Thank you for your post and your diligence to pursuing Biblical accuracy! Adam replies saying that he hid because he heard the sound of God. Thanks for your thoughts. Our hearts were reformed for this exact purpose. When the Lord made him on the sixth day, He commanded him not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We cant know because the Bible doesnt speak to this at all. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).The use of the term walk with reference to God brings up the issue of God communicating to humankind in human language. We know that God is capable of doing this, but >>my point< OK, so does the Bible state or imply that He didnt walk with Adam & Eve BEFORE they sinned? If they dont walk with him no blessing no rain no food and punishment 7 times more. Thanks for your question. They were created with perfect bodies and were husband and wife on the day they were created. Adam heard God making a sound (aside from speaking) that God had made before and which enabled Adam to recognise that it was the sound of God. Sincerely, The only time we see Eve converse with God in Scripture is after she ate the fruit and hid with Adam among the trees of the garden. Adam and Eve surely knew that the punishment for rebellion was deathand even if they didnt understand the fullness of that word, they knew it wasnt good. It is a special, peaceful garden oasis God created as a home for Adam and Eve (and maybe also Lilith) where their two jobs were to give animals names . This verse appears immediately after our first parents rebelled against the Creator. And in Genesis 3:10 Adam heard that familiar sound (be it foot steps, voice, wind or otherwise) & hid. We know that God is capable of doing this, but my point is that the text never states or implies that He did. I believe it is very important to know what is and isnt in the Bible. Many people assume that this one verse is symbolic, as . Adam and Eve, according to the Old Testament, are the First Humans who ever walked on earth from which all humans descended. We "Walk With God" in Meditating upon His Word. They are intelligent, rational creatures, capable of communicating and worshiping God. If He did or didnt is still and can always be up for discussion , its a gut instinct in me that says no but at the end of the day Im just glad Im saved and can sort it out when I get to Heaven! But I am very clear in the post that I have no problem with the notion that they might have walked with Him. Im sure the water God supplied was for the animals as well as the people. who knows perhaps it was. Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.". But, despite the beauty of God's new world, there was one thing missing. The Bible even indicates that God may have taken on a physical form in order to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8). And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? Contemporary English Version Late in the afternoon, when the breeze began to blow, the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. Genesis 3:21 comes after Genesis 3:7, in which Adam and Eve ate from the Tree and realized they were naked. But even these passages do not necessarily imply that Enoch and Noah physically took walks with God. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden Genesis 3:8. The NRSV's rendering makes the time more explicit, "at the time of the evening breeze" (also REB). If youve been impacted by our resources, we invite you to make a year-end gift before December 31. Further, although the phrase could be translated as a strong wind, the text would still say that he came walking in a strong wind. I even pointed out that when the Bible speaks of Enoch and Noah walking with God it should be understood in the figurative sense of them living godly lives (as opposed to taking physical strolls with Him). When God asked them how they knew they were naked, and asked them if they had eaten from the tree they were not to. when they heard God they hid from Him. So Adam hears a sound, which he knows is the sound of God. But this goes beyond them, it goes back to Adam and Eve.Adam and Eve had the privilege of being with God, the way that God had intended. Adam (perhaps Eve too) was familiar with Gods presence. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.". But Im not arguing that this is how He did appear. The natural reading of arithmetic is that according to arithmetic. No, the One they were hiding from was one they were familiar with walking in the garden. Required fields are marked *. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.<<<<. That is why I have a whole series of commonly misused Bible versesnot to condemn but to encourage believers to elevate Scripture above our own ideas that weve unwittingly added to it. they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the gardenThe divine Being appeared in the same manner as formerlyuttering the well-known tones of kindness, walking in some visible form (not running hastily, as one impelled by the influence of angry feelings). That is exactly how his walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden is depicted. I would assume that they drank goats milk during this time as well. . Adam fell because he freely chose to disobey God, but second because he listened to his wife who had also freely chosen to disobey. What an absolute honor we have as human beings to be made in the image of the Creator and to be called to demonstrate who He is and what He is like. Adam and Eve were happy and satisfied in the beautiful garden. Upon marrying, Moses recounts God's command for husband and wife: "a man shallbe joined to . The adverbial phrase in the cool of the day (NIV, NASB, NJB) or the breezy time of the day (NJPS, NAB) translates the Hebrew phrase wind [rah] of the day. The NRSVs rendering makes the time more explicit, at the time of the evening breeze (also REB). Hi Carrie, Just a quick note: The verb used here in verse 8 to describe the divine movement of God mihalli (sorry, my keyboard isnt able to type this word out correctly) suggests iterative and habitual aspects. God told them, "You may eat fruit from any tree, except one. I have no problem with the concept of Adam and Eve walking with God and seeing Him. Your email address will not be published. Satan. Adam was ashamed to stand before God as he was now a sinner who was about to face his righteous God. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. The children of Israel had a great amount of lifestock during the time of their exodus. Adam did hear Gods voice at another time. Perhaps you should take a moment to read the blog post before commenting. It seems likely that many people have just remembered some of the wording in this verse and assumed that it says Adam and Eve walked with God. At the same time, Adam understood what God meant when He spoke to him, so there clearly was some preprogramming that occurred when God created him. Genesis 2 describes Adam and Eve's first homethe Garden of Eden. Seems to me there was plenty of interaction & communication between Adam (& Perhaps Eve) and God. It would be accurate if the point of my article was to claim that Adam and Eve did not walk with God in the Garden prior to sin. Later that day, God was walking in the Garden of Eden. 21? I dont find your suggestion to be plausible. But its entirely different to claim that the Bible teaches or implies that they did when there just arent any statements in the text that teach or imply that position. God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden where grew the tree of life. The answer is that it was the Word, who later became Jesus Christ, that walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Your entire post is irrelevant to the discussion because you are trying to show what it means when it says that someone walked with God. There is a possibility that we should understand that Hebrew text to be speaking about something more like the whirlwind at the end of Jobthat they heard the sound of God moving about (not walking) in the Garden. I think your comments are valid additional arguments that could be used by those who favor that view, but as you seem to recognize (it seems to follow), the arguments are not watertight. Genesis 3:8 KJV. Hi Tim you stated; How many pastors and other teachers have taught that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden? I clarified my statement about strong wind being a better translation to point out that there are scholars who make this claim, like J.J. Niehaus. But I dont think we need to have them walking with God in the garden to show how bad sin is. Again, Im not opposed to the idea at all, but the text just never says it. The problem with this scenario is that Adam and Eve were almost certainly not in the Garden very long. God created Adam and Eve to care for His creation, populate the planet, and have a relationship with Him. From this view, Adam and Eve were with God in the Garden for a whileand they had the privilege of regularly hanging out with Him. Hi Robert, How do your children know how to live? To say that life was good in the Garden of Eden would be an understatement. Your answer leaves many questions for me though Please explain the remaining context of Gen. 3 in Adams walk with God. In terms of the theological questions of how God could do this, one answer could be that it is an embodied pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord, who is himself the Lord and who appears many times in the Old Testament. I have a problem with telling people that the Bible says they did this. The Bible doesnt tell us how old Cain was when he murdered his brother, but it does give us a potential clue. God formed Adam from the dust and breathed His own life into the man (Genesis 2:7). Noah walked with God Genesis 6:9. One good example is Leviticus 26:12 AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD. When God gave commandments to Adam and Eve, he also granted them the ability to intelligently decide whether to keep that covenant from God, or choose to disobey God. Genesis 3:8, CSB: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God . However, most people inevitably mention them walking in the cool of the day, so they arent thinking of it in the figurative sense. Adam said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself (Genesis 3:10, ESV). Thanks for reading. Notice that I said that I would argue that they are probably made in His image. I didnt claim that there was a clear cut and dry case that is beyond dispute. My argument wouldnt focus on the things you mentioned. Just read John 1 it says God was there in the beginning and on earth in the flesh so just read the book. Ive heard so many people claim that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden (and some even add these words, in the cool of the day). Hi Tim. And a good place to start is The Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden, the terrestrial Paradise known also as the Garden of God, is one of the most famous settings in the Bible. And I think a strong case can be made for the notion that they werent in the garden very long at all. Im not sure what this has to do with whether they walked with God in the garden. Hi Tom, I believe this issue is often promoted by people with certain theological perspectives who want to show how much damage sin did to our relationship with God. These include appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Joshua (Joshua 5:13), Gideon (Judges 5:12), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:3). I worship in His presence and put off His presence! The Genesis account contains provocative clues as to what Adam and Eve lost by withdrawing from God. So again, lets not be naive to think that God didnt spend time with them! Is it that they are referred to as sons of God? holy ones? Thats not exactly a clear cut and dry case, beyond dispute, based on those sparse details. Can you show me some similar articles? Therefore God was not always with them in the Garden, not as we know it anyway. I know you didnt use the word constant but thats sort of the point in my article. Why? Privacy Policy. It would literally have been paradise just to walk with Jesus in the . Hello Tim. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Ive heard far too many people claim, The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Thats simply false. "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Ok, we have God as a highly elevated being that perhaps didnt want to spend timewith all of this. However, the walk in these passages should probably be understood in a figurative sense. God walking with people normally suggests closeness and intimacy and fellowship. There are some who says He came in angelic forms throughout the Bible yes He did but thats through another likeness. "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.". As I mentioned in the post, even if He walked through the Garden to speak to Adam and Eve it would not prove that they used to take walks with Him. Again, in Gen 3:24, we see that God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden. It is meant to point out to people that the text doesnt say what so many people have claimed that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. Please do look it up, and if you find it, let me know, so I can apologize and correct this post. Lets consider this for a moment? However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. It bothered me for the day into right now where I went on the internet to find something credible and I landed here. God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. But the most beautiful thing of all was that they walked with GOD. Ive enjoyed reading your article, the comments and your responses. God loved to come and take a walk in the garden in the evenings when the shadows were cool, and the flowers smelled sweet, and when all the animals came out to play. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Simply quoting Genesis 3:8 does not disprove the point of my post since that verse never says that they walked with God. In fact it comes to mind that the statement can be transcended as a statement of faith, that the Lord God was loving and personal as he claims himself to be and did walk with them, who knows. All of the things you mentioned are plausible, but they do not build a watertight argument. It is definitely possible that the person in the Garden was the preincarnate Christ. This is something I have heard countless times, and based on the number of responses trying to justify such a view, its pretty clear that a lot of others have heard it and/or taught it. Your desire to keep us focused on what the Word actually says is to be commended. Once God addresses him, then Adam could say, I heard the sound of You in the garden (Gen. 2:10, ESV). I am so happy to find your website. They will live forever, and as well see in the coming chapters, some of them have been given dominion over certain things. In a similar way, we are told in the New Testament to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). I believe when the Bible states they heard the Lord in the cool of the day I think its a spiritual voice. The impression people usually get is that Adam and Eve were in the garden for a long time, enjoying daily walks with God. Of course, since God is capable of making physical appearances, but we need to be careful not to assert that the Bible directly teaches this. To spend time with Him. Remember that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost with a rushing mighty wind (Acts 2:2). If used in this sense, Adam and Eve did walk with God prior to sin because there was no fracture in their relationship with God. Genesis 3:8 ? 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