Genesis 2:16

2:16 Then the Lord God commanded ¹  the man, “You may freely eat ²  fruit ³  from every tree of the orchard,

Genesis 3:2

3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat ⁴  of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;

Genesis 3:18

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ⁵  of the field.

Genesis 9:3

9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. ⁶  As I gave you ⁷  the green plants, I now give ⁸  you everything.

Genesis 27:10

27:10 Then you will take ⁹  it to your father. Thus he will eat it ¹⁰  and ¹¹  bless you before he dies.”

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¹ sn This is the first time in the Bible that the verb tsavah (צָוָה, “to command”) appears. Whatever the man had to do in the garden, the main focus of the narrative is on keeping God’s commandments. God created humans with the capacity to obey him and then tested them with commands.

² tn The imperfect verb form probably carries the nuance of permission (“you may eat”) since the man is not being commanded to eat from every tree. The accompanying infinitive absolute adds emphasis: “you may freely eat,” or “you may eat to your heart’s content.”

³ tn The word “fruit” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied as the direct object of the verb “eat.” Presumably the only part of the tree the man would eat would be its fruit (cf. 3:2).

⁴ tn There is a notable change between what the Lord God had said and what the woman says. God said “you may freely eat” (the imperfect with the infinitive absolute, see 2:16), but the woman omits the emphatic infinitive, saying simply “we may eat.” Her words do not reflect the sense of eating to her heart’s content.

⁵ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (’esev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

⁶ tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”

⁷ tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.

⁹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive. It carries forward the tone of instruction initiated by the command to “go…and get” in the preceding verse.

¹⁰ tn The form is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the future nuance of the preceding verbs of instruction, but by switching the subject to Jacob, indicates the expected result of the subterfuge.

¹¹ tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.