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Eating of the Forbidden Fruit
[Bible]The eating of the forbidden fruit is the event recorded in Genesis 3 in which Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden, and were driven out of the Garden of Eden. Christianity understands it as the beginning of the fall of humanity.
Sycamore Fig
[Bible]The sycamore fig is a tree of the fig family that grows in the warm lowlands of Egypt and Palestine. In the Bible it appears as the tree Amos tended and as the tree Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus.
The Fall
[Doctrine & Theology]The Fall is the Christian doctrine concerning the event in which the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God's command, so that sin and death entered the human race, and concerning the condition into which humanity came as a result.
River of the Water of Life
[Bible]The river of the water of life is the clear river in Revelation 22 that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the New Jerusalem. Drawing on the river of Eden and the river of Ezekiel's temple vision, it serves as an image of the life that God gives.
River of the Water of Life
[Bible]The river of the water of life is the river described in Revelation 22 as flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb and watering the New Jerusalem. Together with Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 47 of a river flowing from the temple, it is read as a symbol of the life that God gives.
Deborah, Rebekah's Nurse
[People]Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, is a figure in the Book of Genesis who died while Jacob's household was staying at Bethel. She was buried beneath an oak below Bethel, and the tree was named Allon-bachuth.
Garden of Eden
[Bible]The Garden of Eden is the garden in which, according to Genesis 2–3, God placed the first human being he created. It contained the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and it is the setting of the account of humanity's fall.
Matthew 21:21–22
[Bible Verses]A passage in which Jesus, responding to disciples astonished that the fig tree had withered, speaks of the power of undoubting faith and of prayer. It is frequently cited as a basis for answered prayer, and interpreters differ over whether "whatsoever" should be understood as an unconditional promise.
Revelation 2:7
[Bible Verses]Revelation 2:7 closes the letter to the church in Ephesus with the promise that the one who overcomes to the end will eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God. The verse portrays the restoration of Eden and is frequently discussed because interpreters differ over who is meant by "him that overcometh."
Allon-bachuth
[Bible]Allon-bachuth is the name of an oak below Bethel mentioned in Genesis 35:8; the name means "oak of weeping." The tree received this name when Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, was buried beneath it.
Genesis 2
[Bible]Genesis 2 concludes the creation account with the rest of the seventh day and then tells of the man formed from the dust, the garden in Eden, the tree from which he was forbidden to eat, the creation of the woman, and the two becoming one flesh.
Revelation 22
[Bible]Revelation 22 is the final chapter of the Book of Revelation and of the entire Bible. It opens with a vision of the river of the water of life and the tree of life in the New Jerusalem, and it closes the book with the promise "Surely I come quickly" and the response "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Mark 11:22–25
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus, standing before the withered fig tree, teaches his disciples about faith in God, prayer without doubting, and the forgiveness required of those who pray. The words "believe that ye receive them" are often cited in discussions of confidence in prayer, and views differ over how the passage should be interpreted with respect to the "word of faith."
Genesis 3:17–19
[Bible Verses]The sentence God pronounced on Adam after the Fall: the ground is cursed, man must labor by the sweat of his face in order to eat, and he will finally return to the dust. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of sin, death, and the meaning of work, and it is often read at funerals.
Coats of Skins
[Bible]The coats of skins are the garments that God made to clothe Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:21). They stand in contrast to the aprons of fig leaves and have been interpreted both as a sign of God's care and as a foreshadowing of atonement.
Cherub
[Bible]Cherubim are winged beings in the Old Testament who guard God's holy presence and throne. They appear at the entrance to the Garden of Eden, upon the Ark of the Covenant, and in Ezekiel's visions.
Olive Tree
[Bible]The olive tree is an evergreen fruit tree of the Mediterranean world and the land of Canaan. In Scripture it serves as an image of anointing, of the flourishing of God's people, and of the relationship between Israel and the Gentiles.
Fig Tree
[Bible]The fig tree, together with the grapevine and the olive tree, is one of the fruit trees most characteristic of the land of Israel. In the Bible it symbolizes peace and abundance, and it frequently serves as a figure for the people of Israel.
Broom Tree
[Bible]The broom tree (Hebrew *rotem*) is a leguminous shrub that grows in arid regions such as the Sinai wilderness and the Negev. In the Bible it is best known as the place where Elijah, fleeing from Jezebel, asked to die and was then given food by an angel.
Palm Tree
[Bible]In the Bible, the palm tree is the date palm. It is associated with the joy of the Feast of Tabernacles, the flourishing of the righteous, and the decoration of the temple. In Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and in the heavenly worship of Revelation, it signifies welcome and victory.