Psalm 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden
Eve's response indicates an understanding of God's provision and generosity. The garden, likely located in the region of Mesopotamia, symbolizes a place of abundance and divine blessing. God's command in Genesis 2:16 allowed Adam and Eve to freely eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This statement reflects the freedom and abundance God provided, contrasting with the restriction that follows. Theologically, it underscores the concept of free will and the human responsibility to choose obedience to God.

• Eve speaks freely, showing she understands God’s command before any sin has clouded her judgment (Genesis 2:16-17).

• Her willingness to engage highlights the serpent’s strategy: to draw her into dialogue and subtly challenge God’s Word (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14).

• The verse reminds us that temptation often begins with conversation—an invitation to question what God has plainly said (Matthew 4:3-4).

• Eve begins with the positive, affirming the generous permission God had given: “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat” (Genesis 2:16).

• God’s first word to humanity was provision, not restriction—His goodness precedes any prohibition (Psalm 34:8; 1 Timothy 4:4-5).

• This phrase underscores that obedience is not deprivation; it is enjoying God’s bounty within His wise boundaries (Deuteronomy 8:10).

• Fruit represents the tangible blessings of creation—good, pleasant, and nourishing (Genesis 1:29; Psalm 104:14-15).

• By repeating “fruit,” Eve acknowledges that what God gives is desirable; the serpent will soon twist that same desire (James 1:17, 14-15).

• The detail reminds believers that temptation often distorts legitimate gifts into occasions for sin.

• “Trees” in plural points to abundance. Eden was not sparse; it overflowed with variety and beauty (Genesis 2:9).

• God is lavish in provision; scarcity is never the backdrop of His commands (Psalm 23:1-2).

• The contrast will sharpen the serpent’s lie that God is withholding something vital (John 10:10).

• The garden is a real, prepared place where God walks with humanity (Genesis 2:8; 3:8).

• Eden sets the pattern for future “God-with-us” dwelling—eventually fulfilled in the New Jerusalem where the tree of life reappears (Revelation 22:1-2).

• The setting stresses that sin arose not because of an inadequate environment but despite perfect surroundings (Isaiah 51:3).

Genesis 3:2 shows Eve accurately restating God’s generous provision before the serpent twists her perspective. The verse emphasizes God’s goodness, human freedom within divine boundaries, and the cunning of temptation that begins by questioning, not outright denying, the truth.

(1) Omitting the Divine name when recording his liberality, though she remembers it when reciting his restraint;

(2) failing to do justice to the largeness and freeness of the Divine grant (cf. with Genesis 2:16); - which, however, charity would do well not to press against the woman as symptoms of incipient rebellion. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it. An addition to the prohibitory enactment, which may have been simply an inaccuracy in her understanding of Adam's report of its exact terms (Kalisch); or the result of a rising feeling of dissatisfaction with the too great strictness of the prohibition (Delitzsch), and so an indication "that her love and confidence towards God were already beginning to waver" (Keil); or a proof of her anxiety to observe the Divine precept (Calvin); or a statement of her understanding "that they were not to meddle with it as a forbidden thing" (Murphy). Lest ye die. Even Calvin here admits that Eve begins to give way, leading פֶן־ as forte, with which Macdonald appears to agree, discovering "doubt and hesitancy in her language; but -

(1) the conjunction may point to a consequence which is certain - indeed this is its usual meaning (cf. Genesis 11:4; Genesis 19:5; Psalm 2:12); . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...