The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’ … 6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:2-3, 6, NET)
It’s often said on the basis of Genesis 3:6 that Adam was with Eve when the serpent tempted her, and stood by idly, doing nothing (bad Adam!). If you read the context closely, however, this is not the picture being painted. The temptation and the Fall were separated in time, and Adam was not present with Eve during her temptation. As Charles Powell has pointed out, when Eve was speaking to the serpent regarding the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (TKGE), she describes it as being “in the middle of the orchard” (Genesis 3:3). This geographical referent is telling, for if the temptation had taken place at the same point in time and same location as the Fall, then Eve would have been standing near the TKGE and should have described it as “this tree” in the same way I would describe my computer (which is obviously right in front of me) as being “here” rather than “there.” By referring to the TKGE as being in the middle of the garden, it’s clear that Eve was not in the midst of the garden when the serpent tempted her, and thus not by the TKGE.
There is a gap in time between Genesis 3:5 and Genesis 3:6. Only later, when Adam and Eve were together again and journeyed to the middle of the garden, did Eve behold the fruit of the TKGE and see that it was good for food, attractive, and would make her wise as the serpent said. Then she ate the fruit, gave some to her husband, and the rest is sad history.
Thinking to Believe 
August 10, 2012 at 9:54 am
Certainly, a reasonable deduction from a close reading of the text. It does not however, make the sad state of Adam’s lack of leadership any more palatable. Rather, instead of criticizing his passivity during the temptation, now we criticize it at the fall. In either case, the ol’boy was a poor example to the rest of us husbands.
Obligatory Note: I still fail to completely appreciate the distinction between art & pornography.
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August 15, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Though I don’t think this issue matters much, I don’t think saying “the tree that is in the middle of the orchard” rather than “this tree” is sufficient to prove your/Powell’s point.
While you might say “this tree” you might just as likely use the same language that was handed down to you (via Adam or God) to designate the tree: the one in the middle of the garden.
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August 15, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Here is sort of counter-example. Suppose I work at a nuclear plant. It’s my first day on the job. The boss says “Whatever, you do, don’t press the red button in the control room.” Later, as I’m in the control room, another noob comes in almost presses the red button. I exclaim “The boss said not to press the red button in the control room!”
Nothing about my language (or the language in the Bible) requires that I’m not in the control room, just because I could have also said “The boss said don’t press that button!”
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August 15, 2012 at 1:45 pm
It’s not as though “in the midst of the garden” is part of the name of the TKGE, such that whenever there is a mention of the TKGE is is spoke of as “TKGE in the midst of the garden.” God didn’t refer to it that way (Gen 2:17). It is a geographical referent used by the narrator in Gen 2:9 to indicate the location of the TKGE, and used by Eve for the same purpose. It would make no sense to use that geographical referent if you are standing in front of the TKGE. Granted, it’s not as though the grammar absolutely requires my view and absolutely rules yours out. I just think that the preponderance of evidence supports the two events view.
I think your example of the red button is mistaken, because most people would not say “in the control room” when they are in the control room. The most natural response would be, “The boss said not to press hte red button.”
Jason
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September 26, 2012 at 12:34 am
as i understand the readings in the book of Genesis, Adam was there, know what’s going on. And he is responsible of being silent and never ever told eve not to dis obey God’s instructions. The fact that the sin was credited to Adam, it is clear that Adam is present and with eve. Adam received the fruit which eve give to him.
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September 26, 2012 at 10:08 am
Sonny, it’s true that Adam was present when Eve ate the fruit, and that he was faulted for the outcome, but I think there are textual hints that indicate he was absent during the temptation, and that the temptation occurred elsewhere in the garden. The fact that he was not present for the temptation does not mean he is free from guilt and responsibility.
Jason
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October 11, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I just learned that when the serpent spoke to Eve in Gen 3:1-5, “you” is plural in the Hebrew. That may indicate that Adam was present at this time. Of course, it could just be a manner of speaking meaning “you humans,” even if Adam was not present. This would be similar to me speaking of “you all” when speaking to a single individual from France about the French people in general.
Jason
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October 11, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Why defend that myth? What is its metaphor according to such as Bishop Spong?
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