Read:
Genesis 2:21-22

We all know the story of how God created Eve with one of Adam’s ribs… (Genesis 2: 21-22). Have you ever heard that this is why men have one less rib than women? Anatomically, it’s just not true. Men and women both have the same number of ribs in their skeletal rib cages.

Knowing this and in order to make sense of it, a Christian might be prompted to make assumptions or to engage in conjecture such as… Adam’s rib regenerated itself…or… Adam survived with one rib missing. It becomes hard to dissuade someone who believes that this Genesis story lacks credibility.

Recently, a friend brought this up in a discussion about literal interpretations of the Bible. He asked me this question… “Are you aware that there are actually two sets of ribs in the human body?” I didn’t know that and so I asked him to share what he was talking about.

He began to tell me about genetics and chromosomes. Every chromosome is shaped like an “X” and has four ribs. He said that the use of the term “ribs” to refer to the four extensions of each chromosome is fairly common in the scientific world. 

Women have 23 X chromosomes (equaling 92 ribs). Men have 22 X chromosomes and 1 Y chromosome (equaling 91 ribs). Because one rib is missing on a man’s 23rd chromosome, this means that men have one less “chromosomal rib” than women do. 

Questions:
Could it be that God took a “chromosomal rib” from Adam to create Eve rather than a “skeletal rib?” Do scientific or biological facts like this bolster your faith? Are you willing to look at scriptures from another perspective?

Mark Denbow
Facilities Manager, Safety & Security