And Adam called his wife's name Eve
Whom he had before named "Ishah", a woman, because taken from him
the man, ( Genesis 2:23
) and now gives her a new name upon this scene of things, which
had taken place; which is derived not from "Chavah", to "show
forth", to "declare"; as if she was called so, because of her
discourse with the serpent, being loquacious and talkative, and
telling everything she knew, according to some Jewish writers
F7; but from "Chayah, to live", as the
reason given in the text shows. She is called Aeon "(Aevum)" by
Philo Byblius, the interpreter of Sanchoniatho F8. The
word "Eve" is retained in many Heathen writers, and used to be
frequently repeated in the Bacchanalian rites, when the idolaters
appeared with serpents platted on their heads F9; which
plainly refers to the affair between the serpent and Eve; hence
Bacchus is sometimes called Evius F11: the reason of Adam's
giving her this name follows,
because she was the mother of all living;
which reason is either given by Moses, when from her had sprung a
numerous offspring, and would be continued to the end of the
world; or if given by Adam was prophetic of what she would be;
and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "because she would
be the mother of all living"; and the ground of this faith and
persuasion of his, that he and his wife should not die
immediately for the offence they had committed, but should live
and propagate their species, as well as be partakers of spiritual
and eternal life, was the hint that had been just given, that
there would be a seed spring from them; not only a numerous
offspring, but a particular eminent person that should be the
ruin of the devil and his kingdom, and the Saviour of them; and
so Eve would be not, only the mother of all men living in
succeeding generations, but particularly, or however one
descending from her, would be the mother of him that should bring
life and immortality to light, or be the author of all life,
natural, spiritual, and eternal; and who is called (zwh) , "the life", which is the same
word by which the Greek version renders Eve in the preceding
clause. It was with pleasure, no doubt, that Adam gave her this
name; and it appears that this affair of her being seduced by the
serpent, and of drawing him into the transgression, did not
alienate his affection from her; and the rather he must needs
cleave unto her, and not forsake her, since her seed was to break
the serpent's head, and procure life and salvation for them; and
by means of her there would be a race of living men produced,
which would propagate his species to the end of time: for all
living can only respect them, and not other animals, though in
some sense they may be included, as our English poet F12 hints.