20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:20–22 (NKJV) 

20 Noah built an altar to God, and he took from all the clean livestock and from all the clean birds, and he offered a whole burnt offering on the altar. 21 And the Lord God smelled a sweet smell, and the Lord God, pondered it and said: “I will never curse the earth further because of the deeds of humans, because the intention of humankind is focused on what is evil from youth. Therefore, I will proceed to strike all living flesh no further as I have done. 22 All the days of the earth, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring, day and night will not cease.” Genesis 8:20–22 (LES2) 

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. Genesis 9:1–3 (NKJV)

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Increase and multiply and fill the earth and exercise dominion over it. 2 And the trembling and fear of you will be upon all the wild animals of the earth and on all the birds of the heavens and on all the moving things on the earth and all the fish of the sea. I have put them under your hands. 3 And every moving thing that is living will be yours for food; like grassy vegetables, I give you all things. Genesis 9:1–3 (LES2)

4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.” Genesis 9:4–7 (NKJV) 

4 But you shall not eat meat with the blood of life. 5 For indeed, I will seek out your life blood, I will seek it at the hand of all the wild animals, and I will seek the life of the human at the hand of a fellow human. 6 One who sheds the blood of a human shall be shed in place of his blood, because I made humankind in God’s image. 7 But as for you, increase and multiply and fill the earth and multiply upon the earth.” Genesis 9:4–7 (LES2) 

Here we have the prohibition against eating blood in both the MT and LXX, because the life of the animal is in the blood. (Deut. 12:23)

Here we also have the institution of capital punishment for taking a life. God commands us to justly execute a murderer because people are made in God’s image. Any refusal to fulfill this duty on the grounds of its being immoral is calling God immoral.

God restated his very first command in the garden: be fruitful and multiply. Any attempt to circumvent this command is sinful rebellion. The lie that we are overpopulated stands against God’s command. The earth is not yet full.

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Genesis 9:8–11 (NKJV) 

8 And God spoke to Noah and his sons with him, saying, 9 “Look, I am establishing my covenant with you and your seed after you, 10 and for every soul living with you, from birds and livestock, and with all the wild animals of the earth, all that are with you of all those who came out from the ark. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh will no longer die from flood water, and no longer will there be a flood of water to destroy all the earth.” Genesis 9:8–11 (LES2)

The MT and LXX essentially agree in this passage, which is God’s promise to never again flood the entire earth.

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:12–17 (NKJV)

12 And the Lord God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am giving between me and you and every living soul that is with you for lasting generations: 13 I am placing my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 And this will happen: at the time when I collect clouds on the earth, my rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living soul in all flesh, and the water no longer will become a flood, so as to wipe out all flesh. 16 And my rainbow will be in the cloud, and I will see it to remember a lasting covenant between me and every living soul among all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I arranged between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:12–17 (LES2)

The MT and LXX essentially agree in this passage. I imagine mankind was fearful that God might flood the earth again. God relieved their fears, at least for those who trusted him to keep his promises.

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Genesis 4:1–5 (NKJV) 

1 And Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, “I have acquired a man through God.” 2 And she proceeded to bring forth his brother, Abel. Abel became a herdsman of sheep, and Cain was working the earth. 3 Now this happened after a number of days: Cain brought some of the fruit of the earth as an offering for the Lord, 4 and Abel himself also brought some of the firstborn of his sheep and some of their hard fat parts. God looked upon Abel and upon his gifts, 5 but he did not pay attention to Cain and upon his offerings. He grieved Cain very much, and he fell in face. Genesis 4:1–5 (LES2) 

The MT says Eve acquired a son through YHVH. The LXX says through theos – God. Jesus told us to call God “Father,” thus settling forever what is the proper name for us to use for God.

Eve understood that all life derives from God, even though we participate in the process. 

God’s lack of respect for Cain’s offering, according to the LXX grieved, saddened, or vexed Cain greatly. 

6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6–7 (NKJV) 

6 The Lord God said to Cain, “Why have you become deeply grieved, and why has your face fallen? 7 Have you not sinned if you offer rightly but do not divide rightly? Calm down! His recourse will be to you, and you will rule him.” Genesis 4:6–7 (LES2) 

God’s question was not to discover what was wrong with Cain. He knew. He was trying to help Cain. There was some aspect of Cain’s offering that was not pleasing to God. God said Cain had not “divided” it rightly. I am not sure what that meant in the case of a food offering, but apparently Cain understood. Whereas Abel brought “some of the firstborn” of his flock, Cain only brought “some” of his produce, instead of the first fruits. There is a right thing to do, but it also must be done the right way, at the right time by the right person or people. (A Table Has Four Legs Teaching).

The MT translates verse 7 in a way that does not make sense to me. The admonition for Cain to “rule over” sin is not a command anyone could keep, aside from the Lord Jesus. Now that our Lord has conquered the power of sin on our behalf, we also can experience his victory, which includes being released from sin’s dominion. (Romans 6:14) At this point in history, however, Cain had no ability to conquer sin on his own. He could resist and turn to God for help, but was not able to rule over it. I prefer the LXX, which is more believable. God did not coddle Cain in his depression. Instead he rebuked him, while reassuring him that this rejection of his offering did not take away Cain’s firstborn authority. Abel was still the second born and was accountable to Cain. Sadly, this did not change Cain’s heart or mind which morphed from pain, to bitterness, to murder, just as happened later to Absalom.

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:8 (NKJV) 

8 And Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s walk through the field.” And this happened while they were in the field: Cain rose against Abel, his brother, and he killed him. Genesis 4:8 (LES2) 

As was the case with Joseph’s brothers later, Cain’s bitterness against God transferred into hatred for the one God favored, his brother Abel. The MT passively says, “they were in the field,” but the LXX says Cain took the initiative to lead Abel into the field and kill him. This seems to have been premeditated murder.

This foreshadowed how the leaders of Israel chose to put the favored Son, our Lord Jesus, to death, rather than listen and respond properly to God’s words.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. Genesis 4:9–15 (NKJV) 

9 Then God said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” But he said, “I don’t know. I’m not my brother’s guardian, am I?” 10 God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the earth. 11 Now, accursed are you upon the earth, which opened its mouth wide to receive the blood of your brother from your hand, 12 because you will work the earth; it will not proceed to give its strength to you. You will moan and tremble upon the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My guilt is too great for me to be forgiven. 14 If you throw me out today from the face of the earth, and I will be hidden from your face, then I will be moaning and trembling upon the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 The Lord God said to him, “It will not be like that. Anyone who kills Cain will release seven reprisals. The Lord God has placed a sign for Cain so that none who find him would kill him.” Genesis 4:9–15 (LES2) 

Perhaps Cain did not realize at this point that God knows all things. He certainly was not repentant. We learn here that innocent blood cries out to God for justice. The MT uses two different words for ground (adamah) and earth (eretz), but the LXX consistently uses the Greek word ge, which can mean either earth or land, in every verse.

God cursed Cain. A biblical curse from God is essentially the pronouncement of a judgment incurred by our sin. This is quite different from a curse spoken by someone practicing some form of witchcraft. The MT says that Cain was cursed from the ground (adamah), but the LXX says he was cursed upon the earth (ge). The LXX makes more sense to me. The curse came from God and affected him while he lived on the earth. The earth would not produce like it did before, and Cain would “moan and tremble” in fear, according to the LXX. That is quite different from the MT’s saying he would be a fugitive and vagabond. 

Verse 13 is very different. The MT has Cain saying that his punishment is too great to bear, but the LXX has him saying that his guilt is too great to bear. His great fear is that someone will do to him what he did to Abel. God assured him that this would not happen because of a mysterious mark or sign God placed on him. It is amazing to me that God would so protect him.

The Law had not been introduced and the requirement to put to death a murderer that was instituted by God after the flood was not in effect either. Nevertheless, Cain punishment was significant. He was cut off from God’s presence, experienced continual fear, and was vulnerable to reprisal without God’s unique protection.

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:25–26 (NKJV) 

25 Adam knew Eve, his wife, and, once she conceived, she brought forth a son and called his name Seth, saying, “Because God raised up another offspring for me in the place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 Seth had a son, and he called his name Enosh. This one hoped to invoke the name of the Lord God. Genesis 4:25–26 (LES2) 

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14–15 (NKJV)

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, accursed are you of all the livestock and of all the wild animals of the earth. You will go upon your chest and belly, and you will eat earth all the days of your life. 15 I will place enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will watch your head carefully, and you will watch his heel carefully.” Genesis 3:14–15 (LES2) 

This is the first time we encounter prophecy in the Bible, which is where we see the biggest contrasts between the MT and LXX. I believe this is because prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, according to Revelation 19:10. The translators of the MT were Jews who most likely held a strong antipathy toward Christ. Consciously or unconsciously, this hatred of Christ, and ultimately of God the Father (John 15:23), seems to have prompted them to change what the prophetic scriptures declare.

The first change is slight, but perhaps quite significant. The MT says the serpent will eat dust all his days, but the LXX says he will eat “earth,” which is the word for the world in which we live. The New Testament declares that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) The entire earth has come under a curse, giving the devil permission, within limits, to destroy it and its inhabitants. This continues to this day.

A marked difference occurs at the end of verse 15. The familiar words of the MT do not agree with the LXX. Rather than the “seed” of the woman, who we understand to be Christ, bruising the serpent’s head, the LXX says he will “carefully watch” his head. The serpent, instead of bruising the heel of this man will carefully watch it. How can we explain this?

Perhaps Peter gave us the answer.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8–9 (NKJV) 

Vigilance is keeping a careful watch. God keeps an eye on Satan and his minions. Nothing ever surprises him. Jesus was not surprised when Judas betrayed him in the garden when the soldiers came to arrest him. He was not surprised when he had to endure the fiery ordeal of the cross. We are supposed to be likewise vigilant and ready.

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 1 Peter 4:12 (NASB95) 

Satan, for his part, likewise tries to keep up with what is happening regarding the seed of the woman. Over the centuries he unsuccessfully did his best to eliminate the promised seed altogether. When Christ finally appeared, he first tried to murder him at Herod’s hands. He later tempted Jesus to betray God and made other attempts to kill him. Finally he arranged to have him crucified, thinking that by this he won. 

The reason a serpent would watch a heel would be to strike at it and to prevent its head from being crushed, which is the message of the MT. The LXX says so much more, however, while implying what the MT says. Ultimately, the privilege and responsibility of crushing Satan will fall to the church. (Romans 16:20)

16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16 (NKJV) 

16 He said to the woman, “Multiplying, I will multiply your pain and your moaning. You will bring forth children in pain, and your recourse will be to your husband, and he will be master over you.” Genesis 3:16 (LES2) 

Once again we see significant differences in this verse. The MT says that the woman’s conception will be multiplied, but the LXX says her moaning or groaning during labor will be multiplied.  The Greek word translated “recourse” is apostrophe, which means literally “turning back.” The woman would look to her husband for aid and security. The MT says the woman’s longing will be for her husband. Both the MT and LXX agree that the husband will have authority over the wife. 

This verse in the MT is often compared to Genesis 4:7, where we see another stark contrast between the MT and LXX. Whereas the MT says that sin desires Cain, but he must rule over it, the LXX says that Abel will have recourse to Cain (be submitted to him), but Cain will have the authority of the firstborn over Abel. 

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17–19 (NKJV) 

17 And he said to Adam, “Because you obeyed the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I commanded you, ‘From only this one, do not eat,’ you ate from that one, the earth is accursed by your works. In pain you will eat it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns and thistles will grow up for you. You will eat the herbs of the field. 19 You will eat your bread by the sweat of your face until you return into the earth from which you were taken; because you are earth, and you will depart into the earth.” Genesis 3:17–19 (LES2) 

Adam is addressed as the one chiefly responsible for what happened. He was the “first born,” so to speak, the first person created. Once again, the MT uses a rather generic form of “ground” which is cursed because of Adam’s sin. The LXX uses the broader word for the earth itself, which includes the ground. The entire earth came under a curse because of Adam’s sin. Therefore the entire earth will need redemption, which Christ provided. At the culmination of time, God will destroy the old heaven and earth and recreate something brand new. (2 Peter 3:13)

Both the MT and LXX agree that Adam will derive sustenance from the earth in pain until he dies and returns to the earth from which his body was derived. At this point, God did not permit Adam to eat animals. That came after the flood.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:20–21 (NKJV) 

20 Adam called the name of the woman Zoe, because she was mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and he put them on them. Genesis 3:20–21 (LES2) 

The LXX makes it clear that “Eve’s” name means life. This gives us insight into the role of the woman. She is a life giver and nurturer. 

God covered Adam’s and Eve’s nakedness with something more durable than leaves, but doing this required animals to die. Blood had to be spilled to cover their shame. This foreshadowed Christ’s offering of himself as God’s Lamb. He shed his blood to cover our sin and shame. (1 Peter 1:19)

22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He 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. Genesis 3:22–24 (NKJV) 

22 And the Lord God said, “Look, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; so now may he never stretch out his hand and take from the tree of life and eat, and will live forever.” 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the luxurious garden to work the earth from which he was taken. 24 So he threw Adam out and settled him opposite the luxurious garden and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22–24 (LES2) 

In the aftermath of the fall of man, God took action to prevent Adam and his descendants from partaking of the tree of life and living forever in a state of sin and separation from God. They were expelled from the garden they had been assigned to keep. Henceforward, the cherubim would serve in that function. 

The cherubim still guard the way into the “holy of holies.” They were embroidered into the curtain of the temple, signifying that only the high priest could enter once a year. Ezekiel saw them beneath the firmament, the barrier between heaven and earth. When Christ died the temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom, signifying the end of the Old Covenant barrier. When he ascended to the Father after his resurrection, he opened the way for us to enter God’s presence which had previously been barred to us. Now those who are in Christ are free to come into God’s presence. (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 2:18) When we die, we will go to be with the Lord in heaven, where we now dwell spiritually. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9)

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 (NKJV) 

1 The two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and they did not feel shame. Now the serpent was wiser than all the wild animals that were upon the earth that the Lord God made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Why is it that God said, ‘You may not eat from every tree of the garden?’ ” Genesis 3:1 (LES2) 

The LXX puts the last verse of the previous chapter of the MT as the lead in to chapter 3, which provides a stark contrast to the shame felt by Adam and Eve in the aftermath of their sin.

The MT says the serpent was more cunning than the other animals, but the LXX says it was more intelligent. The MT uses the word “field” or “land” to describe its habitat, but the LXX uses the broader word “world.” The serpent was more intelligent than any other animal in the world and was, apparently in this case, filled by Satan.

Was it unusual for a serpent to talk, or was Eve simply not familiar with what animals could and could not do?

As usual, Satan goes after whomever he thinks is most susceptible. Eve had not received a direct word from God. She only knew what Adam had told her about the trees in the garden. We are not sure what sort of experience she had with God at this point either. Did she know the Lord as Adam did?

The question asked in the MT is different from that of the LXX. In the MT the serpent asks, “Has God said,” but in the LXX he asks a deeper question, “Why is it that God said?” The LXX has the serpent luring Eve into questioning God’s motives while also misstating his words, which is very clever indeed. To be fair, it is also possible to translate the Greek word “tis” as “what.” That would make it read, “What is it that God said?” which is comparable to the MT.

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Genesis 3:2–3 (NKJV) 

2 The woman said to the serpent, “From every tree of the garden we may eat, 3 but from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You will not eat from it, nor may you touch it, in order that you might not die.’ ” Genesis 3:2–3 (LES2) 

It is interesting that the forbidden tree was in the middle of the garden, not on its edge. Eve correctly responded that she was permitted to eat from “every” tree except the one, contradicting the serpent’s wording which was intended to seem more limiting, which, of course, was the tempter’s design. He wanted Eve to focus on the one thing forbidden instead of all that was permitted.

Eve added that God also forbade touching or grasping the fruit, something that God did not say. We do not know if she fabricated this prohibition herself, or was it what Adam told her to try to further fence off the tree from her. Legalism always goes beyond what God says. As a result, when she touched the fruit and did not die, it might have emboldened her to believe the devil’s lie that eating it would not result in death either.  

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4–5 (NKJV) 

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die; 5 for God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be as gods who know good and evil.” Genesis 3:4–5 (LES2) 

In this passage, the MT uses the Hebrew word elohim for God in both places, which is a plural. The LXX uses the singular theos at the beginning of verse 5 for God himself, but uses the plural of that word when describing how Adam and Eve could become “gods.”

The Hebrew uses the plural Elohim with a singular verb. The Greek, however, uses the singular theos with a singular verb and the plural of theos with a plural verb. Christians understand that the plural Elohim reveals the mystery of the Triune God, who is one God, but three distinct persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Greek does not communicate that subtlety.

The temptation was to rebel against being in the humble position of a created being, who is completely dependent upon God, in order to become more self-sufficient, especially in the realm of knowledge. Why knowing evil was a temptation is somewhat of a mystery. Perhaps it was mainly a temptation to be godlike, no matter what the cost.

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:6–7 (NKJV) 

6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing to the eyes to look at and it was seasonable to look at, and after taking some of its fruit, she ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and they ate. 7 Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they realized that they were naked, and they sewed together fig-tree leaves and made for themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:6–7 (LES2) 

The contrast here is interesting. The MT says that the tree was “desirable to make one wise.” The LXX, in the Lexham translation, however, says it was “seasonable to look at.” The Greek word horaios can also mean “beautiful to contemplate” and “full of the vigor of life.” I rather think that Eve saw it as being the very opposite of what God said. Rather than being something to cause death, it appeared to be full of life. This was a situation beyond Eve’s capacity to discern and reveals why she, and we, desperately need to rely on what God says rather than our own judgment when the two are at odds.

Her first action was to take the fruit. She believed that the act of touching it would kill her; so, this must have been quite a bold thing to do. She must have felt further emboldened when she did not immediately die, which probably encouraged her to go ahead and eat it. 

Adam was with her, apparently acting as the proverbial passive husband while his wife took the lead. He followed her example and also ate, choosing loyalty to her over God. Probably instantly, or at least quite soon, they were filled with shame, a previously unknown emotion that came as a result of their sudden awareness of their nakedness. This takes us back to the first verse of the LXX, which says they were naked and unashamed, which was their condition as God made them. Naked and ashamed was their new condition as a result of knowing good and evil. 

Their first action was to try to cover their nakedness with a kind of primitive clothing made of leaves, which would have been not very durable.

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Genesis 3:8–11 (NKJV) 

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden in the evening, and both Adam and his wife hid from the face of the Lord God in the middle of the tree of the garden. 9 And Lord God summoned Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” 10 He said to him, “I heard the sound of you walking about in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked, and I hid.” 11 He said to him, “Who told you that you are naked? Unless you have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you ‘From this one alone, do not eat.’ ” Genesis 3:8–11 (LES2) 

Literally verse 8 says they hid in the middle of the tree in the garden, indicating they hid in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was walking about, which indicates he had a body, which makes one suppose that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord Jesus. What Adam said, probably without his being aware of it, revealed his new fallen condition. He was naked, afraid, and hiding. This is what sin does to people. Unless God comes looking for us, we will never find him. (John 6:44)

God knew that Adam and Eve could never have known of their nakedness unless someone had told them or if they had eaten from the forbidden tree. Perhaps both were true. It is possible, though not recorded, that the serpent told them they were naked. The Bible identifies the devil as the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10), who routinely points out our sin and fallen condition.

God knew what had taken place, but tested his creatures to see if Adam and Eve would take responsibility for their sin.

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12–13 (NKJV) 

12 Adam said, “The woman with me, whom you gave, she gave me something from the tree, and I ate.” 13 The Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12–13 (LES2)