Page 132 - Foundations

fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat (akal) it, nor shall
you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God
knows that in the day you eat (akal) of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil." 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 (akal). She also gave to her
husband with her, and he ate (akal).

When we look at the context of the first chapters of Genesis, we can see plainly that the trees in the
Garden of Eden were given to man for food. Yahweh instructed the man to eat freely of all of the
trees, except one. Yahweh was not using a figure of speech to instruct them about sexual intercourse.
He was plainly speaking of the trees being provided to them for a source of food.

Genesis 1:29
Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the
earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you...”

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good
for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.

The context of these passages does not support a metaphorical understanding of eating as a symbol
of sexual intercourse. If we understand that eating of the tree denotes sexual intercourse, then what
did God mean when He told the man and woman that they could eat of every tree, save one? Surely,
He was not giving them license to fornicate.

Some who have not encountered the arguments of those who promote the serpent seed doctrine may
declare, “Does not Genesis 4:1 clearly settle the matter? How has the serpent seed doctrine gotten by
this very plain statement of Cain’s paternity?”

Genesis 4:1
Now Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said,
“I have gotten a manchild with the help of Yahweh.”

How can anyone possibly conclude that Cain is the offspring of Eve having intercourse with the
serpent if the Bible plainly states that “Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and
gave birth to Cain”? Indeed, this is a question I asked myself when I first encountered this doctrine.
Yet, those who espouse the serpent seed doctrine have an alterative explanation for this verse. They
concatenate the verse above with the verse that follows.

Genesis 4:2
And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller
of the ground.