BIBLE COMMENTARY/Genesis 2: 16

GENESIS 2: 16 – And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.

– In the Garden, Adam had the freedom to eat whatever he wanted except for the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
– That meant Adam could freely eat the fruit from the tree of life (Genesis 2: 9) which gives eternal life (Genesis 3: 22). The Scripture indicates that Adam was created not for physical death, but for eternal life. That’s why God did not forbid Adam to eat the fruit from the tree of life. Death was not present in Adam’s life before he ate the forbidden fruit (Romans 5: 12). This also means Adam could not turn old before that event.
– Therefore, there was no need to count his age before he sinned. He was not destined for a physical death when God created him.
– Thus the 930 years of Adam’s life was counted right after he ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 5: 5).

QUOTED VERSES:

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.

GENESIS 3: 22 – 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.

GENESIS 5: 5 – And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

ROMANS 5: 12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.