Bible
Lilith in the Bible
Last updated: May 31, 2026
Written by Blake Boege
Lilith is a figure whose presence in the canonical Bible is limited to a single, ambiguous mention in the Book of Isaiah, where the Hebrew word 'lilit' is translated as 'screech owl' or 'night monster'. In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Lilith was a class of female demons associated with wind and disease. The popular narrative of Lilith as the rebellious first wife of Adam, created before Eve from the same dust, is not found in scripture; rather, it developed in later Rabbinic literature and medieval texts like the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Scholars and readers search for this topic to trace the evolution of Jewish folklore, examine demonology, and study modern feminist reinterpretations.
The popular figure of Lilith as Adam's first wife is not from the Bible. The Genesis creation account names only Adam and Eve. The Hebrew word lilith appears once in Isaiah 34:14 as part of a list of desert creatures, and translations render it 'screech owl' or 'night creature.' The full Lilith story comes from medieval Jewish folklore.
Quick Answer
The name 'Lilith' appears only once in the Bible (Isaiah 34:14) as a desert creature. Her popular depiction as Adam's first wife comes from later Jewish folklore and medieval texts, not scripture.
Direct answer
The popular figure of Lilith as Adam's first wife is not in the Bible. The Genesis creation account names only Adam and Eve. The Hebrew word lilith appears one time, in Isaiah 34:14, as part of a list of desert creatures. The KJV renders it "screech owl"; other modern translations have "night creature" or "night bird."
The story of Lilith as a rebellious first wife comes from a medieval Jewish work (the Alphabet of Ben Sira), not from the Genesis text. Christian readers should treat it as folklore and not as Scripture.
Examples
Genesis creation account
Genesis 1-3 names only Adam and Eve
Isaiah 34:14 (KJV)
'screech owl' — Hebrew lilith
Translation variants
NIV: 'night creature' · ESV: 'night bird'
Source of the folklore
Alphabet of Ben Sira (medieval, not Scripture)
How it works
The page surveys what Scripture itself says, what the Hebrew word lilith means in Isaiah 34:14, and where the popular Lilith story actually comes from. References are KJV.
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 also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.Isaiah 34:14, KJV
What the Bible actually says
The Genesis creation account names two human beings: Adam and Eve. Genesis 1:27 says God created man, male and female. Genesis 2 describes the forming of Adam, the placement of the man in Eden, and the making of woman from his side. The man calls her 'Woman' (Genesis 2:23). After the fall he calls her Eve, 'because she was the mother of all living' (Genesis 3:20). The Bible recognizes no earlier wife.
Isaiah 34:14: a word, not a person
The Hebrew word lilith appears one time in the Hebrew Bible, in Isaiah 34:14, in the middle of a poetic description of judgment falling on Edom. The land becomes desolate, and wild creatures move in: screech owls, jackals, vultures, and a creature the Hebrew calls lilith. Translations render this differently. The KJV says 'screech owl.' The NIV says 'night creature.' The ESV says 'night bird.' A small number of modern translations leave the word as a proper name 'Lilith,' but this reading depends on later traditions, not on the immediate context, which is a list of birds and beasts.
Where the popular Lilith story comes from
The story of Lilith as Adam's first wife who refused to submit and became a demoness is found in a medieval Jewish work called the Alphabet of Ben Sira, probably composed between the 8th and 10th centuries AD. It is post-biblical folklore, not Scripture. Earlier rabbinic sources (the Talmud) use lilith only as a kind of demon in passing, without the Adam connection. Later Kabbalistic literature and modern occult or feminist re-readings elaborated the figure further. Christian readers should treat the popular Lilith story as Jewish folklore with no biblical basis.
Pastoral note
The Lilith story has become widespread in popular culture, sometimes used to argue that the Bible 'hides' a first wife. The Bible does no such thing; the Genesis account is open about who Adam's wife is and where she came from. The popular Lilith figure is not a suppressed biblical character; she is a piece of later folklore that drifted into modern imagination. The Bible's actual interest in Genesis is the goodness of God's creation, the unity of man and woman, and the fall into sin, not a hidden mythology.
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Frequently asked questions
Lilith as a named figure is not in the Protestant Old Testament. The Hebrew word lilith (or lilit) appears once, in Isaiah 34:14, where it is part of a list of wild creatures inhabiting a desolate land. Translations differ: the KJV renders it 'screech owl,' the NIV 'night creature,' the ESV 'night bird,' and a few modern translations leave it as the proper name 'Lilith.' The popular Lilith figure as Adam's first wife is not in the text.
Not according to the Bible. The Genesis creation account names only Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-3). The story of Lilith as Adam's first wife who refused to submit and was replaced by Eve comes from much later Jewish folklore, especially a medieval text called the Alphabet of Ben Sira (probably 8th-10th century AD). It is a piece of post-biblical tradition, not a biblical claim.
Isaiah 34 pictures the desolation of Edom under God's judgment: the land becomes a wasteland inhabited by wild creatures. Verse 14 lists screech owls, jackals, and other animals. The Hebrew word translated 'screech owl' in the KJV is lilith. Translators take it as a kind of night bird or desert creature. The verse is poetic imagery of desolation, not a description of a supernatural figure operating in human history.
Mainly from medieval and later Jewish folklore. The Alphabet of Ben Sira (probably between the 8th and 10th centuries AD) tells the story of Lilith as Adam's first wife who refused to submit, left Eden, and became a demonic figure. The story is not in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud (where lilith appears only as a kind of demon, not as Adam's wife), or any of the apocryphal or pseudepigraphal books. Later Kabbalistic and modern occult sources elaborated the figure. Christian readers should treat the popular story as folklore, not Scripture.
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