Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Biblical Text

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil appears in Genesis 2–3. God placed this tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden together with the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). He told the man that he might eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden but not of this tree, saying, "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

In chapter 3 the serpent tells the woman that if she eats this fruit, her eyes will be opened and she will be as God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5). Eve ate first and gave the fruit to Adam, who was with her, and he also ate (Genesis 3:6). The two realized that they were naked and hid themselves. God then sent them out of the garden and had the way to the tree of life guarded (Genesis 3:22-24). This event is called the incident of the forbidden fruit or the Fall.

Terminology and Background

The Hebrew phrase is ʿets ha-daʿat tov va-raʿ, meaning "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." The Korean term seonakgwa ("fruit of good and evil") is a shortened way of referring to the tree's fruit and does not appear in the text of Bible translations. Hebrew has a figure of speech in which two opposite terms, such as "good and evil," are paired to denote a whole. For this reason, some scholars understand this knowledge as "knowledge of all things."

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The New Testament does not mention this tree directly. It does, however, contrast Adam's disobedience with Christ's obedience. Romans 5:12-19 states that through one man's offense sin and death entered the world, and that by the obedience of one many are made righteous. 1 Corinthians 15:22 likewise sets Adam and Christ side by side. The tree of life, access to which was barred in Eden, appears in Revelation 2:7, 22:2, and 22:14 as once again open to the redeemed.

Interpretations and Issues

• The nature of the knowledge: Some interpret this knowledge as moral discernment, others as knowledge of all things, and still others as the autonomy of deciding good and evil for oneself in place of God. Protestant preaching frequently emphasizes the last of these interpretations.
• Why the tree was placed there: The Reformed tradition views the tree as a test of obedience under the covenant of works described in the Westminster Confession of Faith (chapter 7), that is, a covenant that promised life on condition of obedience. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions place greater emphasis on the genuine freedom of choice given to humanity. This question is connected to the debate over predestination and free will.
• Original sin: Original sin is the doctrine that Adam's sin affects all his descendants. The Western church has taught this doctrine since Augustine, while Pelagianism denied it. The Eastern Orthodox Church tends to hold that what is passed on is not so much inherited guilt as death and a weakened nature.
• Extrabiblical traditions: Scripture does not identify the kind of fruit. According to a widely known explanation, the common depiction of the fruit as an apple arose because the Latin words for "evil" and "apple" share the same spelling (malum). Genesis refers to the tempter only as "the serpent." The identification of this serpent with Satan rests on Revelation 12:9, which calls "that old serpent" the Devil and Satan. It is also frequently noted that Eve's words "neither shall ye touch it" (Genesis 3:3) do not appear in the command of Genesis 2:17.

In the Korean Church

The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil is frequently cited in sermons on obedience, temptation, and the origin of sin. The expression "to pick and eat the fruit of good and evil" is also used figuratively for laying one's hand on something one should have left alone.