S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The Bible notes that Eve was the first to eat the fruit from the tree after being deceived by the serpent. Where was Adam during that time? Was he with Eve when she and the serpent were conversing?...

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July 01 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ezekiel Kimosop

The question goes: Was Adam with Eve when she spoke with the serpent?

God had expressly forbidden the man from eating of the forbidden tree. Genesis 2:16-17 says "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."

So how did the woman get the know about the prohibition in Genesis 2:16-17? 

During her encounter with the serpent, the woman reveals that she too was aware of the prohibition (Genesis 3:2-3).

The next question now is whether Eve was with Adam when she spoke with the serpent. This is a difficult question but if we work with the relevant texts we may arrive at some probable conclusions. 

Adam replies to God in Genesis 3:12 saying, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." 

Now as to whether the two were together at the point at which the serpent tempted eve, this is difficult to deduce from Scripture. One suggestion is that Eve may have picked the fruit from the tree without the knowledge of her husband and having eaten of it, two possible theories would explain her conduct.

1) Eve, having fallen, may have sought to bring her husband to her state by sharing the fruit with him. She had lost her moral restraints under her sinful state. She was then used of the enemy to bring her husband into disobedience as well.

2) Adam may have been away from specific location but was later given the forbidden fruit by Eve and knowingly ate in disobedience so that he too was equally guilty of sin. Were there any distinguishing features on the type of fruits from the forbidden tree so that there would be no confusion with other fruits from the rest of the trees in the Garden? This again Is difficult to tell. We can only assume that Adam was able to recognize the forbidden fruit so that he had no excuse for confusing it with the fruit from any other tree.

3) Adam may have been physically present with Eve on location but the serpent found Eve more vulnerable to disobedience. If this were not the case, why did he not start with Adam? Since the nature of temptation was not necessarily a verbal discourse but a mental one (Notice her mental fantasy in Genesis 3:6). Adam may not have been mentally aware of the deception which Satan achieved using the serpent. He could not have read Eve's mind because he had no such capacity. We must not forget that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)!

In conclusion, we can state that whichever theory may be plausible, Adam was responsible for his conduct and that of his wife under the federal headship theory and this is why God held him primarily liable for the sin. The fall was imputed on him and his offspring because Eve was part of his family and both had sinned. 

When Paul states that it was Eve who was deceived, this does not suggest that Adam was less guilty but that she fell first and ultimately both fell in consequence thereof. God has chosen to recognize the creation order as a basis for determining that the man rules the marriage, family and the church. Some have chosen to dispute this divine order but if we are agreed that Paul spoke the voice of God, then there is no basis for debate. 

The man rules over the woman in the same way that Christ rules His church. Ephesians 5:23-24 says "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing."

June 24 2015 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Nils Jansma Missionary in San Diego California

Was Adam with Eve when she spoke to the serpent? The previous responses have done well to explore many of the possibilities. In my response, I will briefly explain why I believe the answer to the question may be both yes and no.

Based on Eve’s initial response to the Serpent’s question, many have concluded that Eve didn’t receive the prohibition for eating the Forbidden Fruit (FF) directly from God. The basis for this opinion is the fact that she added the command “or touch it, or you will die.” (Genesis 3:5) This differed from the command God gave Adam in that it did not include the “or touch it” phrase. (Genesis 2:16-17) Based upon this distinction, some have concluded that it was Adam who instructed Eve and added the “touch it” phrase as an extra precaution to emphasize the danger of the FF tree. 

The next item to consider is the reason why Eve gave the FF to Adam. Basically, everything that the Serpent had told her was true in her eyes. First, she didn’t die from touching the FF and her eyes were actually opened in what may have been a new and personally exciting way. (Genesis 3:22) So, why wouldn’t she want to share such a revelation with her husband? 

Now regarding whether Adam was present during the events. I originally said the answer may be yes/no. Paul makes the distinction that while Eve was actually deceived, Adam was not. (1 Timothy 2:13-14) That means that he knew both he and Eve were doomed to death for their disobedience. What would make Adam voluntarily eat of the FF when he knew he was, in essence, committing suicide? In my opinion, it was because he loved Eve more that life itself. 

If the above hypothesis is true, it stands to reason that Adam was not present initially but came upon the scene after Eve had already eaten of the FF. Had he been present initially, he would have known that the Serpent was lying and would have physically prevented Eve from eating the FF like any loving husband would have done. He also would have known the Serpent was a villain and would likely have consulted with God at the first opportunity regarding the matter.

To me, this makes sense and explains why Adam would choose to join Eve in disobedience when he had everything to lose and, basically, nothing to gain. Besides eating of the FF, Adam’s initial sin was that he “listened to the voice of [his] wife,...” (Genesis 3:17-19) His response to God when questioned about the matter implies the dilemma Adam faced. "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." (Genesis 3:12) In my opinion, he could have added, “What else would you have expected me to do?”

September 01 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ni Jay Researcher into human reasoning

God punished both of them. As God is just and righteous that can only mean that BOTH of them knew they had done wrong and they were not to commit this one sin.

September 02 2017 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report