In truth, it was the Tree of Death, but the primary death in context was spiritual death. Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree … The tree wasn't evil. However the result was quite different. The serpent beguiled Eve, and she and her husband ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve had information, factual knowledge. Furthermore, God said that if they did eat of the tree, they would surely die. But what is this knowledge of good and evil that has been deemed off-limits to humanity? NET RSV ASV YLT DBY WEB HNV. Genesis 2:17 King James Version (KJV). Putting those facts together, we can assume that the prohibition on the tree was only temporary. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [2] This is why Adam and Eve had no shame in their nakedness. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The first and most often considered purpose was to provide man with a choice: to love and serve God willingly or to rebel against him and reject the one prohibition he had given them. The meaning of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is man acting apart from God, man pursuing goodness according to his self-will, man hastily and impatiently seeking after the knowledge that God has not granted, and man pursuing progress by his own means rather than by trusting in God. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent has legs at this point. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil … Cite Share Print. BLB Searches. Many of us learned about the tree of knowledge of good and evil from an early age. In the book of Genesis, God places the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden, where the tree of life stands as a symbol of God’s life-giving presence and the fullness of eternal life available in God. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The prohibition on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil comes in ch. Suddenly they understood the difference between what was good and what was evil, and because they did not obey God, death, sorrow, and disease became a fact of life. What all these mean is that man is simply acting alone and independently, outside of God. Answer: God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden to give Adam and Eve a choice to obey Him or disobey Him. An artistic representation of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Some exegetical notes, observations, and tentative conclusions: 1. But having mere facts is not what the tree was about – it was … Gen 3_Eating of Tree of knowledge of good and evil . The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, referred to in the question as the “forbidden tree,” was placed in the garden of Eden, most likely on the sixth day. There are actually two trees in the story, the first of which is the Tree of Life, and the second of which is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In their immature, childlike state, it was innocent. In Genesis Narrative. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was one of two trees situated in the middle of the Garden of Eden, the other being the Tree of Life. Why set Adam and Eve up to fail? God and the angels had already informed Adam and Eve about Satan, about evil, and about death being the result of sin. KJV NKJV NLT NIV ESV CSB NASB. This later lead to spiritual death. Making notes – A KJV Study. I will make for him a suitable helper.”… Any deity worth its salt is primarily distinguished by these two factors: immortality, and the knowledge of things beyond understanding. Actually it is misleading. Another feature of the Mosaic legend of the "fall" which deserves consideration is the reference to the tree of knowledge, or wisdom. 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