Gen 2:16-17 | KJV | STEP | And the Lord God commanded the man , saying , Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat :

h Deut 30:15, 19, 20; Rom 6:23; 1 Tim 5:6; James 1:15

Gen 2: 16

(KJV)

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ^{▼▼ thou…: Heb. eating thou shalt eat}

(NASB2020)

The Lord God ^bcommanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat;

(NET2full)

Then the Lord God commanded ^{▼▼sn This is the first time in the Bible that the verb tsavah (צָוָה, “to command”) appears. Whatever the man had to do in the garden, the main focus of the narrative is on keeping God’s commandments. God created humans with the capacity to obey him and then tested them with commands.} the man, “You may freely eat ^{▼▼tn The imperfect verb form probably carries the nuance of permission (“you may eat”) since the man is not being commanded to eat from every tree. The accompanying infinitive absolute adds emphasis: “you may freely eat,” or “you may eat to your heart’s content.”} fruit ^{▼▼tn The word “fruit” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied as the direct object of the verb “eat.” Presumably the only part of the tree the man would eat would be its fruit (cf. 3:2).} from every tree of the orchard,

Gen 2: 17

(KJV)

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ^{▼▼ thou shalt surely…: Heb. dying thou shalt die}

(NASB2020)

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not ^{▼▼Lit eat from it}eat, for on the day that you eat from it ^hyou will certainly die.”

(NET2full)

but ^{▼▼tn The disjunctive clause here indicates contrast: “but from the tree of the knowledge….”} you must not eat ^{▼▼tn The negated imperfect verb form indicates prohibition, “you must not eat.”} from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when ^{▼▼tn Or “in the very day, as soon as.” If one understands the expression to have this more precise meaning, then the following narrative presents a problem, for the man does not die physically as soon as he eats from the tree. In this case one may argue that spiritual death is in view. If physical death is in view here, there are two options to explain the following narrative: (1) The following phrase “You will surely die” concerns mortality which ultimately results in death (a natural paraphrase would be, “You will become mortal”), or (2) God mercifully gave man a reprieve, allowing him to live longer than he deserved.} you eat from it you will surely die.” ^{▼▼tn Heb “dying you will die.” The imperfect verb form here has the nuance of the specific future because it is introduced with the temporal clause, “when you eat…you will die.” That certainty is underscored with the infinitive absolute, “you will surely die.”} ^{▼▼sn The Hebrew text (“dying you will die”) does not refer to two aspects of death (“dying spiritually, you will then die physically”). The construction simply emphasizes the certainty of death, however it is defined. Death is essentially separation. To die physically means separation from the land of the living, but not extinction. To die spiritually means to be separated from God. Both occur with sin, although the physical alienation is more gradual than instant, and the spiritual is immediate, although the effects of it continue the separation.}