Dear Rabbi,

What language did Adam & Eve speak? Was it Hebrew?

Dear Monte Stimmel,

We see evidence that Adam spoke Hebrew because he gave Eve two names, each of which makes sense only in Hebrew. He called her isha (woman) because "she was taken from ish (man)," and he called her Chava (Eve) because "she was to be Mother of all chai (life)." The very name Adam is from the Hebrew word adamah (earth), referring to the fact that G-d created Adam from the earth. From the time of Adam and Eve until the generation of the Tower of Babel, everyone spoke Hebrew.

Sources:

• Bereshet 2:23, 3:20
• Midrash Bereshet Rabbah 38