How did Adam know that Eve had been formed out of his rib/bone in Genesis 2:23?

Question

It is said God caused the Adam to fall into a deep sleep and during that time God formed Eve out of Adam's rib/bone

. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

But when Adam awakens he seems to know that the woman had been formed out of one of his bones

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

How did Adam know that Eve had been formed out of one of his bones?

Answer 1

How did Adam know that Eve had been formed out of his rib/bone?

Genesis 2:21-23:

"So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He 
took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned
into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man."

"The man said,
          'This is now bone of my bones,
           And flesh of my flesh;
           She shall be called Woman,
           Because she was taken out of Man.'"

Here may be an instance where we must assume that God told Adam about the woman, even how she was created, since Adam knew of it. It seems likely that God told Adam similarly about the animals, perhaps to offer suggestions and context for naming each of them (no small chore).

We might consider this as well: How could Adam and Eve survive, once they were banished from the Garden if they didn't know how to prepare food or setup camp? They probably have needed fire to see at night. While God may have "implanted solutions" to these problems in their minds, why not instruct them how to do these things? Clearly, we cannot know for sure. After they sinned, God may have not have personally demonstrated much for them.

We should remember that Adam and Eve encountered God in the Garden after they had sinned:

Genesis 3:8: They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

This was not the first time the first couple saw God, since earlier in Genesis (2:22b), the text reads:

Genesis 2:22b: "[And God] brought [the woman] to the man."

Due to the many other appearances of God that we read elsewhere in the Old Testament, should we be surprised to learn that there were many, many other encounters that were simply never made part of the biblical record?

Answer 2

The Genesis account of creation is breathtakingly sparse. Yet what little it does say causes us to think deeply because we want to know the whys and wherefores, the details as well as the overall scheme of things. The section you ask about has, within its own record, two main points that answer the question.

First, God was communicating openly with Adam so that Adam understood all he needed to understand as a directly created human. He understood God's commission to be a horticulturalist (tending the garden) as well as a zoologist (naming the animals). Notice how God brought all the animals to be named TO Adam? He was not left to get on with such a monumental task without God's instructions and enabling. Further, that task caused Adam to realise he had no mate, as did all the creatures he named. That was deliberate, on God's part, for only when humans discover a lack might they look to God to fill it. And he did - deliberately, not accidentally.

Second, Notice how, as with the animals, God brought the woman TO Adam? And Adam called her 'woman'. (He did not name her 'Eve' until after God had promised the then-sinful couple that she would be the mother of all living.)

So with the woman. After Adam regained consciousness, God presented her to him and immediately Adam recognised in her the mate, the companion, the one like him who had been lacking up until then. He knew God had formed her from himself because she was so strikingly similar to himself, unlike any of the animals. And - although this next point is my personal opinion - whenever I think of human likeness, I think of DNA, and is not bone marrow full of DNA? The Creator only needs to tweek human DNA a tiny bit to produce whatever variations he so desires - including the female variation.

But just as there is no scientific language in the creation account, there are no detailed minutes of the meetings between God and Adam - just the over-view. Minutes are not a record of all conversations between the gathered parties, only of the decisions and conclusions arrived at. Consider those opening chapters of Genesis as the minute of that interaction between God, Adam, and the woman, and dwell on the conclusions provided, so that we can move forward in the will of God.

Answer 3

• if you read Genesis 2 it appears that the need for eve comes right after the process of Adam naming all the living things.

Genesis 2:19 And the Lord God formed from the earth every beast of the field and every fowl of the heavens, and He brought [it] to man to see what he would call it, and whatever the man called each living thing, that was its name. 20 And man named all the cattle and the fowl of the heavens and all the beasts of the field, but for man, he did not find a helpmate opposite him.

• Could it be that Adam saw how the male and female of each animal species looked alike and beloged together and realized he had no one like him
• So after God made him fall into a deep sleep and formed Eve and brought her to him, he realized that she was similar to him and hence he uses the below verse to express her likeness to him (Bone - Structure/frame & Flesh - touch/look/feel)

Genesis 2:23 And man said, "This time, it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called ishah (woman) because this one was taken from ish (man)."

God Bless

Answer 4

You are correct about DNA. It is God's individual marker for everyone, however, we can only cross-check with others to help identify the origin. It tells a story and is linked to Scriptural records.

Answer 5

I think Adam had an out of body experience while God did performed the operation on him .hence he was able to see what God used to form a woman through the out of body experience.