Genesis 2 · Verse 16

Genesis 2:16

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Genesis 2:16, King James Version

Genesis 2:16 in other translations

BSBAnd the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,
WEBThe LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;
ASVAnd Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
YLTAnd Jehovah God layeth a charge on the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden eating thou dost eat;
DARBYAnd Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat;
BBEAnd the Lord God gave the man orders, saying, You may freely take of the fruit of every tree of the garden:
WebsterAnd the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

What does Genesis 2:16 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 2:16-17
Let us never set up our own will against the holy will of God. There was not only liberty allowed to man, in taking the fruits of paradise, but everlasting life made sure to him upon his obedience. There was a trial appointed of his obedience. By transgression he would forfeit his Maker's favour, and deserve his displeasure, with all its awful effects; so that he would become liable to pain, disease, and death. Worse than that, he would lose the holy image of God, and all the comfort of his favour; and feel the torment of sinful passions, and the terror of his Maker's vengeance, which must endure for ever with his never dying soul. The forbidding to eat of the fruit of a particular tree was wisely suited to the state of our first parents. In their state of innocence, and separated from any others, what opportunity or what temptation had they to break any of the ten commandments? The event proves that the whole human race were concerned in the trial and fall of our first parents. To argue against these things is to strive against stubborn facts, as well as Divine revelation; for man is sinful, and shows by his first actions, and his conduct ever afterwards, that he is ready to do evil. He is under the Divine displeasure, exposed to sufferings and death. The Scriptures always speak of man as of this sinful character, and in this miserable state; and these things are true of men in all ages, and of all nations.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Genesis 2:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְצַו֙vay.Tzavand he commandedH6680
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהִ֔ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
עַל\־'al-toH5921
הָֽאָדָ֖םha.'a.Damthe manH120
לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
מִכֹּ֥לmi.Kolfrom anyH3605
עֵֽץ\־'etz-<the> tree ofH6086
הַגָּ֖ןha.Ganthe gardenH1588
אָכֹ֥ל'a.Kholcertainly <to eat>H398
תֹּאכֵֽל\׃to.Khelyou will eatH398

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 2:16

  • 1 Samuel 15:22

    And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

  • 1 Timothy 4:4

    For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

  • 1 Timothy 6:17

    Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

  • 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 3:1-2

    Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
God.
1Sa 15:22
thou mayest freely eat. Heb. eating thou shalt eat.
9; 3:1,2; 1Ti 4:4; 6:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 2:15

    And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

  • Genesis 2:16

    And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

  • Genesis 2:17

    But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Read all of Genesis 2

Genesis 2:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y mandó Jehová Dios al hombre, diciendo: De todo árbol del huerto comerás;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel Dieu commanda à l’homme, disant: Tu mangeras librement de tout arbre du jardin;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova Gott gebot dem Menschen und sprach: Von jedem Baume des Gartens darfst du nach Belieben essen;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		præcepitque ei, dicens: Ex omni ligno paradisi comede;