Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."

◄ Genesis 3:22 ►

New International Version
And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

New Living Translation
Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”

English Standard Version
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

King James Bible
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

New King James Version
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

NASB 1995
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever “—

NASB 1977
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us to know good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”—

Amplified Bible
And the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever”—

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD God said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”

American Standard Version
And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever ?

Contemporary English Version
The LORD said, "They now know the difference between right and wrong, just as we do. But they must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree that lets them live forever."

English Revised Version
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the LORD God said, "The man has become like one of us, since he knows good and evil. He must not reach out and take the fruit from the tree of life and eat. Then he would live forever."

Good News Translation
Then the LORD God said, "Now these human beings have become like one of us and have knowledge of what is good and what is bad. They must not be allowed to take fruit from the tree that gives life, eat it, and live forever."

International Standard Version
Later, the LORD God said, "Look! The man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, so he won't reach out, also take from the tree of life, eat, and then live forever—"

Majority Standard Bible
Then the LORD God said, ?Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...?

NET Bible
And the LORD God said, "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

New Heart English Bible
Then God said, "Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. So now, let us send him out, lest he reach out his hand and also take of the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man hath become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

World English Bible
Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And YHWH God says, “Behold, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and has also taken from the Tree of Life, and eaten, and lived for all time.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God saith, 'Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,' --

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God will say, Lo, Adam became as one from us, to know good and evil: and now lest he shall send forth his hand and take also of the tree of lives, and eat, and live to eternity:

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Therefore, now perhaps he may put forth his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live in eternity.”

New American Bible
Then the LORD God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever?

New Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Then the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH God said, “Behold, Adam has become as one of us, to know good and evil; now, lest he reach his hand and he will take also from the tree of life and he will eat and will live to eternity.”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD God said: 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God said, Behold, Adam is become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now lest at any time he stretch forth his hand, and take of the tree of life and eat, and so he shall live forever -

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Expulsion from Paradise
21And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them. 22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” 23Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.

Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

Revelation 22:2
down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

Romans 5:12-19
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. / For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. / Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come. ...

John 17:3
Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

John 5:26
For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, / and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Philippians 2:6
Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

1 Timothy 6:16
He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Isaiah 14:14
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Ezekiel 28:2
“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

as one.

Genesis 3:5
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 11:6,7
And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do…

tree.

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

eat.

Psalm 22:26
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

John 6:48-58
I am that bread of life…

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Genesis 3

1. The serpent deceives Eve.
6. Both she and Adam transgress the divine command, and fall into sin.
8. God arraigns them.
14. The serpent is cursed.
15. The promised seed.
16. The punishment of mankind.
21. Their first clothing.
22. Their expulsion from paradise.

Berean Study Bible

Then the LORD God said
This phrase introduces a divine declaration, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. The Hebrew term for "LORD" is "Yahweh," which is the personal name of God, denoting His eternal existence and covenantal faithfulness. "God" is translated from "Elohim," a plural form that suggests the majesty and fullness of God's nature. The use of both names together underscores the relational and powerful aspects of God as He addresses the consequences of human actions.

Behold
The word "behold" is a call to attention, inviting the reader to consider the gravity of the situation. In Hebrew, "hinneh" is often used to draw focus to something significant or surprising. Here, it marks a pivotal moment in the narrative, highlighting the profound change in humanity's condition after the Fall.

the man has become like one of Us
This phrase reflects the plurality within the Godhead, hinting at the Trinitarian nature of God. The use of "Us" suggests a divine council or conversation within the Godhead. The phrase "like one of Us" indicates that humanity, through disobedience, has gained a knowledge that was previously exclusive to God, specifically the knowledge of good and evil. This knowledge, however, is not a blessing but a burden, as it comes with the awareness of sin and its consequences.

knowing good and evil
The Hebrew word for "knowing" is "yada," which implies an intimate, experiential understanding. This knowledge of good and evil is not merely intellectual but involves a moral and ethical awareness that humanity was not equipped to handle independently. It signifies a loss of innocence and the beginning of moral responsibility, highlighting the tragic consequences of the Fall.

And now, lest he reach out his hand
This phrase introduces a divine intervention to prevent further consequences. The imagery of reaching out the hand suggests an action of taking or seizing, which in this context, would lead to an undesirable outcome. It underscores God's protective nature, even in judgment, as He seeks to prevent humanity from compounding their error.

and take also from the tree of life
The "tree of life" represents eternal life and ongoing fellowship with God. In the Garden of Eden, it was a symbol of God's provision and the potential for unending life. By preventing access to this tree, God is mercifully ensuring that humanity does not live forever in a fallen state, separated from Him.

and eat, and live forever—
This phrase highlights the potential consequence of eating from the tree of life: eternal life. However, in the context of sin, living forever would mean an eternal existence in a state of separation from God. God's intervention here is an act of grace, setting the stage for the eventual redemption and restoration through Jesus Christ, who offers eternal life in a restored relationship with God.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) As one of us.--See Note on Genesis 1:26. By the fall man had sunk morally, but grown mentally. He had asserted his independence, had exercised the right of choosing for himself, and had attained to a knowledge without which his endowment of free-will would have remained in abeyance. There is something painful and humiliating in the idea of Chrysostom and other Fathers that the Deity was speaking ironically, or even with insult (Augustine). All those qualities which constitute man's likeness to God--free-will, self-dependence, the exercise of reason and of choice--had been developed by the fall, and Adam was now a very different being from what he had been in the days of his simple innocency.

Lest he put forth his hand.--Adam had exercised the power of marring God's work, and if an unending physical life were added to the gift of freewill now in revolt against God, his condition and that of mankind would become most miserable. Man is still to attain to immortality, but it must now be through struggle, sorrow, penitence, faith, and death. Hence a paradise is no fit home for him. The Divine mercy, therefore, commands Adam to quit it, in order that he may live under conditions better suited for his moral and spiritual good.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 22. - And the Lord God said. Verba insultantis (Augustine); ironica reprobatio (Calvin). But "irony at the expense of a wretched, tempted soul might well befit Satan, but not the Lord" (Delitzsch), and is altogether inconsistent with the footing of grace on which man was placed immediately upon his fall. Behold, the man is become as one of us. Not the angels (Kalisch), but the Divine Persons (cf. Genesis 1:26). It is scarcely likely that Jehovah alludes to the words of the tempter (Genesis 3:5). To know good and evil. Implying an acquaintance with good and evil which did not belong to him in the state of innocence. The language seems to hint that a one-sided acquaintance with good and evil, such as that possessed by the first pair in the garden and the unfallen angels in heaven, is not so complete a knowledge of the inherent beauty of the one and essential turpitude of the other as is acquired by beings who pass through the experience of a fall, and that the only way in which a finite being can approximate to such a comprehensive knowledge of evil as the Deity possesses without personal contact - can see it as it lies everlastingly spread out before his infinite mind - is by going down into it and learning what it is through personal experience (cf. Candlish, in loco). And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. On the meaning of the tree of life v/de Genesis 2:9. Neither

(1) lest by eating of the fruit he should recover that immortal life which he no longer "it possessed (Kalisch), as is certain that man would not have been able, had he even devoured the whole tree, to enjoy life against the will of God" (Calvin); nor

(2) lest the first pair, through participation of the tree, should confer upon themselves the attribute of undyingness, which would not be the ζωὴ αἰώνιος of salvation, but its opposite, the ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον of the accursed (Keil, Lange, T. Lewis, Wordsworth); but either

(3) lest man should conceive the idea that immortality might still be secured by eating of the tree, instead of trusting in the promised seed, and under this false impression attempt to take its fruit, which, in his case, would have been equivalent to an attempt to justify himself by works instead of faith (Calvin, Macdonald); or . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Then the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

God
אֱלֹהִ֗ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

said,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Behold,
הֵ֤ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

the man
הָֽאָדָם֙ (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

has become
הָיָה֙ (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

like one
כְּאַחַ֣ד (kə·’a·ḥaḏ)
Preposition-k | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of Us,
מִמֶּ֔נּוּ (mim·men·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

knowing
לָדַ֖עַת (lā·ḏa·‘aṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3045: To know

good
ט֣וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

and evil.
וָרָ֑ע (wā·rā‘)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

And now,
וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

lest
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

he reach out
יִשְׁלַ֣ח (yiš·laḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

his hand
יָד֗וֹ (yā·ḏōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

and take
וְלָקַח֙ (wə·lā·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

also
גַּ֚ם (gam)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

from the tree
מֵעֵ֣ץ (mê·‘êṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

of life,
הַֽחַיִּ֔ים (ha·ḥay·yîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

and eat,
וְאָכַ֖ל (wə·’ā·ḵal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

and live
וָחַ֥י (wā·ḥay)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2425: To live, to revive

forever...?
לְעֹלָֽם׃ (lə·‘ō·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

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OT Law: Genesis 3:22 Yahweh God said Behold the man has (Gen. Ge Gn)