A very curious interpretation of two key Bible texts gives the impression that Eve committed a sin before she disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Let's first review the two passages upon which this false teaching is based.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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 (Gen 2:16,17).

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: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (Gen 3:1-5).

In Sabbath School Bible study classes, and all across the vaunted internet, I have heard the theory promulgated that due to the discrepancy between the two texts, wherein it appears that Eve added in some language that God did not say in chapter 2, specifically “neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” that Eve, in essence, lied about what God said.

If this is true, it opens up a rather large box of questions upon which the Biblical story of the Fall begins to, well, fall apart. For example, was the test God gave them one of lying or obeying? Was she even capable of lying? Did she even know how to lie or what a lie was? If the knowledge of how to lie lies, so to speak, within the metaphysical confines of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, how could she get to that state without first eating the fruit in order to then be capable of lying?

What if she were to just wring the neck of the serpent? Well, if any sin was possible to do before partaking of the knowledge of evil, why not killing? The whole concept of having holy, unfallen natures begins come apart.

Others have said that Eve lied but she didn't know it was a lie so it wouldn't be held against her. Still others said that Eve might not have heard the instructions clearly from God or Adam regarding the fruit and was just doing her best. (Doesn't that give you a shiver, to think that the fate of all mankind might have happened because of earwax or birds signing too loud for Eve to hear and know of God's instructions clearly enough to fully understand and obey them? I think not. God doesn't work this way!)

We do know this: To add unto what God has said is a sin.

False prophets are noted for “... saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.” Ezekiel 22:28. Even plagues are in store for those who “....add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Rev 22:18).

Did Eve add unto what God had said or not?

First, what exactly did God say? Let us go to the Spirit of Prophecy for the authoritative answer.

Eve had overstated the words of God's command. He had said to Adam and Eve, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” In Eve's controversy with the serpent, she added the clause, “Neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (RH Feb 24, 1874).

So there we go. It's very clear that Eve added in the clause “Neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Again, it's clear. Or, is it? We know the folly of trying to build a religion on one text so in our case we will go deeper and see further what Ellen White says on the subject.

In the midst of the garden, near the tree of life, stood the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree was especially designed of God to be the pledge of their obedience, faith and love to him. Of this tree the Lord commanded our first parents not to eat, neither to touch it, lest they die. He told them that they might freely eat of all the trees in the garden except one; but if they ate of that tree they should surely die (SP v1 p.27).

Okay, so God did tell them to not eat of the tree nor touch it, lest they die or they would surely die if they ate of it?

Indeed, Eve quoted God correctly and perfectly. “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Okay, we get it that if we eat the fruit, we shall die. In fact, we shall surely die. But why did God add in the extra clause and what does it mean? And, how did Satan use it to fool Eve?

First, the word “lest.” The word itself means “to avoid the risk of” as in “Don't go out into the rain, lest you catch a cold.” The meaning is, If you go into the rain, you may catch cold. Or don't go near the cliff, lest you fall over the edge. It doesn't mean you WILL fall over the the if you go near but it will greatly increase the chance of doing so if you do.

This is a great spiritual truth. There is sin. And then there is temptation, deliberation, and the exercise of the willpower to choose whether or not to sin while we put ourselves in situations that may lead us to sin.

For example: It is a sin to drink alcohol. Is it a sin to live in the same town as a bar? No. Is it a sin to drive past a bar? No. Is it a sin to walk into a bar? No. Is it a sin to sit down in a bar and order a drink? No. Is it a sin to hold that drink in your hand and raise it to your mouth? No. But note that in each case, it becomes easier to drink. The “lest” or “risk” comes into play. Don't go into a bar, lest you pick up a drink. Don't pick up a drink, lest you put it to your lips. The thought is this: You can't drink alcohol unless it is in your hand. To avoid the risk (lest) of it being in your hand, don't go to the bar!

I remember a story told by Joe Crews of his father back in the 1930's. He lived in LA and was coming to Christ but had a drinking problem. Each day after work, he would take the tram home. Right near the tram stop was a bar he frequented. He didn't think that he could resist the temptation to go in so he made a plan to ride the tram to the next stop and walk a little extra home. Wouldn't you know it, the Devil had a bar at that tram stop too! As Joe's father walked by, the wafting aroma from the bar drew him in. As he stepped inside he stopped and looked around. There were a number of men sitting at the bar drinking. And above them, suspended in air, was a giant evil angel who was in some way controlling the men as they drank. The angel turn his head and looked at Joe's dad. He saw the angel, turned with dread, and left the place, never to touch a drop of liquor again.

Eve had separated herself from her husband. Even the angels had warned her not to leave him.

The angels cautioned Eve not to separate from her husband in her employment; for she might be brought in contact with this fallen foe. If separated from each other, they would be in greater danger than if both were together. The angels charged them to closely follow the instructions God had given them in reference to the tree of knowledge; for in perfect obedience they were safe, and this fallen foe could have access to them only at the tree of knowledge of good and evil (SP v1 p.34).

And now see how Satan, in blinding speed, totally overwhelmed Eve's senses and reasoning with a very unique little lie.

Here the subtlety of the serpent was seen. This statement of Eve gave him advantage, and he plucked the fruit, and placed it in her hand, and used her own words, “He hath said, ‘If ye touch it, ye shall die.’ You see no harm comes to you from touching the fruit, neither will you receive any harm by eating it.” Eve yielded to the lying sophistry of the devil in the form of a serpent. She ate the fruit, and realized no immediate harm (RH Feb 24, 1874).

Notice that he takes the fruit and then places it in her hands saying, “He hath said, 'If ye touch it, ye shall die.'” Did God say that? Did God say that by touching the tree you would die? No! He said by touching the tree you might die (because now you can pick and eat) but if you do eat you will surely die. Big difference! And Eve never saw the switch! Satan took the penalty God applied to eating and switched it to what God said about touching. Then he tried to make God out a liar by saying “Look, I'm holding it and nothing is happening. I'm not dying. Here, you hold it! See? God is a liar! You shall not surely die. Now eat and you'll be just like God!

So Eve did add in the phrase “neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” She added it, not as one adding unto the word of the Lord with a lie. Rather, she took something truthful and added it in at the wrong time. Because see, the Devil already was up in the tree in full contact with it and its fruit! She was away from her husband, away from the angels, and away from God. No wonder she was confused without their wisdom and counsel.

Satan attempts to lead all of us down his primrose path, leading us away from our families, churches, Bibles and revealed truths. Once we are separated from them, as Eve was, he assaults our senses with “beautiful” music, wine, dance, song, movies, games and so on to the point where we can't make a correct moral decision. His lies sound like truths; and so we eat his fruit.

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deut 12:32).