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Question on Eve’s response to the serpent in Genesis 3

September 14th, 2015

Would anyone care to help me with a question? In Genesis 3:3, Eve seems to add to God’s original command regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I’m wondering how this affects the couple’s innocence prior to their eating of the fruit. Why would either Adam or Eve feel the need to add extra restrictions to God’s commands if sin was not yet an issue? Or am I missing something obvious here? Thank you!

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    Ed Chait and Marilyn Mcclintock like this.
  • TJ Conwell Hey Gwen. I think it is a matter of Eve embellishing on the command that Adam told her for no other reason than to attempt to be emphatic, which (as I see it) Satan knew was more than the original command and knew she wasn’t on solid ground. This is …See More
    Unlike · Reply · 2 · September 9 at 1:51pm
    • Gwen Sellers Ah, that makes sense. I read a Bible note that said something similar in that her embellishment demonstrates that Satan’s temptation was doing its work. And remembering the role of free will also helps. Thank you, TJ!
      Like · Reply · 2 · September 9 at 1:55pm
  • Dianna Gay Our pastor at church actually spoke about this as a part of last Sunday’s message. The implication is that perhaps Adam did not fully explain God’s command to Eve, therefore leaving her “alone” in a way–trying to figure out things on her own.
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 9 at 1:55pm
    • Gwen Sellers Interesting … Did he say anything about Adam’s leaving her “alone”? Is that just a free will thing that is a-moral?
      Like · Reply · September 9 at 1:57pm
    • Dianna Gay I think it is assumed that they weren’t physically together all the time, and we are assuming that Adam was responsible for telling Eve what God had laid down for the rules. (This was a message about how we all need to be in community with each other.)

      Adam may or may not have been standing there with her when the serpent tempted Eve. If he wasn’t, then he hadn’t prepared her for such a situation, but if he was, then he didn’t correct her for some reason. Both scenarios leave Eve “alone” in her dealings with the serpent.
      Like · Reply · September 9 at 2:22pm
    • Gwen Sellers Ah, that makes sense. Good illustration for community. Thank you, Dianna!
      Like · Reply · September 9 at 2:40pm
    • Dianna Gay You are quite welcome! smile emoticon
      Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 9 at 2:47pm
    • Gwen Sellers
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  • Joe Maxey Here’s what Dr. John MacArthur says in his notes:Gen. 3:2–3 In her answer, Eve extolled the great liberty that they had; they could eat all the fruit, with only one exception.

    Gen. 3:3 not . . . touch it. An addition to the original prohibition as recorded (cf. Gen. 2:17). Adam may have so instructed her for her protection. Submitted by Joe Maxey
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 9 at 2:05pm
  • Marilyn Mcclintock I like Joe Maxey’s quote by MacArthur. My own thoughts: My mother would say not to have or do something, and follow that up with “Don’t even touch it!” The emphasis being on helping me resist the temptation.
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 9 at 2:50pm
  • Aaron Switzer In his commentary on soniclight.com, Dr. Tom Constable argues that she was vulnerable to temptation because she already had a distorted view of the original command. I don’t agree with all of the implications that he draws from this, but I think that …See More

    Sonic Light – Bible Study Resources for Christians
    soniclight.com: Sound Bible Study Resources for…
    SONICLIGHT.COM|BY SONIC LIGHT BIBLICAL RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIANS
    Unlike · Reply · Remove Preview · 1 · September 9 at 3:03pm
  • Robert Lowry Eve not only embellished God’s command (don’t touch the fruit), she also weakened the consequence of eating it (lest you die is not as forceful as “you shall surely die”, Gen. 2:17). She corrupted God’s message both coming and going.
    Unlike · Reply · 2 · September 9 at 3:53pm
  • Dean Revell and now we mustn’t even look at it.
    Like · Reply · September 9 at 4:03pm
  • Steve Husting Pay attention to when you talk about a minister’s sermon. Don’t we naturally embellish it or reword it a bit, and add our own take to it?
    Like · Reply · September 9 at 6:37pm
  • Steve Ray Webb This is not an answer to the proposed question but there are quite a number of commentators who believe that the biblical language of the temptation and fall infers that Eve had sexual relations with Satan which is why the sin was so much more serious than smply eating a bite of fruit. The following link is but one of many that tout this point of view. I am not espousing this view but I agree that there are some curious aspects to the Genesis account that allow for some speculation.http://www.christianviewpoint.com/…/DidEveHaveSexWithth…
    Like · Reply · September 9 at 6:44pm · Edited
  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil It was Adam who was given the first hand prohibition not Eve. Eve was just informed by Adam about it. Second hand information plus eve’s imagination might have tampered God’s instructions. Eve having sex with satan is an argument from silence and is often used by WOF teachers.
    Like · Reply · September 10 at 10:26am · Edited
  • Marc Weiss I take a different view here on Eve (and if I missed someone saying it, forgive me). Disobedience to God’s Word normally starts with a twist of what God said. Whether this is Satan, or human inability to comprehend or what-not, but if we think about when we sinned, at times we probably justified it by twisting something. I believe this “addition” by Eve is more of the slippery slope example than anything to do with eating fruit.

    Now I DO agree with everyone else that Adam did nothing to help anything, which is why it is so important for us men to lead our homes properly. NOT meaning be in authoritarian control, but make sure our families have what they need to fight Satan. Where was Adam in all of this? While I agree he may not have explained it right, the slippery slope is my focus (whether his or Eve’s) and Adam was not protecting her. Satan will do the same things to us if we let him.

    I never ever even heard of Eve and Satan doing naughty things together… Only in Genesis 6 is the only place where angels and humans were being bad as far as I had heard. Maybe I have more to learn than I thought.
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 9 at 11:15pm · Edited
  • Marc Weiss I missed Robert Lowry‘s post – That is where I was going, but I went the long way. He went the succinct way I wanted to go smile emoticon
    Like · Reply · September 9 at 11:18pm
  • Patrick Thompson It seems to me that Eve clearly understood what the prohibition was, and there was no question in her mind as to the meaning ot the prohibition. Many commentators have claimed that with this phrase “neither shall ye touch it” Eve added to the Word of God; and that was her first major transgression. However, if that was the case, she actually sinned before partaking of the fruit. However, the Bible makes her partaking of the fruit the first sin, not her adding to the Word of God. For this phrase might have been given to her by Adam’s oral instruction. God may have said both things; but only now, more is revealed. On the contrary, this still shows her recogintion of the strictness of the prohibition. She then concluded: lest ye die. I think this shows that she also recognized the penalty and that she clearly understood the situation.
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 10 at 2:57am
    • Gwen Sellers Patrick – That’s what I was thinking about the sin thing. Eating the fruit was clearly the first sin, but then the potential adding to God’s word seems problematic. Interesting that potentially God had also given that warning.
      Like · Reply · September 10 at 10:25am
  • Gwen Sellers Thank you all for your input!
    Like · Reply · September 10 at 10:23am
  • Eric Hoehn I have nothing to add, just inserting myself
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · September 10 at 12:02pm
  • Robert Lowry I realize this thread may have run its course, but if anyone would like to delve deeper, this article is an excellent discussion of what probably went on between Satan, Eve, and Adam:https://answersingenesis.org/…/who-sinned-first-adam…/

    Who Sinned First—Adam or Satan?
    When we look back at Genesis, it is true that Satan rebelled, and also Eve sinned, prior to Adam’s…
    ANSWERSINGENESIS.ORG
    Unlike · Reply · Remove Preview · 2 · September 10 at 1:53pm
  • Robert Lowry As sort of a sideline to this, Fruchtenbaum’s “Footsteps of the Messiah”, in Appendix I “The Six Abodes of Satan”, on pp. 543-563, traces what it calls “Satan’s career”. Satan’s six abodes are, in chronological order: 1) the throne of God, 2) the mineral garden of Eden, where Satan’s fall occurred, 3) the atmospheric heavens, where Satan is now, 4) the earth, where Satan will be during the tribulation, 5) the abyss, where Satan will be during the Millennium, and 6) the lake of fire, where he will be for eternity. Notice the downward spiral, and 6 abodes (1 less than 7, the number of completeness). The “career” of Satan makes for absolutely amazing reading.
    Like · Reply · 3 · September 10 at 2:12pm
  • Alyson Dreyer One side line- Jude 6 refers to angels that have been bound waiting for the day of judgement. Most think this is a reference to the angels of Gen. 6. The fact that Satan is still free to roam would suggest there was nothing between Satan and Eve except a piece of fruit.
    Like · Reply · September 12 at 3:28pm

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