A question about Adam and Eve.......?

Question

I have attended several Bible classes and we have studied the part in Genesis where Eve is tempted by the serpent and ended up disobeying God. We were told that Adam was actually to blame for this, as he did not step up and stop her from doing this, as surely he must have been there or at least nearby. I also heard this mentioned the other day on a women's panel discussion on TV. But I also heard a priest mention that Adam wasn't there at the time. My question is: How much of all of this is possibly reading "meanings" into Scripture that aren't necessarily there? Does it actually say somewhere somehow that Adam just stood by and watched, and did nothing, and I'm just missing it? I'd like to have some Bible-believing Christians' takes on this, and some really thoughtful and serious answers. I'd prefer that atheists and non-believers not reply - I already know that you consider this stuff to be a lot of hoo-hah - If I have a bona fide question on atheism, I'll ask. Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

Hi Phantom, I use the New King James Version Bible and this is how it reads: Genesis 3:4-7 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband "with" her, and "he ate." 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Now to answer your question. In verse 6 it clearly states that Adam was "with" her. Being with someone doesn't mean they are right beside you. For instance, if a couple go shopping and get separated and one runs into a friend that asks where the other one is ... is it not reasonable to say, "He/she is with me but I'm not sure where at this moment." I truly do not believe that Adam was beside her when the serpent deceived her because I think he would have tried to stop her.

But that is not the point of the passage whether Adam was beside her or not. The point is ... Eve was deceived by the serpent and she ate of the forbidden fruit. But Adam ate of it freely therefore making himself the one who disobeyed God blatantly. At that moment he became our federal head and transfers his sin to all who followed. See I Timothy 2:13, 14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And (Adam was not deceived), but the woman being deceived, fell into trangression.

I hope this answers your question satisfactorily.

Answer 2

Here's the story as we read it:

Genesis 3:1-7 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society



Genesis 3
The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

We DON'T KNOW whether Adam was nearby or not. The only thing that DOES matter, is that Adam & Eve DID eat the apple, & we have all paid the consequences ever since.

Answer 3

Apart from us believing that it is a myth, many of us are "Steeped" in the bible and have developed skills we like to call objective reading and thinking.

First, consider that the bible is written from a strongly male point of view - not saying it's rght or wrong, just that females as a whole have "the short end of the stick" in most rules and roles.

Second, the bible does not state where Adam was when Eve was tempted and realstically Eve could have been tempted on many occasions (not saying she was, just that it seems more likely). But from the literal word we don't know where Adam was, given that he didn't say anything and that eve brought the fruit to him, I'd think that he was doing something else.

The important thing is to not read in "lessons" or "truths" that really should not be there or to loose site of the real point of the story.

Answer 4

Hi there

In the Bible there is no mention of where Adam was at the time that Satan , through the serpent, was talking to Eve.

Any answer one way of another is not Bible based , and we should not start to rely on mans interpretation of how things were.

Sure it is possible to speculate on such things , but not to teach it as truth.

As the Bible doesn't say that Adam was with her at the time , it is most likely that he wasn't near.

The facts from the Bible show that Eve was deceived into following Satan , but Adam was not.
He made a thought based decision and acted deliberately against the true God- Jehovah.

For more bible based answers plz feel free to email me.

Answer 5

Most of that talk is people assuming. We assume that Adam wasn't right there or Eve wouldn't have had to give Adam the forbidden fruit. To some extent we have too. But the point was that God told Adam what not to do and he ate of his own volition. Eve played her part but ultimately Adam knew better. But to answer your specific question, some things have to be assumed but CAN'T be proved by anyone. Many scenarios are possible the outcome is the same regardless. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

eve was tempted by the serpent and ate the apple. she
sinned first. then adam showed up and she enticed him.
if he had seen the encounter i think he would have
stopped it.

passing the buck or apple is what this scripture is about.
eve was weaker, as she fell first. the serpent deceived
her by suggesting ADONAI wouldn't keep HIS word.

try to find a copy of the Tanakh. it explains things a little
clearer.

no one really knows how big the garden of Eden was.
there is a very good chance that adam was elsewhere
when eve was tempted. most of this is just open debate
because the passage is more about the results than the
event.

Answer 7

Adam was not present when the serpent was convincing the youngest and weakest vessel, Eve, that she would be better off without God. When Eve told Adam what she had done, Adam knew that Eve would positively die. We can just speculate that Adam decided to also go against God, because he could not bare to continue living without Eve. Perhaps, he loved Eve more than he loved God.

Answer 8

My husband is a retired Preacher and I just ask him. He said Eve went out on her own in the garden.That they were not tied to gather and that they went places on thier on in the garden.This is when the devil tempted her and when Adam came to where she was she got him to take a bite of the forbidden fruit(where no place in the Bible it says it is an apple)This is when they sined and seen they were naked and hid from God..God also told Eve she would give birth and the pains of birth.Just thank how beautiful this world would be if only she had listen to God.This is our problem today.We don't listen to God.We think we can go on our own.But He is our Father.

Answer 9

There was no doubt in Eve's mind as to the consequences as per Genesis: 2, 2 & 3. Still, she decided to do her own thing. Later as per Genesis:2, 6 & 7, Adam also decided to disobey rather than going to The Creator and made his choice.

Answer 10

If the 1st 2 human beings have been the two male, it would make the bible much extra absurd. God did not write the bible, adult men wrote the bible, and it replaced into all politically ultimate for the day. With Adam and Eve we are all a gaggle or inbreds because it fairly is, yet with Adam and Steve, umm yeah, until Steve had a womb, which negates the gay rights activists element.