The Isiah text is, I assume, 34:14. I had forgotten about this passage - mostly because I blocked out my Exegisis class from memory. I mean 7:30 in the morning Monday/Wendsday/Friday in Chelsea? Hangovers were the single most common reason for missing the first 45 minuets of a 90 minuet class ...

I digress ...

The NJPS Translation is: "Wildcats shall meet hyenas, Goat-demons shall greet each other; There too the lilth (LYLYH) shall repose and find herself a resting place."

The Critical Aparatus at the botom of the page in my Hebrew Bible was a muddel.

After flipping around through the lexicons I found that it seems to be a Babylonian loan word and that it apears exactly once, and has no real root. It may be related to the word for "night" but the main Lexicon for Hebrew in English is not so sure. It also aprears in Chaldean texts. All of the sources are quiet clear that this is some sort of "night demon," and the Brow Drivers Briggs refers readers to the a French commentary on the Talmud, which I do not own.

Since I have no real life, and suffer from insomnia, I dug out my copy of the Talmud. In it we have but five, scant texts. The first is a recomendation to not sleep alone - for the Lilith might seize you. The second is a text that states that evil spirits, including the lilin (plural), were born of the nocternal emitions of Adam when he fasted, prayed, and was "removed" from Eve fro 130 years. The third states that she wore/wears her hair long. The fourth refers to her son Hormin running (playing) on the walls of Mahuza/Al-Mada'in, the then capital of the Persians, near modern Bagdad. The fifth speaks of miscariages of childeren who "look like Lilith" with wings.

The curious thing to me is that we have a clear set of refernces to a singular, specific creature, and a reference to a set of plural creatures. Not being a linguist, nor having much by way of resources at hand the Chaldie/Babylonian sources it's a dea end for me.

Indeed, Mr Caliburn. I might go so far as to hazard a guess that Lilith may be the first (recorded) Master.

There are no mentions of Lilith in the Mishnah, at least as far as I can trust the index and other books I have.

The Dead Sea scrolls have a reference to a "Seductress" who's description is very simialr to the description from Proverbs 2:16, 18 &19: "It will save you from the forbidden (lit. heb. "strange"), from the alien woman whose talk is smooth, ... Her house sinks down to Death, and her course leads to the shades. All who go to her cannot return and find again the paths of life"

The Book of Proverbs uses the image of the wise and foolish woman both as advice for marriage, but also as stand ins for the Hokma, or wisdom of God, and this second, tempting force. The entierty of Chapter seven could also be read as a description of this negative "Strange" woman.

There is also a description of the "Bastard" deamons who sem to follow in the wake of Lillith, but again, no really clear picture.

So yea, we seem to have one Lillith and a "race" of creatures like her, of both genders.