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Adam

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The first human created by God in Genesis, central to Judeo-Christian theology as the progenitor of humankind and symbol of original innocence or sin.

Detailed Definition
Adam, formed from dust and given life by God’s breath, is the progenitor of humanity in Judeo-Christian tradition. His disobedience in Eden introduced sin and mortality. In poetry, Adam symbolizes innocence, the fall from grace, and the origin of human suffering and self-awareness.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Milton’s "Paradise Lost," Adam’s fall from grace illustrates the consequences of disobedience and human frailty; In William Blake’s "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," Adam represents the primal unity of contraries; In John Donne’s “The First Anniversary,” Adam’s perfection before the Fall contrasts with postlapsarian decay; In Robert Frost’s “Adam’s Curse,” the name evokes the burden of labor and lost innocence; In William Carlos Williams’ “Adam,” the figure embodies the birth of human consciousness; In Dante’s "Divine Comedy," Adam appears in Paradise as the first soul redeemed by Christ.
Additional Notes
Adam, the first man in Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, represents humanity’s origin, innocence, and fall from grace through disobedience in Eden; poets use Adam to explore themes of creation, original sin, gender dynamics (with Eve), and redemption—Milton’s Paradise Lost offers a complex portrayal, and “Adam” can function typologically as a forerunner to Christ, the “second Adam,” in theological poetry.
Also Known As
First Man Earthborn Forefather of Humankind
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