How could Eve know not to eat from the fruit when there are no lines of verse showing she was ever told? It said "God told the man..." Eve wasn't made until later. I've checked several versions. Is this hinted in the Hebrew? Was it God or Adam that told her?
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Welcome to Christianity.SE. For a quick overview, please take the Site Tour. For more on what this site is all about and what questions are on-topic here, see: How we are different than other sites and: What topics can I ask about here?– Lee WoofendenCommented May 29, 2016 at 19:32
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2Since she obviously knew )judging from her answer to Satan in chapter three) if you restrict answers to what is written in the Bible; there are only three possibilities Adam, God or the Serpent (Satan) told her, since in the Bible they are the only three who speak. We can almost exempt the Serpent since it is contrary to the narrative. I would feel foolish to expect the Bible to cover every nuance of any narrative, but I certainly do find that it covers everything I need to end up in Heaven.– BYECommented May 29, 2016 at 22:51
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christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/44783/… Related– KristopherCommented Jun 1, 2016 at 10:46
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I always wondered if maybe Adam did tell her not to touch the tree as his, not God's, added caution. Knowing her curiosity, Adam may have thought best just to keep her away from the tree. Which turned out to be her down fall, as once Satan got her to touch the fruit, caused her to doubt all that Adam had told her.– NaomiCommented Nov 15, 2017 at 15:03
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1I'm voting to close this question as off-topic per recent proposed guidelines– James SheweyCommented Dec 24, 2017 at 8:54
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5 Answers
It may not be clearly represented that God instructed Eve, but it is clear that she knew:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" - Genesis 3:1-3 ESV
Also, note that Adam was present, as we learn a few verses later:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. - Genesis 3:6 ESV
Keep in mind that the bible is not like a screenplay, in that not every event or conversation is documented. But in reading Eve's response to the serpent, she clearly knew that God had forbidden eating from the tree of life.
answered May 29, 2016 at 16:41
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1Interestingly, not all versions mention "her husband who was with her". Eg. LEB or King James say "gave also unto her husband with her". You would expect that if the man was present when she took the fruit, he would have voiced some concern, and neither one is mentioned nor is he questioned. That suggests that it was brought to Adam after picking it [with Adam (deliberately?) ignoring its source]. Now, Eve could have eaten before or rather wait to be with her husband so they both ate (basically) at the same time, which would explain that "the eyes of them both were opened" and this verse.– ÁngelCommented May 29, 2016 at 21:58
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Good observations. Thanks! What is also interesting to me is that Paul puts it squarely on Adam in Romans 5:14, and also 1 Cor 15:22, but then not as much in 1 Tim 2:13. Commented May 29, 2016 at 23:33
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@Ángel I always picture Adam just a little ways away, in sight. He's just over there chilling while the wife is shopping and not really paying attention or listening. So when she says "here try this" he's like "uhh..whuh? What's this? Ok" lol so he was "present" as much as any husband while with his wife shopping. Tangentially, Eve's recall of the exact command regarding the tree is off, so Adam maybe either told her wrong or she wasn't paying attention when he told her.– JoshuaCommented Jul 8, 2016 at 19:29
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@Joshua haha, that's the way I imagine it, too. Though your statement "Eve's recall of the exact command regarding the tree is off, so Adam maybe either told her wrong or she wasn't paying attention when he told her." is not soundly founded in my opinion, since weknow that sometimes only the summary of the conversation or words spoken is given; Eve's account could be the full words, the former only the gist. Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 20:19
In his 1,100-page Genesis, Creation and Early Man: The Orthodox Christian Vision, author Seraphim Rose quotes a 4th century commentary by Ambrose of Milan:
The devil attacked not through the man, but through the woman - not because the woman was weaker or more passionate, because both Adam and Eve still preserved the dispassionateness of their original nature - but for the simple reason that Adam alone had heard the command of God, whereas Eve knew it only indirectly, and thereby might be considered more likely to disobey it. St. Ambrose writes of this:
[The devil] aimed to circumvent Adam by means of the woman. He did not accost the man who had in his presence received the heavenly command. He accosted her who had learned of it from her husband and who had not received from God the command which was to be observed. There is no statement that God spoke to the woman. We know that He spoke to Adam. Hence we must conclude that the command was communicated through Adam to the woman.
Paradise, XIV
God told Adam. He did not tell Eve. Eve did not exist. She was not born yet. Plus, her name wasn't even Eve until after she had eaten from the tree and then, on top of that, she told satan that God told them to "not even touch it", which is something she added to the narrative of what Adam told her. Chapter One tells us that God made the heavens and the earth and nothing else. None of the animals were created until after Adam was born. He names them all. Adam was asked what he would name his help meet. Adam said "her name is woman". After the tree incident, Adam named her Eve. It is all in the first three chapters... Garden path anyone?????
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1Welcome to Christianity.SE. For a quick overview, please take the Site Tour. For more on what this site is all about, see: How we are different than other sites. About your answer, in the first Creation story in Genesis 1, God creates all the plants and animals before creating humans. It is in the second Creation story in Genesis 2 that the plants and animals are created after Adam. Also, Eve wasn't really "born," but was created out of a rib taken from Adam. Commented Dec 11, 2017 at 2:47
God created man first, and after Adam could not find a help meet for him, God from Adam made Eve. Yes God could have spoken with Eve and maybe He did, but its not documented, correct?
I think God/Jesus has given the man 'charge', per-say over his wife.
Think about it; if a man was to impart a word or two to a lady, out of respect he would go to the husband first expecting him to relay the message if she were married. I think God is setting an example here for husband and wife. The Adversary waited until she was alone I believe, she listened, then she 'took' the fruit to Adam. How far did she take it? Did she walk away from the tree in search of Adam? Or was he watching from a distance as men do?
Either way he ate, but she ate of it first. It seems to me like there's also a role change; with God it's the Man first, with the Adversary it's the woman first and he followed; today we suffer the consequences.
Was this for the love he had for Eve not to face her consequences alone or was he just curious to what would happen? Either way Adam directly disobeyed God.
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1Welcome to Christianity.SE. For a quick overview, please take the Site Tour. For more on what this site is all about, see: How we are different than other sites. And for some tips on writing good answers here, see: What makes a good supported answer? Meanwhile, I hope you'll browse some of the other questions and answers on this site. Commented Mar 10, 2018 at 17:32
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I have corrected a few of the spelling and grammatical errors. Please review the edit and make sure that what is there now reflects your answer. (Also, as Lee suggests, offer some support (such as verses in Genesis) that directly substantiate the points you are making. Welcome! Commented Mar 12, 2018 at 13:24
Who told Eve about the fruit?
The simple answer is Adam., why? Eve was created to become his "helper". The "helper" commonly receives instructions and so, since Adam was the first creature who received God's instructions or commandment, Adam has the responsibility to inform his "helper".
"The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” (Genesis2:18)
It would be wise to think that Adam being first creature who are already doing the Will of God will inform the Woman whom God had given him to become his "suitable helper".
To know more about the Woman's role as a "suitable helper", see this link;
A SUITABLE HELPER (IN HEBREW) Posted by Marg | Mar 8, 2010 | All Posts on Equality, Equality in Marriage, Gender in Genesis 1-3 https://margmowczko.com/a-suitable-helper/
But for us to be convinced that Adam really instructed the Woman about not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil is to know what is the role God given to Adam when he placed him in the garden situated in the east.
God had placed Adam in the garden situated in the east, it means that God had placed Adam in the Temple of God, the Sanctuary of God to made and "offering" to worship and glorify God.
CCC358 God created everything for man,222 but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him:
Adam role in the garden of eden was a priest, a High Priest to "offer, worship and glorify" God in the wonders of His creation.
See this link;
Adam: High priest of humanity
... Adam and his duty to till (‘abad) and keep (shamar) the garden. These words are better translated, “to serve” and “to guard.” These two Hebrew words are only used together elsewhere in Scripture to describe the duties of the Levites. In Numbers 3:7-8 and Numbers 8:26 the Lord gives the Levites the authority to minister in the tabernacle.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/sacraments/holy-orders/adam-high-priest-of-humanity
And this link;
Adam, the First Priest Within the First Temple PUBLISHED ON January 13, 2016 by Adam Powers https://thepublicans.org/2016/01/13/adam-the-first-priest-within-the-first-temple/
