Genesis 2:9

Translations

Modern

Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Traditional

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Literal

And YHWH God made sprout from the ground every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Latin

Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulchrum visu, et ad vescendum suave lignum etiam vitæ in medio paradisi, lignumque scientiæ boni et mali.

Original

Hebrew

English

Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Notes

Genesis 2:9

Beauty and abundance characterized humanity's original environment (see 13:10).
the tree of life: This represented God's presence and care. Eating from it would give everlasting life (3:22), making it a powerful image for later Israelite and Christian thought (Proverbs 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19).
The candlestick in Israel’s tabernacle may have been a stylized representation of the tree of life (Exodus 25:31–35).
Eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil gave humans the ability to be wise (Genesis 3:6) and have moral understanding (3:5, 22; compare Deuteronomy 1:39, “not know good from evil”).
Eating from it showed a human desire to be independent and have wisdom that belonged to God alone (see Proverbs 30:1–4). Humans ignored God's instruction for moral understanding, showing independence instead of following God's will (compare Proverbs 1:7). Choosing human wisdom over God's instruction brings death and destruction (see Psalm 19:7–9; Ezekiel 28:6, 15–17).

Genesis 2:8–14

Similar to the holy time set on the seventh day of creation (2:2–3), the garden in Eden was a holy place separate from the rest of the world. It was like a garden-temple or sanctuary because the Lord showed his presence there in a special way.

Genesis 2:4–25

This story (see study note on 2:4) of the heavens and the earth is not a second creation story. Instead, it expands on 1:1–2:3 with more theological and historical details. The focus shifts to what the universe (kosmos) produced rather than on its creation.

Special attention is given to the first man and woman. As the story continues, it is shaped by contrasts such as good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, life and death, and harmony and conflict.

Theme notes and profiles

Adam and Eve Beauty in Nature God’s New Covenant Symbolic Numbers The Creator-King Women’s Roles in the New Testament Church

Events

Creation of Adam and Evec. 4004 BC

Related verses

Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
Revelation 22:2
…down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Ezekiel 47:12
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
Genesis 2:17
…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
Genesis 3:3
…but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”
Ezekiel 31:16
I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.
Ezekiel 31:8–9
The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with its beauty.
Ezekiel 31:18
Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Glossary

Adam (Person) Beauty Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Bible, Quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament Book of Revelation Chronology of the Bible (Old Testament) Creation Myths Eden Fall of Man Garden of Eden Genesis, Book of God, Names of Hebrew Language Land Man Mesopotamia Monotheism New Creation, New Creature Paradise Patriarchs, Period of the Sex, Sexuality Tree Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Tree of Life Woman

Topics

Eden: The Garden of Eden Garden Gardens of Eden: had Every Tree Good for Food God: Creator Ground: Vegetables Come From Life: Tree of Symbols and Similitudes: Trees of Life and Knowledge The Garden of Eden Tree of Knowledge Trees: Designed to Beautify the Earth Trees: Nourished by the Earth Trees: Originally Created by God Types of Christ: Tree of Life Types of the Saviour: The Tree of Life

Genesis 2:9

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