Did YWHW ever forbid Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from Tree of Life, or it was only forbidden after they ate the fruit from Tree of Good and Evil? Were they being expelled from Eden only because YWHW were afraid that they then would eat the Life Fruit so that "they would become like us", said YWHW in the Bible?
2 Answers
Nope, they did not get that tasty fruit that would have granted them eternal life:
Now the Lord God said, "Behold man has become like one of us, having the ability of knowing good and evil, and now, lest he stretch forth his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever."
And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.
Source: The Book of Genesis
I'm not finding a specific prohibition prior to their knowledge of good and evil, or even a prohibition per se, as clearly they have lost God's trust and need to by physically barred from access to the tree of life.
And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.
But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die."
Source: The Book of Genesis
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@Gibet I thought I made that point that it is not strictly forbidden, only that access is blocked. Possibly I should amend the answer to be more clear about when I am talking about the Tree of Life vs. The Tree of Knowledge?– DukeZhouCommented Aug 9, 2017 at 21:10
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Duke and @Gibet well this left two ponders: 1) If they ate the Tree of Life first then ToK, it would be perfect - why the Snake didn't tell them this little trick?! 2) If they everyday eating ToL as breakfast, since they can't now access it, they will die :'(...– Mishu 米殊Commented Aug 24, 2017 at 9:11
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@Gibet but isn't the Bible said, as quoted Duke, "lest he stretch forth his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever" - so ToL not needed to be consumed daily but only once will fix all?– Mishu 米殊Commented Aug 24, 2017 at 9:14
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@Mishu米殊 The main point I take from Gibet's critique is that there is, indeed, not a single form of the "bible", and, like most canons, the various texts evolved over the years. (For Old Testament material, I tend to strongly favor Jewish version, and used the linked for convenience;)– DukeZhouCommented Aug 31, 2017 at 17:57
Yes, He warned them off the fruit, lest they die and, no, they were expelled from the garden because of their disobedience towards God's will. All of which strikes me as unfair insofar as it's akin to placing a toddler in the kitchen and saying, "here are all these delicious vegetables I want you to eat, but if you ever eat these delicious, scrumptious brownies, I will eternally damn you and everyone you ever know to a lake of fire where you will be tormented forever by demonic beings of my creation. Why? Because I love you. Ta-ta! Be back in a minute; I'm leaving the talking snake in charge. Be good!"
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Welcome to Mythology! You're probably going to want to include some textual references to get some upvotes. Analysis is definitely welcome though. Discussion on the meaning and ramifications of the story have certainly been a subject of much debate over the millennia.– DukeZhouCommented Aug 9, 2017 at 21:14
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Thx. but i think by reading the Biblical text it shouldn't imply that the Tree of Knowledge fruit poisonous, only they were cut off from accessing the Tree of Life so they would die. They didn't die immediately after eating the ToK fruit anywhere, so YWHW was lying?– Mishu 米殊Commented Aug 24, 2017 at 9:20