the name "Lilith" is a ghost, a figure often whispered about in pop culture or dark fantasy but seemingly absent from the pages of Scripture. If you are a believer or a student of history, you may have asked yourself two questions. Who is Lilith? And if she is so significant to the creation narrative, why is Lilith not in the Christian Bible?

You are not alone in asking these questions.

While it is perfectly normal for many Christians to be unfamiliar with her, those who dig a little deeper into Jewish mysticism and ancient mythology often stumble upon a fascinating, controversial figure. Is she a demon? Was she Adam’s first wife? And if she was Adam's equal, why does the book of Genesis seem to ignore her?

We are going to explore these mysteries in two parts. First, we will uncover the historical and mythological identity of Lilith. Second, we will answer the theological question of her absence from the biblical canon.

Who is Lilith? Tracing the Ancient Origins

To understand Lilith, we have to look further back than the medieval legends. We must look all the way to ancient Mesopotamia.

The name "Lilith" likely stems from the Sumerian word lilitu, which refers to a class of wind spirits or female demons. The earliest recorded mention of a figure resembling her appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the prologue of the Huluppu Tree (c. 2000 BCE).

In these ancient Sumerian texts, she is depicted not necessarily as a wife but as a "maiden who has desolated the light." She is a demonic figure inhabiting the trunk of a willow tree tended by the goddess Inanna. She is associated with the wind, the desert, and the night. She is a chaotic force that flees into the wilderness when confronted by the hero Gilgamesh.

The Burney Relief: Visual Evidence

Historians point to a famous artifact known as the Burney Relief (or the Queen of the Night plaque), dating back to roughly 1800 BCE.  It depicts a nude, winged woman with bird talons standing on lions, flanked by owls. Many scholars identify this figure as Lilith (or Lilitu), proving her legend existed visually long before biblical texts were written.

Over centuries, this figure evolved. In Babylonian demonology, she was associated with Lilu spirits. These entities eventually merged with the concept of the succubus, a demon that preys on men in their sleep or endangers women during childbirth. She became the archetype of the "Night Monster."

The Legend of the First Eve

This is where the story shifts from ancient demonology to the Jewish folklore that captures modern imagination. How did a Mesopotamian demon become Adam's wife?

The story you are likely familiar with, where Lilith is the first woman created alongside Adam, does not come from the Bible or even the ancient Talmud. It comes primarily from a medieval satirical text called the Alphabet of Ben Sira (dated between 700–1000 CE) and was later expanded upon in the Zohar and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).

The Conflict of Equality

According to this folklore, God created Lilith from the same dust as Adam, making them equals.

• Adam's View: He demanded obedience, insisting Lilith lie beneath him during intimacy.
• Lilith's View: She refused, declaring, "I will not lie below... for I too was formed from dust."

When Adam tried to force her submission, Lilith uttered the ineffable name of God and flew away to the Red Sea, leaving the Garden of Eden.

The Angels and the Curse

The legend continues that Adam complained to God, "The woman you gave me has fled." God sent three angels named Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof to bring her back.

They found her by the Red Sea, but she refused to return. As a consequence, she was transformed into a demonic figure. She claimed her role was to cause sickness to infants, but she swore that whenever she saw the names of those three angels on an amulet, she would leave the child alone.

This story explains why Lilith is often associated with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in ancient superstition and why she is viewed as the "Mother of Demons."

The Biblical Gap: Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 2

Why did the "First Eve" myth gain traction? It was largely an attempt to solve a perceived contradiction between the two creation accounts in the Bible.

Genesis 1:27 (The First Account):

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

Here, man and woman seem to be created simultaneously and with equal dominion.

Genesis 2:7, 22 (The Second Account):

"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground... Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man."

In this second account, the woman is created after the man, from his rib (or side), to be a helper.

Ancient rabbis and medieval writers looked at this and asked a logical question. Who was the female in Genesis 1? If Eve was made in Genesis 2, was there another woman before her?

Folklore filled this "gap" with Lilith. She was assigned the role of the independent "Genesis 1 woman," while Eve became the "Genesis 2 woman."

Why is Lilith Not in the Christian Bible?

If Lilith offers such a convenient explanation for the text, why is Lilith not in the Christian Bible?

The answer lies in history, theology, and the nature of Scripture itself.

1. The "First Wife" Story is Too Late

The most detailed stories of Lilith as Adam's wife (like the Alphabet of Ben Sira) were written in the Middle Ages, over 1,000 years after the Bible was completed. The authors of Genesis, writing thousands of years prior, would not have known this specific medieval legend. You cannot include a story in the Bible that hadn't been written yet.

2. The Mention in Isaiah 34 is Debated

Does the Bible mention her at all? The Hebrew word Liyliyth appears exactly once in the Bible in Isaiah 34:14:

"The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl [Liyliyth] also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest." (KJV)

Modern translations like the NRSV or LEB might render this as "Lilith" or "Night Monster." However, in the context of Isaiah, this is not a reference to Adam's wife. It is a poetic description of a desolate wasteland inhabited by wild animals and night spirits. It serves as a symbol of desolation, not a character in the history of salvation.

3. Theological Incompatibility

The Christian Bible is a curated collection of texts (The Canon) designed to tell the story of God’s covenant with humanity.

• Monotheism: The Bible focuses on Yahweh's supreme power. Giving credence to a demigod or powerful demon-queen like Lilith would distract from the sovereignty of God.
• The Lesson of Genesis: The story of Adam and Eve is theological. It teaches about the unity of marriage ("flesh of my flesh") and the human condition. Introducing a demon-wife who flies away distracts from the core message of the Fall and Redemption.

4. Jewish Tradition vs. Scripture

While Lilith is a major figure in the Kabbalah and later folklore, she was never accepted into the canonical Hebrew Bible (The Torah/Tanakh) by Jewish scholars either. Since Christianity inherited the Hebrew Bible as its "Old Testament," Lilith remained outside the canon for Christians as well.

Conclusion

So, who is Lilith? She is a figure of fascinating complexity. She was born in Babylonian wind myths, evolved into a Jewish demon, and was reimagined in the Middle Ages as a symbol of rebellion. In recent decades, she has even been reclaimed as a feminist icon, celebrated for her demand to be treated as Adam's equal rather than his subordinate.

But why is Lilith not in the Christian Bible? Simply put, her most famous stories are medieval folklore, not ancient history. They were written to answer questions about the text rather than to be part of the text itself.

While she doesn't appear in Scripture, the legend of Lilith challenges us to look closely at how we interpret the Bible, how we view the relationship between men and women, and how stories evolve over millennia.

Frequently Asked Questions Is Lilith mentioned in the King James Bible? The word "Lilith" does not appear in the King James Version (KJV). In Isaiah 34:14, the Hebrew word Liyliyth is translated as "screech owl." However, some modern translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the Jerusalem Bible, do use the name "Lilith" in this verse to refer to a night creature or demon. Was Lilith Adam’s first wife before Eve? The idea that Lilith was Adam's first wife is not found in the Book of Genesis. This story originates from the Alphabet of Ben Sira, a Jewish text written between 700 and 1000 CE. It was a folklore explanation created to reconcile the two different creation accounts found in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. Why did the Catholic Church remove Lilith from the Bible? The Catholic Church did not remove Lilith from the Bible because she was never in it. The stories of Lilith as Adam's wife were written centuries after the biblical canon was closed. These legends were part of Jewish folklore and mysticism, not the inspired scriptures used by early Christians or Jews. What is the difference between Lilith and Eve? In folklore, the main difference is their origin and attitude toward Adam. Lilith was said to be created from the same dust as Adam, leading her to demand total equality. Eve was created from Adam’s rib (or side) to be his helper. Lilith is often associated with rebellion and independence, while Eve is associated with companionship and the fall of humanity. Is Lilith a demon or a goddess? Historically, Lilith began as a class of Mesopotamian demons (Lilitu) associated with wind and storms. In later Jewish folklore and the Zohar, she became the Queen of Demons or a succubus. In modern times, some feminist movements have reclaimed her as a symbol of independence and female empowerment, moving away from her demonic origins.