what is the knowledge of good and evil

This was good. To be a test for God to see who the humans were going to trust to attain wisdom and knowledge. You don't learn a skill by knowing things; you learn it by practicing. In other words, knowledge can be used for both good and evil, however, if we employ the tools of statistics or probability we will easily show that knowledge is overwhelmingly "good". Ok, so what do we know? And saith Jesus 'I am the way, the truth and the life. There is no rejuvenation for them in Gods plan, but a transformation for a tiny few, with a new body for most. rev2023.7.27.43548. @curiousdannii I don't intended to claim that (here). "They were already like God in every aspect except, apparently, this one" Wait, what? Genesis 2:17 "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.". Under the topic "Sovereignty", the question "What was 'the tree of the knowledge of good and bad'?" The words - knowledge, good, evil are pretty straightforward. It is contrast of information. The second purpose is less clear, but Genesis 2:9 points to a possible option. Ok, so what other things did we learn? Broken mankind living forever=bad. It says He explained how things had changed, and yes, the ground was now cursed, at least outside the Garden of Eden. If that is a time-consuming read (for us), then it must be an astonishingly time-consuming compilation for you! So, in summary. Having the ability to discern between good and evil is very good in the eyes of God when we are abiding by God's definitions of good and evil(the only right ones); it means trusting in Him to teach us what is right and wrong. The Angels in the Bible know good and evil? ways, saith the LORD. Great job if you made it all the way down(you deserve a medal). They were idolatrously placing their judgment above Gods, disobediently becoming a law to themselves, as it were, instead of obeying Jehovah, who has both the right and the wisdom necessary to determine good and bad. The explanation of this mystical phrase depends on your own intellectual-spiritual development. ", 1 Kings 7:14 "He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. This is ludicrous and not Biblical, though we've all heard it. to be naked. immanent ideas. Vicente Gabriel S.J. This is key to this understanding. Perhaps the purpose of the tree is connected to God commanding the man not to eat of the tree, i.e. So what did Adam lose by eating? Why? What, exactly, is the "knowledge of good and evil" in Genesis 3:22? His decisions are perfect. By consuming the fruit of this tree, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's orders and thus committed the original sin. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! I wont try to break down the Hebrew which is done here already. He is now born of his own will rather than the will of God, in whom evil cannot abide (Ps 5:4). ", Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge[]; fools despise wisdom and instruction. The righteousness of God is not a matter of an external rule : else that external rule is greater than God (which breaks the first commandment of the Law). (see History of the Jewish Interpretation of Genesis 1:26, 3:5. Pleasant to the eyes, good to the soul/heart, and making one wise. While speaking about a future event, it talks about it as though it has already happened, i.e. Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster movie "Oppenheimer" has sparked controversy among the Hindu-right in India, with some calling for a boycott and demanding the removal of a sex scene in . What we see in Adam & Eve might have only been a byproduct of what the fruit could have produced in a being ready for it. So the tales of Adam & Eve would have been told to their progeny for generations. When we choose to do things that we know to go against God's commandments, we are choosing to eat from the tree. Then Adam failed to guard the Garden, and first his wife, then he ate of the fruit. KNOWLEDGE IS GOOD: some misgivings . Feel free to skip to the end for the shorter version. Because man needs righteousness in order to be be one with God [joined, not separated.]. And this leads me to my final point. Simply put, it is knowledge of the law. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. It was an infinitesimally small conscience. Thus, the trees had a purpose. Answer God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden to give Adam and Eve a choice to obey Him or disobey Him. Is this some early revelation of the Law of Moses, or some other law (e.g. To dying they were to die and they started feeling death in their minds and emotions. Youcan get away with disobeying God and never have to suffer the consequences of doing so; you can define good and evil in a way that deviates from God's definitions, and it won't lead to death or disaster!" By choosing to not disobey His command and follow it instead, God could know that they trust Him to teach them good and evil. Yes, it's time-consuming, but a considered answer, with appeals to reason and scripture is invaluable, especially when it's shown that it's not just our personal opinion. God also commanded the man not to eat of the tree. Not knowing good and evil didn't make them any more righteous than the previous generation, and it didn't indicate that they would have a better future; according to Moses, quite the opposite. He wont change His mind. Ive answered this for many people struggling with the Genesis narrative by giving them more context. ", Genesis 2:9 "Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.". But to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to do the opposite. What they are, experiencing them first hand. Man ate from the tree and died - the day he ate of it. Furthermore, a confirmation of this difference between God and man is plainly stated in Isaiah 55. it gives the knowledge of good and evil. What does "knowing good and evil" mean in Gen 3:22? Genesis 3:22 NIV. @Rajesh, I think that he meant "like God" in a more relaxed way. Jul 16, 2021 Matt Johnson Tough Texts Written by Matt Johnson Jul 16, 2021 G enesis chapter 2 highlights two trees in the garden of Eden: the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Question How did the knowledge of good and evil make man like God (Genesis 3:22)? God also has this ability. And every day you and I are faced with a decision; are we going to define good and evil for ourselves(eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), or are we going to let God define good and evil for us(have a fear of the LORD, the beginning of all knowledge and wisdom)? The name given for the tree cannot be a misnomer in any way, but accurate and precise, because God knows all things[e.g. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. What is the least number of concerts needed to be scheduled in order that each musician may listen, as part of the audience, to every other musician? This answer is only really understood by considering the rest of the Bible. Did Adam and Eve ask God? When you get a chance, please take the. This may be an example of the type of figure of speech known as merism, a literary device that pairs opposite terms together in order to create a general meaning, so that the phrase "good and evil" would simply imply "everything". But only the Jewish God seems to grant wisdom and knowledge at will. Symbolically speaking you can squeeze out many themes from this passage but it is OT. In the secular context, we might refer to singleness of heart as "sincerity." It is far beyond the character-education-word-of-the-week version . Why? Also, God created(caused to grow) the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so it's good and serves a purpose given by Him. In Christianity According to Christianity, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is both an actual tree and a symbolic concept. So, when God said in Genesis 3:22 that humankind had "become like one of Us, knowing good and evil", He meant it. ", Proverbs 18:15 "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge[], and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge[].". Before creation God knew the cost of creating a world with evil in it, knew the reason, the cost and the result. To obey His command is to do good, and to disobey His command is to do evil, i.e. God is holy and good. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 'For now you are the children of God.' it's bad to lie and good to tell the truth. And that is what I am going to treat it as; the two phrases will be synonymous from now on. Knowing good and evil signifies being like God (Gen. 3:5, 22a) and wise as God (v6, see Is 7: 16). It could have simply prevented any harm or fixed it. The tree of life (Jesus) and the tree of knowledge (the law) don't mix. Pursuing the knowledge of good and evil! ", Genesis 3:22 "Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. 11:6). Other religions have myths about a Tree of Life, like the Norse and the apples of Idunn, which may have borrowed from Christianity as it did from Revelations to produce Ragnarok, but I havent seen another Tree of knowledge. So before moving on to a few possibilities of what it might say or mean, let's look at a few things it doesn't (or might not) say or mean. (with no additional restrictions), Epistemic circularity and skepticism about reason. For example, one might come up with the notion that adultery isn't bad, and then believe in that notion(which might then lead them to commit adultery). We don't need to know evil because it isn't allowed there nor anywhere after the final judgement. "If you disregard what God says, you most certainly will not die!" A little child doesn't know that murder, adultery, torture, rape, etc. In this answer I want to look at your 2nd point where you say, "it cannot be experiential knowledge". Well, now is the time we read the story of Adam, Eve, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, keeping everything we've learned so far in mind. One can please God by walking with Him, and allowing Him to make us righteous, and give us everlasting life. https://scriptura.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1355, Stack Overflow at WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin. God has something better planned for them so He had them leave the garden and not reach out and eat from the tree of life and remain in that state What did Jesus come to give man? In Genesis 3:22 God says, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." Knowledge in itself is not wrong (see Luke 2:52 ), so what was so bad about man "knowing good and evil"? "Tree of Life" in the New Testament RETURN . Proverbs 9:10). And what is wrong with knowledge, even knowledge of good and evil? So their independent knowledge, or standard, of good and bad was not like that of Jehovah. So, why did God punish them? total reverence, respect, and adoration for God that leads one to abide by His commandments, not terror/dread in particular) is the beginning of knowledge! Hence, it feels rather uncomfortable addressing which or what (or perhaps, whether anything) might be "exactly" right. That's how Satan, who was once a perfect angel, became evil)? So the tree brought death, true, but it brought it by respecting mans free choice. I'll tell you at the outset that, euphemistically speaking, to "know good and evil" is to have lost one's innocence. Now, remember the clue that we learned from the story of Solomon? Genesis 2:17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. 14:12-15) once attempted the same, only to be condemned to eternal damnation with no hope of redemption. By defining good and evil for ourselves we completely disregard this fact, and convince ourselves that it isn't true, even though it actually is; hence corruption! Married. No! 1 Knowing evil, before becoming strong enough to resist its allure, inevitably leads to temptation, and then to one's ultimate downfall, thus separating mankind from righteousness, and therefore from the source of life (3:22-24). But Solomon asked God to teach him good and evil, thus this signified to God that Solomon trusted in Him instead of himself, and wanted Him to teach Solomon good and evil. The Lord God covered their nakedness and shame with garments of skin. Well, not everything will be the same as how it was prior to the fall. Putting this together, the phrase seems to refer to discovering the totality of that which is good and that which is evil. Those shoots become trees. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Isaiah 5:20 chapter context similar meaning copy save. Perhaps this question wouldn't exist or make any sense if we weren't so quick to parse the phrase apart and try to think of it piecemeal, rather than considering it as a whole package or singular unit. Fruit of this tree resulted in a kind of knowledge of good and evil in the intimate sense of direct experience of deciding what shall count as good and evil; after all, that is precisely what Adam and Eve did, i.e., they decided for themselves that it was acceptable to eat of the tree, and this was itself evil because contrary to the Lord's command. God simply wanted them to trust 'his word.' What is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Genesis 2:17 "but of the tree of the knowledge[] of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Scripture, and the Creation narrative, in particular, declares: YWH is the TRUTH, the Sole, Eternal, and the Sovereign Holy Legislator. God wants his people to 'walk (live) by faith.' But it would certainly prolong their malfunctioning state indefinitely as per scripture. It makes more sense that God is addressing the Watchers, who He didnt create right then because mankind fell, some of whom had recently shouted for joy at their Creator's handiwork. Question. What was punished was not seeking after that sort of wisdom, but instead open rebellion against a loving God that, as a side-effect, led to direct experience, and so knowledge, of evil, both in terms of wickedness and in terms of calamity. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." God is speaking in this verse. This verse describes all trees as being either pleasant to look at or good for food. Eating the fruit made them conscious about own nakedness, which fits. Given how all of this perspective might significantly alter what one sees can or might be "gathered from the text," maybe it "un-answers" more here related to the question than it answers. And he said to the woman, Has God really said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden? 2 The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. 4 The serpent said to the woman, You certainly will not die! But because Adam was now her protector and provider, he would ruler over her. These Angels are the last created sentient beings mentioned as having a job there. I'm not sure your first point is justified. God had created them to be 'faith people'. After I stop NetworkManager and restart it, I still don't connect to wi-fi? The Bible determines what faith is quite clearly. genesis Share Improve this question asked Dec 31, 2021 at 17:53 EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine 2,013 3 21 52 3 Young's literal translates the Hebrew correctly ' The man was as one of us, as to the knowledge of good and evil'. Paul said that whatever is not of faith is sin. So, the phrase "knowledge of good and evil" would probably be better off as "the ability/skill to discern between good and evil." a general moral law of some kind)? Part of what God is saying here is that "us" [God], already "knows" good and evil. They knew the goodness of the Lord and His caring for them. I hope this answers the question, and other that must be posed in trying to do so, of which I havent even scratched the surface here. No creatures - heavenly hosts and men- can cross the line for eternity. THIS is the state of the first couple, in which God is addressing the Angels, two of whom, in the next few verses, are tasked with banishing Adam & Eve, and setting a guard over the entrance to the Garden. Satan knows evil as the one who does it. In short: of course knowledge is good, studying ethics is fine, and we ought to seek wisdom in order the better to do Gods will. The serpent told the truth, knowledge of good vs evil makes you like God. No, they were forced out, and God knew theyd need motivation to stay away. It means to trust in yourself to define good and evil. Sin simply means 'missing the mark.' There won't be any marriage and, subsequently, no reproduction/becoming fruitful and filling the earth. And Gods mercy is so tremendous that we cant wrap our minds around it. Corrupt because, in reality, any definition of good and evil that diverges from what God says good and evil are is, by virtue of deviating, counterfeit, and will always lead to death and destruction. Apparently they didnt go prancing and skipping out of paradise because of excitement over adventures like two brave hobbits. The translation was produced in the 1860's, people did not speak English the same way we do today. God doesn't give bad gifts, even when we use them as such, which Solomon did in his middle years. Also, see the beginning of Job. Knowledge of Good and Evil. How did God respond when Solomon asked for the knowledge to discern between good and evil? In other words, "Following God's commandments isn't necessary! What does that represent for you? Wait, but what does that mean? Obviously not, and yet that is what it clearly says. I also show how the grammar in YLT is pretty weird. The effects of the forbidden fruit and also from not having access to the life-giving one is apparent, as humans couldnt live near 1000 years any longer, even in their fallen state, owing to continued genetic and spiritual corruption, culminating in the flood. Classical world In Western civilisation, the basic meanings of and are "bad, cowardly" and "good, brave, capable", and their absolute sense emerges only around 400 BC, with pre-Socratic philosophy, in particular Democritus. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. He is one of us in the sense that he is no longer a child of God. Knowledge - daa - knowledge, knowing. It's clear that Adam and Eve knew that eating from the tree was wrong, but not that they could distinguish right from wrong. God knows evil as the One who has it done to Him. Furthermore, Gods words at Genesis 3:22 could not pertain to their now knowing what was bad by experience, for Jehovah said that they had become like him and he has not learned what is bad by doing it. I will add some texture to the discussion from my personal point of view as a Christian and student of the Bible, Theology, Religions for the last few decades. Therefore, eating from the tree represented not merely breaking Gods first commandment; it represented our freely substituting our own judgment, and our pretensions to be able to judge what is good and evil for ourselves. God cannot contradict Himself, so perhaps this gives us a clue; that the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve wanted wasn't the same knowledge of good and evil that Solomon wanted. Before they ate, Adam and Eve could only distinguish between one good thing and one evil thing, because God had only given them one command. That's the purpose of the tree! And so the narrative states certain things. Trust is a vital part of faith. I think that it was a test of faith. and thank you for your contribution. The point is, knowledge, in and of itself, is not a bad thing at all, and can be very good(lead to insight, wisdom, understanding, discernment, etc.). And to eat of the tree would be to break His command(not have a fear of the LORD), and would signify to God that they want to trust themselves to learn good and evil; trust in themselves to gain the ability to discern between good and evil. So, it won't be exactly how it was before the fall. Here are a few of the many places where the word is used in the Hebrew Bible. The way to deal with all such questions is to produce the right theory regarding the symbolic meaning of the tree. Point of clarification for my understanding: why did the Serpent promise Eve that eating the fruit would grant her knowledge of good and evil and tell her that it would make her like God? However, several other answers to this seem to be compelling me to respond. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Well, not many places. Which is impossible and always leads to death. Was God's motive for barring man from eating of the "tree of knowledge" as given by the serpent true? But once you consider the whole Bible, then [and only then?] He banished them from the garden, dooming them to death. That is exactly what Adam and Eve were doing! To take the name of the forbidden tree, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9), to mean that Adam and Eve had no understanding of good and evil is a misunderstanding. Quick point of clarification for my understanding: can you clarify which law eating the fruit granted them knowledge of? Sorry I have no time to read the actual passages so Ill be brief and probably wrong but I think that they knew it was FORBIDDEN not right or wrong. Therefore, they had aconscience to help them distinguish between good and evil. And then in Proverbs 9:10, the same concept is reiterated as the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and it follows with knowledge once again being synonymous with insight. Considering God will restore the earth to the original order prior to the fall, it would not seem unreasonable by extension that Adam was righteous and had a right standing that was not of his own making. And when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God was clearly displeased. We assume they were good, but Biblically, that only means, "as our Creator designed it to be," perfectly functioning and situated to fulfill His will for its life. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Scripture is clear, YWH is the TRUTH, the Sole, Eternal, and is the Sovereign Holy Legislator of the eternal, universal "good and evil" which is the ultimate/eternal cutting line between the Creator and the creatures. The key to understanding what the fruit did is littered throughout the Biblical text like obvious clues. So we shouldnt take this terminology to the extreme. 3:33 in the Middle Ages, by Matthew Oseka, top of page 17. https://scriptura.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1355 ) In other words, it is possible that the verse doesn't actually make any reference to man being like (or more like) God, but rather, points towards man being "unique" or "alone" with or what seems to make the most sense to me, "at one with" a new venue of "knowing good and evil."