Why did Adam call Eve the flesh of his flesh?

Question

We read in Gen 2:21-23 (KJV):

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh..

There is no mention of flesh having been taken from Adam for the creation of Eve. But then, why did Adam call Eve the flesh of his flesh ? Did he mean bone-marrow that is more valuable than flesh for survival (Ref: Proverbs 3:8: It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones)? Or, was he simply making a poetic statement to denote the closest relative he found in Eve ? What is the take of Bible scholars on the topic ?

Answer 1

Rib is an unfortunate interpretation of the most of the translators. The text does not talk about Adam's rib. The word tsela (צֵלָע) is used 41 times in the OT. But only here in Genesis 2, it is translated as rib. Elsewhere, it is translated as side. A few examples:

You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. (Exodus 25:12)

"You are to make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, (Exodus 26:26)

You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on the north side. (Exodus 26:35)

The poles are to be put into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it. (Exodus 27:7)

So the proper meaning of that verse in Genesis 2:22 is:

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh.

It is from the New English Translation Bible. For the 39 translations, I have checked only that one conveys the meaning of original Hebrew. https://biblehub.com/parallel/genesis/2-21.htm

Even some of the less chauvinistic rabbis admit that: "Ibn Ezra on Genesis 2:21:3 - ONE OF HIS RIBS. Adam had two sides. Tzela here is like tzela (side) in and for the second side (tzela) of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:20). Tzela is a feminine noun. It means a side."

Interestingly, the Greek pleura (πλευρά) used in Septuagint can be found in the NT six times. In five instances, it describes Jesus' pierced side. These are:

• Matthew 27:49

• John 19:34

• John 20:20

• John 20:25

• John 20:27

Answer 2

Genesis 2:23 is presented as a poem, with the statement "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" best understood as a parallelism.

• 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.”

This statement likely evolved into the idiom "flesh and blood", signifying the intimacy of their relationship.

• Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” (Genesis 29:14)
• Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. (Genests 37:27)
• “Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.” (Judegs 9:2)
• All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. (2 Samuel 5:1)
• You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ (2 Samuel 19:12)
• All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. (1 Chronicles 11:1)

Answer 3

I am going to throw my 2 cents in.

Jesus' side was pierced and from it came blood and water, the 2 elements that can create life. Mirroring Genesis, the creation of the 'bride' comes from the 2nd Adam's side as well. So the church is literally flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. This is perhaps why the church is called the body of Christ. This is a correction of a wife that caused her husband to sin, and a Husband that caused His bride to be perfect.

Answer 4

I am well appreciated with these answers, Thank you