The story of Adam and Eve, as recounted in the biblical chapters of Genesis 2:4 to 3:24, begins with the creation of man and woman and culminates in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. God planted a garden eastward in Eden and placed the man he had formed there. In the garden, God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, including the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it, commanding the man that he could eat freely of every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if he ate from this tree, he would surely die.
Then, God said it was not good for the man to be alone, so He decided to make a helper comparable to him. God brought all the beasts of the field and the birds of the air to Adam to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. But for Adam, no helper was found comparable to him. So, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. From the rib, God made a woman and brought her to Adam.
Adam and the woman, named Eve, were naked and were not ashamed. They lived in the garden and had dominion over the creatures. However, a serpent, which was more cunning than any beast of the field God had made, said to Eve that she would not surely die if she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead, her eyes would be opened, and she would be like God, knowing good and evil.
Eve saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise, so she took its fruit and ate. She also gave some to Adam, who was with her, and he ate. The eyes of both were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God among the trees of the garden. God called to Adam and asked him why he hid. Adam said he was afraid because he was naked. God asked who told him he was naked and whether he had eaten from the tree of which God commanded him not to eat.
Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. God cursed the serpent, put enmity between it and the woman, and between its offspring and hers. To the woman, He said He would greatly multiply her sorrow in conception and bring forth children in pain. To Adam, God said because he heeded the voice of his wife and ate from the tree, cursed is the ground for his sake, and in toil, he shall eat of it all the days of his life.
God made tunics of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them. And because they had become like one of Us, to know good and evil, God sent them out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man, and placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
After their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve began their life outside the paradise God had created for them. They had to adapt to a new existence, one that was vastly different from the ease and abundance they knew before. The ground outside of Eden was not as yielding, and Adam had to toil and struggle with thorns and thistles to grow food.
In time, Eve gave birth to children. Their first sons, Cain and Abel, grew up to pursue different livelihoods: Cain became a tiller of the ground, while Abel became a keeper of sheep. This new family dynamic brought about its own challenges and tragedies, which further unfolded the human experience outside of Eden’s perfection.
The story of Adam and Eve sets the stage for the human narrative of struggle, growth, and the perpetual quest for redemption. It is a foundational tale that explains the complex relationship between humanity and the divine, the origins of human suffering, and the eternal hope for salvation.
