Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

In strict geographic terms, the names of the rivers that flowed out of the Garden of Eden (as given in Genesis 2:10-14) indicate the Garden as having been in Asia Minor, or the modern-day country of Turkey.

However, if nationality is linked to the language that one speaks, I think that a Biblical case could be made for mankind (prior to the confusion of languages that occurred at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11) speaking (and being) Hebrew -- even though Eber, from whom the term "Hebrew" was derived, did not live until Genesis 10 (three generations after Noah's son Shem), and even though Abram (born six generations after Eber) was the first person that the Bible actually calls a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13). 

In view of Noah's (and thus God's) prophetic blessing on Shem (Genesis 9:26), it is reasonable in my view to believe that the language that Shem and his descendants spoke was not affected at Babel, and that it would have remained the same as it had been previously -- the “one language” that had existed from Adam onward (Genesis 11:1). This would mean that the language (and nationality) that eventually came to be called Hebrew were the one original language (and nationality) of mankind.

September 06 2016 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Bob Johnson Layperson. Self Educated Theologically - see full bio

This one is relatively simple: Adam and Eve, being the 1st two people (and the only two people) on earth, were not part of any government because there was no government. They were like a family: A husband, and a wife, and eventually Cain and Abel (the first children) with God as their head. This is the image of the divine family structure. No government was needed when God gave structure to their lives. They were to be fruitful and multiply through the means of work, not welfare.

September 06 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Michael Tinsley Retired Army veteran. Love my Bible (Jesus) and fishing.

Biblically speaking, Adam was an 'Edenite' as was Eve, created from Adam's rib.

No one can say with certainty where Eden was since the Flood (Genesis 6:7 to Genesis 8:14) dramatically reshaped the landscape of the world. Noah and his family would not have recognized where they ended up because of that and because the winds blew them in different directions but, that is not relevant to the question.

As Tim correctly said above, there were no nations so there would have been no nationalities as we understand them today. The Bible names people after the names of the area they came from and/or by who their leaders were which is how I came up with Edenites.

Adam himself was a 'transplant' because he was created somewhere else and 'put' in Eden by the Lord. Genesis 2:8, 'Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.'

Strictly speaking, Eve was the first true Edenite since Adam was 'immigrated' there by the Lord God but, this becomes 'splitting hairs' since Eden was created for Adam.

After the Fall of man (Adam's original sin) God banished him and Eve from Eden but apparently not too far because the Bible twice mentions 'east' in reference to Eden. 

First, God put cherubim on the 'east' side of Eden to guard the path to the tree of life, Genesis 3:24, and again in Genesis 4:16, God sends Cain to dwell in the land of Nod, 'east' of Eden.

The concept of nationality didn't arise until the tenth chapter of Genesis, after the flood, when Noah's son's children began to move to different areas in the region even though they all still spoke one language, revealed in Genesis 11:1, 'Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.'

Our triune God changed that because of man's plan to build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens. Genesis 11:6-7, 'The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.Come, let _us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”' This is the story of the tower of Babel.(Emphasis regarding the triune nature of our Lord.)

I hope this answer helps you, Nilsa and, that it is entertaining to anyone else who reads it.

September 06 2016 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Shaunelius Sterns Christian , Mother , Wife , Home Bible Study Teacher

God is our Father. Adam and Eve are our relatives. They were the people that we were suppose to look up to, but the serpent tempted eve, and she disobeyed God, and Adam did likewise. He knew what God told them in the Garden, but they both chose to disobey Him anyway. Their sin is the reason we have a government to this day, they are the reason we have all of these laws, when we only needed to obey God and His commandments. We would not have to struggle and get aide from the government. We would be free to live out our lives in peace and harmony, there would not have to be all of this unnecessary stuff that is going on in the world today.

Adam and Eve were the perfect family until sin and murder came along when Cain killed his brother Able. Cain brought murder into the world, now we have jails and correctional facilities to put people when things like that happen now today. 

We as Christians have to look at the beginning of things to see what God wanted for us then, and what He wants for us now. He will provide for us now, just like He provided for His children back then. Adam had to till the ground then, and farmers have to till and cultivate the ground now for things to grow that there will be enough food to sell to markets so we will have food to buy for our families. God gave them everything in the Garden of Eden that they would ever need and want; they did not have to worry about anything, everything was perfect, it should be that way today but it is not simply because of what happened in the beginning. God was the head then, and He is the head of all now. That will always be, that is something that will never change.

Since the beginning of the world, God said in His word to be fruitful and multiply. Now with all of these new laws being passed, I will not mention them, but it is against God's Word, and it is an abomination to Him. Adam and Eve are man and woman, not man and man, and not woman and woman. God created us to be man and wife. Where is the structure today?

September 06 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report