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Ribs Of Men And Women
Do men have less ribs than women?
Do men have less ribs than women due to
Eve's creation?
The
verses related to your question regarding ribs and whether the creation of
women caused men to have one less than normal are in the book of Genesis.
It states that, ".
. . and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up
the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him" (Genesis 2:21 - 22).
The
direct answer to your question is that men do not have less ribs due to the
creation of Eve.
In
regard to Adam, although the Bible is not specific, either he lived the rest of
his life missing one of them or God healed him immediately after his 'surgery.'
Men
did not inherit one less rib due to what happened in the Garden of Eden.
Several
commentaries offer some fascinating thoughts to consider regarding God's
creation of Adam and Eve.
The
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary states that Eve (representing all women)
was not made from Adam's (representing all men) head in order to surpass him,
or made from his feet so that she could be trampled on, but from his side
(ribs) so that she could be near and dear to his heart.
Adam
Clarke's Commentary says that some piece of Adam was needed to be used for
Eve's creation, and that it was likely the flesh from his sides that were used (see Genesis 2:23).
The
commentary goes on to state that God could have formed Eve from the ground just
like he did Adam, but had he done so she might have appeared to have no natural
relationship to him.
The
celebrated first century historian Josephus also weighed in regarding God's
creation of men and women.
He
said that it was only after God observed Adam wondering at the animals that
were made male and female, and noticing he had no such companion, that he
decided to create for him a mate out of his ribs.
We
discover a little bit more about God's intention in making men and women by
looking at the meaning of names and references.
In
the Bible, a male in the Hebrew language is referred to as Ish, which is Strong's Concordance #H376.
The
first word Adam used to refer to the woman made out of his own flesh is Issa or Ishah in the
Hebrew (Strong's #H802, the feminine form
of Ish - See Genesis 2:23).
When
God made Eve out of one of her husband's ribs, he was literally making Ishah out of Ish. It was only
after they both sinned that Adam called his wife Eve (Genesis 3:20).
Ultimately,
God's "surgery" to provide the first man he created with a mate did
not seem to adversely affect the health of Adam or his ability to live a long
life.
In
fact, even if he lived with less ribs than Eve, he lived to the ripe old age of
930 years (Genesis 5:5).
Adam
lived the fourth longest lifespan of any human being in history (Methuselah was
the longest at 969 years)!
In
short, men today have not inherited fewer bones than women.
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