Were Adam and Eve omnivorous or were they herbivores?

Answer 1

Mark Twain wrote a wonderful scenario in "The Diary of Eve" in which a puzzled Eve is watching a lion suffer (before the "fall of man"). As she examines his mouth, she is startled to see the lions teeth, which look like they are DESIGNED for chewing meat - yet the poor animal must eat vegetables. He's got a head of lettuce jammed in his throat, so Eve kindly takes a broomstick and "shoves the lettuce home."

Answer 2

I believe that Adam and Eve were herbivores, as were all people before the Flood. After the flood God allowed people to eat meat and put the fear of men in the animals.

That being said, I believe that carnivores did eat meat before the fall. If you examine nature you find that death permeates all of it. Animals eat other animals and other insects. Insects eat other insects. Death was either part of creation from the beginning or God drastically changed everything in nature to include death. (ie - what did spiders eat if there was no death before the fall?)

The only evidence that death was absent before the fall was God's promise that the day Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would surely die. They didn't die, so either God lied or He wasn't talking about physical death. I would suggest that the death God was promising was spiritual death, which they did suffer the very day they ate of the fruit.

Answer 3

It is believed that until the fall they would have been herbivores, because death came into the world by sin. However that fact can be interpreted in different ways. It could be that it only applies to the death of man. We know that Noah's family was invited to eat of any animal.... and some think that that was the beginning of beng omnivorous.
In any case, the Bible does not really say clearly.

Answer 4

Biblically, they appear to be herbivores since the animals are 'given' to humanity for food after the flood. This would mean Abel raised sheep for the wool and sacrifice only.

Answer 5

Herbivores. Meat was not needed until the Fall.

Answer 6

bible says everything was herbivore before the flood. =\

apparently after the flood god changed the way the body works so that some animals could digest meat correctly, breaking down those amino acids and what not.

Answer 7

If you look at Chapter 29 in Genesis, it clearly states that Adam and Eve were to be vegetarian.

I quote:
"29. And God said, "Behold, I have given you every seed bearing herb, which is upon the surface of the entire earth, and every tree that has seed bearing fruit; it will be yours for food."

Answer 8

I do not know. I only know they were given permission to eat meat or at least use the skin of animals for clothing and I think permission to eat meat after getting kicked out of the garden.

Answer 9

they were herbivores...

God gave mankind permission to eat meat after the flood

Answer 10

Omnivorous, as were most hominids at the time.