Garden of Eden

Biblical Text

Genesis 2:8 records that "the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." Read strictly, the text places the garden within a region called Eden. Nevertheless, the two are commonly combined under the name "Garden of Eden."

The garden contained trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food, and among them stood the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9). God put Adam into the garden "to dress it and to keep it," and he commanded him not to eat from one tree only: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15–17). Eve was then created.

In chapter 3, the man and the woman listen to the serpent and eat the forbidden fruit. As a result, they are driven out of the garden (the eating of the forbidden fruit). At the east of the garden God placed cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Genesis 3:24).

Background

• Geography: According to Genesis 2:10–14, a river went out of Eden and divided into four heads: the Pison, the Gihon, the Hiddekel, and the Euphrates. The Hiddekel and the Euphrates are commonly identified with the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which is why many associate Eden with the region of Mesopotamia. However, because the identity of the Pison and the Gihon is uncertain, the exact location remains unknown.
• Terminology: The Hebrew word Eden is commonly associated with the meaning "delight" or "pleasure." Some scholars relate it to an ancient Mesopotamian word meaning "plain." In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), the garden is rendered paradeisos. This word denotes an enclosed garden and is generally regarded as the origin of the English word "paradise."

Significance Across Scripture

In the Old Testament, Eden serves as an image of abundance and restoration. Isaiah 51:3 declares that the LORD "will make her wilderness like Eden," referring to Zion, and Ezekiel 36:35 uses similar language. Joel 2:3 compares the land before the coming devastation to "the garden of Eden." Ezekiel 28:13 says of the king of Tyre, "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God."

In the New Testament, this theme continues in the concept of paradise. Revelation 2:7 promises "the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Revelation 22:1–3 depicts the river of the water of life and the tree of life and then declares, "And there shall be no more curse." Many interpreters read this as a picture of what was lost in Genesis 3 being restored in the New Jerusalem. In Romans 5:12–19, Paul contrasts the entrance of sin through one man, Adam, with the obedience of one man, Christ.

Interpretations and Issues

• A historical place?: Most conservative denominations in Korea regard Eden as an actual place and the events there as actual events. This view is closely connected with biblical inerrancy. Some scholars, by contrast, read the account as a theological narrative conveying the meaning of creation and the Fall. The question is also bound up with the creation and evolution debate.
• Covenantal reading: Chapter 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith describes the first covenant God made with Adam as a "covenant of works" (a covenant promising life on condition of obedience). The covenant theology of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition understands the command given in Eden in this way. Other traditions do not use this concept or express it differently.
• Ezekiel 28: A traditional interpretation holds that this chapter alludes to the fall of Satan. Another view regards it solely as a figurative description of the king of Tyre.
• Later embellishments: The forbidden fruit is often depicted as an apple, but the text does not specify the kind of fruit. A common explanation traces the apple tradition to a wordplay on the Latin malum ("evil" and "apple"). The text of Genesis does not directly call the serpent Satan. However, on the basis of "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan" in Revelation 12:9, the interpretation that identifies the two is widely accepted.

In the Korean Church

Genesis 2:18–24, which describes God forming Eve and bringing her to Adam, is frequently read at wedding services. In their wedding sermons, officiants also often present this passage as the origin of the family. In preaching, the expression "the restoration of Eden" is sometimes used to refer to salvation and the consummation of the kingdom of God.