Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Text and Content

Genesis 2:9 records that in the midst of the Garden of Eden, along with the tree of life, stood "the tree of knowledge of good and evil." God commanded Adam that he might eat of every tree of the garden but not of this one, saying, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). In chapter 3 the serpent tells Eve that if she eats the fruit, "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Eve ate the fruit and gave it also to Adam, and he ate (Genesis 3:6). As a result, the two knew that they were naked, and they hid themselves from God. God pronounced judgment upon them (Genesis 3:17-19), and they were driven out of the garden so that they could not approach the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24). The narrative as a whole is treated in the article on the Fall narrative.

Terminology and Background

The Hebrew expression is ʿets ha-daʿat tov va-raʿ, literally "the tree of the knowing of good and bad." In Hebrew, the verb "to know" (yadaʿ) refers not only to intellectual knowledge but also to knowledge gained through experience.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament this event is portrayed as the point at which human death and the curse upon the ground began. The New Testament takes it up as the disobedience of the first man and contrasts it with the obedience of Jesus Christ. Paul teaches that through one man's offense came condemnation, and through one man's obedience comes justification (Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22). Revelation promises that the one who overcomes will be given to eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7; 22:2). The biblical storyline is therefore read as moving toward the restoration of the lost garden. Church tradition has also contrasted the tree through which Adam fell with the "tree" of the cross on which Christ hung (1 Peter 2:24).

Interpretations and Issues

The phrase "knowing good and evil" has been interpreted in several ways.

• Moral autonomy: The phrase refers to the attempt to determine good and evil for oneself in place of God.
• Comprehensive knowledge: The phrase is a merism, pairing two opposites to mean "everything."
• Experiential knowledge: The phrase refers to coming to know evil by experiencing it directly.

Interpretations also differ on "thou shalt surely die." One view takes it as spiritual death, the severing of the relationship with God on that very day; another takes it as humanity's becoming mortal.

Doctrinal understandings also vary by tradition. The covenant theology of Reformed Presbyterianism, following the Westminster Confession of Faith, understands this command as the test of a "covenant of works" conditioned on obedience. Methodist and Holiness churches in the Wesleyan tradition likewise affirm the original sin that resulted from this event, but they emphasize that God's prevenient grace restores to all people the ability to respond. The doctrine of original sin is generally recognized as having been widely systematized in the Western church from Augustine onward.

Some details not found in the text have also been handed down in tradition.

• The kind of fruit: The text does not identify the fruit. Its common depiction as an apple is often explained as arising from the similarity in sound between the Latin malum ("evil") and malus ("apple tree").
• The identity of the serpent: Genesis does not call the serpent Satan. The identification of the serpent with Satan rests on passages such as Revelation 12:9.
• "Neither shall ye touch it": These words spoken by Eve (Genesis 3:3) do not appear in the command of Genesis 2:17. Some therefore interpret Eve as having added to the command, while others regard the words simply as an expression of emphasis.