“Adam’s Mistake, the Serpent’s Strength”

Adam made the mistake of naming this being created by God with a dangerous name that ultimately harmed him because he misused his mouth. Now, the question arises: how could the serpent dominate man when it was man who was supposed to dominate the serpent?

We recall that according to some translations, one can only dominate what one has named. That’s why, when things are named incorrectly, they take on the characteristics of that naming. The serpent could not have dominated man, “Adam,” because it was Adam who named it, meaning he had authority over the serpent. Even though Adam eventually fell in another way, the serpent was aware of the mistakes Adam had made.

Beyond the mistake of naming or giving it power, or even giving it a dangerous name, Adam had forgotten to name his “woman,” the one who was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. After naming the animals, it is written, “Adam found no helper suitable for him.”

So God put Adam into a deep sleep, took the woman from the rib he had taken from the man, and thus the woman was created and presented to the man. Unfortunately, struck by the beauty of the being now standing before him, the man, instead of naming her—continuing to do what he needed to do to maintain dominion—forgot, and instead of naming the being before him, simply exclaimed:

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman.’“

This exclamation was purely emotional, the result of seeing his emptiness being filled. However, being called “woman” was only meant to differentiate between male and female sexes. Being “woman” is not truly a subjective name; otherwise, even animals wouldn’t have names—they would simply be called “animals” instead of lion, dog, leopard, etc.

Adam not only had a common name but also a proper name. That’s why he is also called “Adam,” while “woman” is a common name, meaning Adam’s suitable helper did not yet have a proper name. “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” was just a way to distinguish between the female and the male being.

The serpent, being cunning, knew these things. He knew Adam’s mistake of not naming his wife. To name is to dominate. However, Adam could not dominate his wife; they were equals. The serpent understood this well and did not approach the man, as the man had named him and had power over him.

That’s why the serpent went to the being without a name, who was to play a role in his process of destruction, and said to the woman, “Isn’t it written…” The serpent knew the woman’s lack of authority over him since he had not been named by her but by the man. This mistake allowed the serpent to enter the woman, and the woman to enter the man, for here the man did not have authority over his wife because he had not yet named her. That’s why it is written: the woman ate the fruit and gave some to her husband, who was with her.

How could Adam so easily take the fruit when he was aware of the rule God had given for this tree? How could he take it without examining it? It is because, in reality, he had no authority over her, for instead of taking authority over her by giving her a name, he was content to praise his wife, forgetting his role, which was to name.

Adam, the first man, stumbled because of his own mistake, forgetting his responsibilities and the necessary things. When we forget the necessary, we sacrifice our destinies. Many commit this mistake. Sometimes, like Adam, the mistake is not in naming, but rather in what name we choose. What do you name? How do you use your tongue?

We make many mistakes in the Christian life; some make the mistake of not naming certain things, while others make the mistake of naming things with twisted names…

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Mistakes of Adam” written by Abel Kuminga.

We invite you to read the following article “JUSTIFICATORY ERROR“.