New English Translation
Genesis 2:16
16Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,
Genesis 2:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
- New International Version (NIV)And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
Context of Genesis 2:16
14The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” 18The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:16 word by word
וַיְצַו֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֥ל עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 2:16
- 1 Samuel 15:22Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.
- Genesis 2:9The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
- Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?”
- 1 Timothy 4:4For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
- 1 Timothy 6:17Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.
Commentaries on Genesis 2:16
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 - XII. The Command 15. נוּח nûach “rest, dwell.” עבד ‛ābad “work, till, serve.” שׁמר shāmar “keep, guard.” We have here the education of man summed up in a single sentence. Let us endeavor to unfold the great lessons that are here taught. Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man. - The same omnipotent hand that made him still held him. “And put him into the garden.” The original word is “caused him to rest,” or dwell in the garden as an abode…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-17Verses 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-25This story (see study note on 2:4) of the heavens and the earth is not a second creation story. Instead, it expands on 1:1–2:3 with more theological and historical details. The focus shifts to what the universe (kosmos) produced rather than on its creation. Special attention is given to the first man and woman. As the story continues, it is shaped by contrasts such as good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, life and death, and harmony and conflict.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 2:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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