Questions About Eve's Iniquity, Beauty, And Fall: The "Primal Figure" in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Genesis Rabbah Traditions of Eve‪.‬

The Palestinian midrash Gen. Rab. 18:1 includes a compelling teaching regarding the creation of the first woman. (1) It reflects on Gen 2:22, "And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he built into a woman and brought her to the man," and introduces a homily attributed to Rabbi Hama bar Hanina that correlates this verse with another scriptural citation, found in Ezek 28:13, to offer the following exegesis: In its original context the verse cited from Ezekiel is part of 28:11-19, a lament addressed to the king of Tyre. The king is compared, ironically, to a mythological figure who was created by God as a wise and beautiful cherub. In the beginning, this being was placed in Eden, described as the garden and mountain of God, amid precious gems and fiery stones. After this figure was indicted for pride and violence, as well as his ambitious aim to appropriate fully divine privileges for himself, he was demoted from his former high status, banished from Eden, cast down to earth, and condemned to death by God.