Posted by Noggin [Noggin] on November 06, 1999 at 09:26:19 {p8g/8h8r5QgO.3z8hczAwI4rtAv.ic}:
In Genesis 2:9 we read, "...and also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad." In 2:17 we read, "But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, ..." In 3:3 we read, "But as for [eating]of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said you must not eat from it..." After reading these verses one would come to the conclusion that the tree of life is in the middle of the garden and the location of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad was not specified. Yet when Eve was replying to the serpant she specified, in 3:3, "But as for [eating] of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said you must not eat from it..." This sounds as if she is talking about the tree of life since she specified the tree that is in the middle of the garden. But if you read on in 3:22 God says "...and now in order that he may not put his hand out and actually take [fruit] also from the tree of life and eat and live to time indefinite,--" This scripture makes it plain that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad is what Adam and Eve had eaten. But, as mentioned, Eve specified in 3:3 that the tree in the middle of the garden (the tree of life) is the one that had the fruit from which they were prohibited to eat.
So the question(s) is/are, which tree is in the middle of the garden, of which tree were Adam and Eve prohibited to eat, and from which tree did they eat?
Also if they were both in the middle of the garden why was the tree of life the only one with this description attached to it in 2:9?
Probably been asked and answered before, but I've never heard or seen the answer.