Genesis 3:22:
“Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.’”
Genesis 3:23:
“Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.”
In Genesis 2:16–17, the LORD God commanded the man, saying:
“From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”
It appears that Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from the tree of life prior to the Fall. They had eternal life. But once sin entered the world, they would no longer be allowed to eat from the tree of life.
As Ellicott’s Commentary explains, “Man was now a very different being from what he had been in the days of his simple innocence.”
At First Glance
LORD — When written in all capital letters, this consistently represents the divine name YHWH, the Tetragrammaton, often vocalized as Yahweh or traditionally as Jehovah. This is God’s personal, covenantal name, emphasizing His self-existence, faithfulness, and relational presence with His people.
God — This translates the Hebrew word Elohim, a more general Hebrew term for deity. It is plural in form but typically singular in meaning when referring to the one true God. It highlights God’s power, sovereignty, and role as Creator.
And then we have the words “and said, behold.”
The Hebrew phrase way-yomer means “say,” “speak,” or “utter.” God was speaking. But to whom?
The language presents a dialogue: “like one of Us.” The word “Us” is plural, allowing us as readers to observe the plurality of God.
This is the second time God is recorded as speaking in a plural form or speaking with someone else.
This is similar to Genesis 1:26:
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.’”
We also see something similar in Isaiah 6:8, where Isaiah hears the Lord saying:
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?”
Theologically — Why?
Most scholars agree that Genesis 3:22 shows God’s mercy, not just His judgment.
God prevented Adam and Eve from being locked into a state of sin and suffering forever.
Think about this:
If Adam and Eve had continued to live in the garden and eat from the tree of life, they would have lived forever, while being “like one of Us, knowing good and evil.”
Eternal life in a state of sin would mean living forever in separation from God—forever trying to hide from Him.
Lesson
Like Adam and Eve, all of us have sinned and are separated from fellowship with God. But we do not have to remain separated.
Jesus is our hope of reconciliation with God through His blood, which atoned for our sin.
God is also preparing a new earth as an eternal paradise.
Knowing Good and Evil
By the Fall, man sunk morally but grew mentally. — Ellicott’s Commentary
The knowledge of good and evil is less about simply knowing rules and more about authority and experience.
Knowing good and evil is the difference between reading about a war and being a soldier in one.
Before the Fall, humanity knew good by experience and evil only as a forbidden concept.
After Genesis 3:23, they knew evil by experiencing its effects: shame, fear, pain, and death.
Lesson
God’s grace amazes me—the depth of consciousness that God reveals to mankind through His Word of Life.
Hebrews 5:14:
“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Lesson
Wow! Our responsibility is to seek God and to train ourselves in His Word.
Lesson
While grace is the source of life, faith is the hand that reaches out to catch the gift.
John 3:16 NASB:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
The above verse focuses on believing faith as the response to God’s giving, or grace.
The Hope of the Tree of Life
The hope we have from the following Scripture verses is so beautiful, because God restores us to the tree of life for eternity.
Revelation 2:7 NASB:
“The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
Revelation 22:2:
The final description of the New Jerusalem says:
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
Revelation 22:14:
“The completion of the journey: Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life.”
Lesson
Although God removed mankind from the garden, He promises to restore us to paradise.
Genesis 3:23 — Sent Out of the Garden
Genesis 3:23:
“Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.”
At first glance, I thought about the words “and sent him” — way-shal-le-che-hu — meaning “and He sent him out,” “He sent him forth,” or “therefore the LORD God sent him.”
The root word is shalach, meaning “to send,” “send away,” “let go,” “stretch out,” or “cast out.”
But then we come to the next verse.
Genesis 3:24
It appears that this sending out was a little more serious than what we see in verse 23:
“So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”
The Hebrew phrase way-garesh means “He drove out” and emphasizes a decisive, forceful expulsion.
There is a difference between being sent away and being driven out.
Lesson
When I read about this in Genesis, I am reminded that Adam was a man, much like me, with feelings and emotions.
The Almighty God, whom Adam had walked with in the quiet of the evening, was now driving him away from Him. That must have been overwhelming, to say the least.
To be asked to leave in any situation can be embarrassing, but being driven out had to be humiliating.
What I am trying to say is this: Respecting God and His Word is just as crucial now as it was then.
Prayer
Lord, may my prayer always be like David’s:
“May the meditations of my heart and the words of my lips be pleasing to You.”
Your master plan for us is amazing. From the very beginning, we were with You in a beautiful place.
Thank You for such an awesome plan of salvation for mankind—to restore us to You from our fallen state.
What an amazing God You are.
Amen.
Max,