Genesis 2:16

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

Genesis 2:16 in Other Translations

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,

16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—

16 God commanded the Man, "You can eat from any tree in the garden,

16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

16 The LORD God commanded the man. He said, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,

16 The LORD God gave the man a command. He said, "You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden.

Genesis 2:16 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 2:16

And the Lord God commanded the man
Over whom he had power and authority; and he had a right to command him what he pleased, being his Creator, benefactor, and preserver; and this is to be understood not of man only, but of the woman also, whose creation, though related afterwards, yet was before this grant to eat of all the trees of the garden but one, and the prohibition of the fruit of that; for that she was in being, and present at this time, seems manifest from ( Genesis 3:2 Genesis 3:3 ) saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
a very generous, large, and liberal allowance this: or "in eating thou mayest eat" ^F25; which was giving full power, and leaving them without any doubt and uncertainty about their food; which they might freely take, and freely eat of, wherever they found it, or were inclined to, even of any, and every tree in the garden, excepting one, next forbidden.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (lkat lka) "comedendo comedas", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius

Genesis 2:16 In-Context

14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 3:1-2