Lilith: First Wife or Evil Spirit?

We’re sought to examine Lilith, a ravening brutality in the likeness of a winged spirit who preyed on pregnant women and infants. Lilith is first mentioned in Babylonian demonology found in the epic of Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree, a Sumerian epic poem found on a tablet at Ur. Lilith anecdotally appears in the Bible for evaluating what this society had been already accessible, a wilderness demon shunned by the prophet Isaiah.

וּפָגְשׁ֤וּ צִיִּים֙ אֶת־אִיִּ֔ים וְשָׂעִ֖יר עַל־רֵעֵ֣הוּ יִקְרָ֑א אְַ־שָׁם֙ הִרְגִּ֣יעָה לִּילִ֔ית וּמָצְאָ֥ה לָ֖הּ מָנֽוֹחַ׃

Wildcats shall meet hyenas, Goat-demons shall greet each other; There too the Lilith shall repose And find herself a resting place.

Isaiah 34:14

Contained in the words and prophecies of Isaiah, a critical prophet, written either by himself or his followers in Jerusalem during a period of great change for several historically significant civilizations — Rome is founded in 753 BC, and the Etruscan civilization expands in Italy.

In Chapter 34, a sword-wielding Yahweh seeks vengeance on the infidel Edomites, perennial outsiders, and foes of the ancient Israelites. According to this powerful apocalyptic poem, Edom will become a chaotic, desert land where the soil is infertile and wild animals roam. It ought to be noted the Lilith demon was so well known to Isaiah’s audience as a dangerous embodiment of dark, feminine powers that no explanation of her identity was necessary.