Original Word: אָדָם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Adam
Pronunciation: ah-DAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-dawm')
KJV: Adam
NASB: Adam
Word Origin: [the same as H120 (אָדָם - man)]

1. Adam the name of the first man, also of a place in Israel

Adam

The same as 'adam; Adam the name of the first man, also of a place in Palestine -- Adam.

see HEBREW 'adam

Word Origin
from the same as adam
Definition
the first man, also a city in the Jordan Valley
NASB Translation
Adam (12).

Name and Identity

The proper noun אָדָם designates the first human created directly by God, the progenitor of all mankind. It is also the name of a city on the Jordan River (Joshua 3:16). In later texts Adam becomes the representative figure for human sin and covenant-breaking.

Canonical Occurrences (10)

Genesis 3:17; 4:25; 5:1-5; Joshua 3:16; 1 Chronicles 1:1; Job 31:33; Hosea 6:7.

Seven uses refer to the man, one to the city, and two function as comparisons.

Genesis Narrative and the Fall

“At Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife … cursed is the ground because of you’” (Genesis 3:17). Adam’s disobedience brings toil, death, and exile from Eden. Chapters 4–5 record his ongoing life with Eve, the birth of Seth (Genesis 4:25), and the genealogy that frames pre-Flood history (Genesis 5:1-5).

Genealogical Significance

“This is the book of the generations of Adam” (Genesis 5:1). The Chronicler begins Israel’s pedigree with “Adam, Seth, Enosh” (1 Chronicles 1:1), establishing him as the historical head of humanity and the starting-point of redemptive history.

Covenantal Headship

Job 31:33 speaks of hiding guilt “like Adam,” and Hosea 6:7 declares, “But like Adam, they have transgressed the covenant”. Adam’s act is portrayed as covenant violation; all subsequent human rebellion echoes that first breach.

Typological Contrast with Christ

Adam is “a pattern of the One to come” (Romans 5:14). Through his disobedience came condemnation; through the obedience of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, comes justification (Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45). Scripture therefore unfolds two representative heads: the first bringing death, the second bringing life.

Adam in Wisdom and Prophets

Job employs Adam as an example of concealed sin; Hosea uses him to expose Israel’s faithlessness. These references affirm his historicity while showing the enduring relevance of his failure.

The City Named Adam

During Israel’s crossing, “the waters … rose up in a heap very far away at Adam, the city next to Zarethan” (Joshua 3:16). The site marks the boundary of the miraculous passage into the land—an event that foreshadows new-creation themes tied to the second Adam.

Ministry Implications

1. Anthropology: Adam reveals both human dignity (image of God) and universal sinfulness (fall).
2. Gospel Presentation: From Adam’s transgression to Christ’s obedience lies the biblical framework for salvation.
3. Marriage: Adam’s union with Eve grounds the covenant nature of marriage.
4. Suffering: The curse on Adam explains toil, pain, and death; hope rests in Christ’s reversal of that curse.
5. Covenant Faithfulness: Hosea’s warning urges believers to avoid repeating Adam’s pattern through Spirit-enabled obedience.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 121 portrays Adam as the historical first man, the federal head of a fallen race, and a crucial type pointing to Jesus Christ. Every occurrence—whether narrative, genealogical, poetic, prophetic, or geographical—reinforces core doctrines of creation, fall, and redemption.

אָדָ֑ם אָדָ֗ם אָדָ֥ם אָדָם֙ אדם וּלְאָדָ֣ם ולאדם כְּאָדָ֖ם כְאָדָ֣ם כאדם מֵֽאָדָ֤ם מאדם ’ā·ḏām ’āḏām aDam cheaDam kə’āḏām ḵə’āḏām kə·’ā·ḏām ḵə·’ā·ḏām keaDam mê’āḏām mê·’ā·ḏām meaDam ū·lə·’ā·ḏām ulaDam ūlə’āḏāmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts