The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Illustration of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

God placed this tree in Eden and forbade Adam and Eve to eat of it, warning that in the day they did they would surely die. It was the one boundary that made obedience meaningful - a test of trust in God's word. When Eve was deceived and both ate, sin and death entered the world, and human history turned on the fruit of this single tree.

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Strongest connections in Scripture
Genesis 2

Key Passages

The Forbidden Tree

Genesis 2:15-17

God permits Adam every tree but one, warning that eating from the tree of knowledge brings death.

A15nd the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Explore Related

Characters

Adam Adam is described in the Bible as the first human being, formed by God from the dust of the ground andโ€ฆ Eve Eve is recognized in the Bible as the first woman, formed by God from one of Adam's ribs to serve as hisโ€ฆ

Places

Garden of Eden The Garden of Eden was the paradise created by God as the original home for Adam and Eve, the first humans,โ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

It was the one tree in Eden that God forbade.

2

The fruit is never actually named - 'apple' is a later tradition.

3

Eating it opened humanity's eyes to good and evil, but at the cost of death.

4

The single act of eating from it brought sin into the world.