Gen 3:20-24 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 3:20-24: 3:20-24 Soon after they were judged for their sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. 3:20 Eve (Hebrew khawah ) sounds like a Hebrew term ( khayah ) that means “to give life.” Following God’s pronouncement of Adam’s impending death (3:19 ), Adam expressed hope by giving Eve a name associated with life. Adam’s naming of Eve in such close proximity to 3:16 may suggest that the narrator views it as Adam’s first act of ruling over the woman after the Fall (see study note on 2:19-20).

Summary for Gen 3:20-24: 3:20-24 ^a Soon after they were judged for their sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. 3:20 ^b Eve (Hebrew khawah) sounds like a Hebrew term (khayah) that means “to give life.” Following God’s pronouncement of Adam’s impending death (3:19 ^c), Adam expressed hope by giving Eve a name associated with life. Adam’s naming of Eve in such close proximity to 3:16 ^d may suggest that the narrator views it as Adam’s first act of ruling over the woman after the Fall (see study note on 2:19-20).
3:21 ^e God mercifully provided more substantial clothing for Adam and Eve (cp. 3:7 ^f) before expelling them into the harsh environment outside the garden.
3:22 ^g like us: The plural probably reflects God’s conversation with his angelic court (see study note on 1:26).

• the tree of life ... live forever! Mercifully, God prevented humankind from eating of the tree of life and having to live forever in a fallen state. Through Jesus Christ, however, eternal life is once again made available (see Rev 2:7 ^h; 22:2 ⁱ, 14 ^j, 19 ^k).
3:23 ^l So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden: Before the Fall, the garden was a sanctuary in which humans could move freely in God’s holy presence. Now their sin required expulsion from that environment. This same principle was behind the laws that restricted an Israelite’s access to God’s presence in the Tabernacle or Temple (e.g., Lev 16:1-2 ^m; Num 5:3 ⁿ).
3:24 ^o Cherubim are a class of angelic beings that guard access to God’s presence (Exod 26:31 ^p; Ezek 28:14 ^q).

• east ... of Eden: In Genesis, movement eastward often implies leaving the presence or blessing of God, whether in judgment (see also Gen 4:16 ^r), self-aggrandizement (11:2 ^s; 13:11 ^t), or estrangement (25:6 ^u).