I would like to know if you have come across the personality called Lilith before. The name shows up in Isaiah 34:14 (Darby translation). Lilith is not mentioned in most modern translations of the Bible today, but rather "she" is referenced as some other being. It is rumored that Lilith was the disobedient wife of Adam, and this has other far-reaching implications. Have you done any research in this area? -- Ebosa Ozoh
I have not studied much about Lilith. She seems to have been first mentioned in ancient Babylonian texts. The "lilith" were flying demons (female) that attacked infants and pregnant women. From Babylon the legends spread to Anatolia (ancient Turkey), Greece, Syria, Egypt, and Israel. Stories about Lilith evolved; in the medieval legends she becomes Adam's first wife. Her name comes from the Hebrew word for night (laylah). For more about this, you might want to see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith.
You are right. The only place the word is found in the Bible is Isaiah 34:14, where it is rendered "night creatures" (NIV), "night monster" (NAS), "Lilith" (NRS), "onokentauros" or donkey-centaur (LXX), "Le spectre de la nuit" (French Louis Segond), "Lilit" (Italian Nuova Riveduta), "Kobold" (Luther), and "Lamia" or witch (Latin Vulgate and Spanish Reina Valera). It seems many translators did not know what to do with this unusual word, which is a one-off occurrence in the Old Testament.
Since we are dealing with legend, far removed from biblical times, and since the passage in which the word in question is found both poetic and is apocalyptic, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to draw any doctrinal conclusions in this case. So while there may be implications for medieval literature, I'm not sure there are any for biblical theology. Except that the Bible has very few references to mythology, and when it does, these are nearly always stripped of their superstitious elements in order to teach us something about the true God.
P.S. You might also check out my podcast on Dragons in the Bible (seriously).
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