Question:  Dear Greg,

            I am a college student and I have a question about the mythical figure, Lilith.  I have an assignment to research Lilith.  Although Genesis and the rest of the Bible do not support her existence, what is the purpose, then, of her reference in Isaiah 34:14 as a “desert creature”?  As far as I have found, Lilith was a figure prominent among Jewish literature as well as ancient mythology.  However, I learned that she was cited once in Scripture (Isaiah).  How is this possible if her existence would be essentially unbiblical since it states in Genesis that God created only Adam and Eve as the first humans?

            Jennifer

Answer:  Dear Jennifer,

            I am not familiar with the presuppositions present in the mind of the person who gave you this assignment.  However, I can comment on Isaiah 34:14.  Any logic, scholarship, methodology or hermeneutic that would conclude that this verse is a clear reference to this mythical character of Lilith would, in all fairness, need to allow that the existence of Elvis Presley, Osama bin Laden and Mickey Mouse would have “clearly” been foretold in Shakespeare.  That is, inflict the same “methodology” upon other literature and suddenly we would have subjective anarchy.

            Of more interest would be why anyone would insist upon trying to torture the Bible (Scrip-torture), reading meanings into the text (eisegesis) rather than seeking meaning that is in the text (exegesis).  Where does the Lilith agenda come from?  Giving Lilith the same biblical credibility as Adam and Eve is silly and a fabrication.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht