The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evils Location and Why That Matters

Review and Introduction

Part one of this series discussed the comparative spaces between Eden and the Tabernacle and examined the seven-day cyclical pattern of creation, the Passover, and the Priestly consecration. Manna and the Sabbath were also studied.

This installment will cover Noah's seven-day consecration, along with examples from the golden calf incident, Nadab and Abihu, the crucifixion, Judah and Lot, and Shimei.

Noah and his family entered the ark seven days before the deluge.

Noah's Seven-Day Consecration

The pattern of not leaving a consecrated area for seven days is repeated in the Noah narrative. After Noah built the ark and everyone was aboard, the Biblical text reads that it was seven days after they boarded that the floodwaters began.

... with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you ... Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation ... So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth ... the Lord shut him in.

— Genesis 6:18, 7:1, 7-10,16

God shut the ark's door for the floating Eden and its inhabitants. It was also God who laid the boundaries and protocols of Eden for the protection of its inhabitants. Evil was waiting just outside the gate of Eden, just as sure as the floodwaters were just outside the ark's door. Noah, unlike Adam, remained in the ark for the full seven days.

"Covenant" is the keyword of this story. Being in covenant with God means staying within the parameters of His jurisdiction. Trespassing, transgressing, or overstepping the boundaries of the covenant leaves us on the outside, vulnerable and naked.

In this case, the floating ark, made of wood and mentioned only once in Scripture, reinterprets the tree of life in Eden. Unlike Adam, Noah's obedience, mentioned three times in the story, places him and his family in the most protected space—at the center of God's will.

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

— Genesis 6:22

And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.

— Genesis 7:5

So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood ... as God had commanded Noah

— Genesis 7:7

The Golden Calf incident replays the event at the forbidden tree in Genesis 3.

The Golden Calf Demonstration

As Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the instructions for the Tabernacle, its protocols, and its code of conduct for the people, the congregants of the redeemed grew impatient, waiting for Moses to return.

Now, when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us a gods (Elohim) that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him

— Exodus 32:1

Although Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, the text doesn't specify how long it took the people to grow weary of waiting. Notably, God's final discussion with Moses concerns the instructions for the seventh-day Sabbath. The seventh-day Sabbath is noted six times in the following Scripture, which appears right before the Golden Calf event.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
— Exodus 31:12-17

The scene continues with the construction and worship of the "Golden Calf," representing the first humans' decision to worship the offerings of an alternate tree rather than wait for God.

Like Adam, who quite possibly thought that God might be ok with dual loyalties, the Lord's redeemed called their worship of the calf a "Feast to the Lord (Yahweh)."

Seeing and taking, as in the garden, are critical elements of our connection. God's people, Israel, play Eve's part and expose the backside dissatisfaction of her choice. This theme is expressed in the phrase "when they saw Moses's delay." Perhaps waiting for God's appointment was more than Eve was willing to do. Aaron, who obeys the people's wishes, plays the role of Adam, who listens to his wife's voice.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it.
— Genesis 3:17

A final observation from this story involves an easily missed detail concerning an altar placed before the "Golden Calf." After Aaron took the gold from the people and fashioned the idol calf, He saw it and constructed an altar.

And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received (he took) the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it.
— Exodus 32:2-5

Here again, we see the Golden Calf representing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil with a sacrificial altar in front of it. Moses is on Mount Sinai, a type of Holy of Holies, symbolic of the Tree of Life, in the presence of the Lord. The placement is consistent with the Tabernacle/Garden in Eden overlay.

Nadab and Abihu die for offering strange fire on the altar.

An Illustration From Nadab and Abihu

An event that occurs just after the initial priestly ministry of the Tabernacle begins is linked to Adam crossing the threshold of God's Garden sanctuary. The connection this time involves clothing and God's Spirit.

The crossing of the threshold event is that of Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter ten tells us that after Nadab and Abihu died for offering unauthorized fire, the priesthood was required not to participate in mourning rituals outside the sacred territory. Like Adam's instructions, the priestly instructions combined topics from God's commands: clothing, anointing (symbolic of the Holy Spirit), and not going out the door, with the certainty of death for doing so.

Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses
— Leviticus 10:6-7

Notably, anointing in Scripture is often coupled with a discussion on apparel.

Immediately after partaking of the forbidden tree's fruit, Adam and Eve found themselves naked and outside the Garden without access to their means of Eternal life in the Spirit. Dead, despirited, or naked was the consequential state of stepping outside the protected area.

... she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked ...
— Genesis 3:6

The biblical text does not explicitly state that God clothed Adam and Eve with His Holy Spirit, but the prophet Isaiah implies it.

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin
— Isaiah 30:1

It appears that Adam and Eve didn't know that they were naked because they were most likely clothed in God's Spirit, and it was God's Spirit that they lost in the fall.

The partaking of fruit takes the form of fermented fruit in the Nadab and Abihu story. It is implied that they were drunk when they did it, as evidenced by the added clause that followed.

Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations ...
— Leviticus 10:8-9

It is also possible that there was an intoxicating element to the forbidden tree, if we view Adam not only as a priest in the Garden but also as a vassal king under the Lordship of the Lord God of heaven and earth. The mother of King Lemuel instructs her son likewise in the book of Proverbs.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
Lest they drink and forget the law ...

— Proverbs 31:4-5

Noah also exhibits this pattern. In Genesis chapter nine, immediately following his departure from the door of the ark, a three-tiered floating garden, he planted a vineyard, got drunk (a type of forbidden fruit), and became naked.

Noah, who went out of the ark (triple partitioned protected space much like the garden and Tabernacle) ... And Noah began to be a farmer, (man of the ground) and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
— Genesis 9:20-23

Adam failed at a tree. Jesus dies on a tree for the sins of humanity.

A Revisit of the Forbidden Tree at the Cross Just Outside the Holy City

On the day of Christ's crucifixion, just outside the holy city of Jerusalem, Jesus took the place of judgment for Adam's crime that occurred just outside the Garden. The sacrificial altar, made of wood and overlaid with copper, a metal that symbolizes judgment, was located at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, just outside the Holiest spaces. In keeping with this motif, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was located precisely at the sacrificial altar situated at the door of the Tabernacle. (see the diagram following the introduction) Therefore, Christ's judgment geographically took place at the scene of humanity's crime.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil's position at the sacrificial altar is confirmed in the New Testament crucifixion scene by two criminals crucified along with Christ. One had an "evil" accusation, and the other had a "good" reply.

... one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” (evil)
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (good)
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
— Luke 23:40-43

The word 'Paradise' at the end of the above portion of Scripture is the Old Testament Eden. Jesus, the door of Eden (John 10), takes the penalty of humankind on a tree of judgment. The penalty paid allows humanity to once again access God's Holy throne and eternal life.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4;14-16

There was no other entrance to the Tent of Meeting except the sacrificial altar entrance.

Judah nestles up to the forbidden Canaanites. Lot mingles with a wicked city.

More Support From Judah and Lot

Two other supportive Old Testament narratives that suggest the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil may be located elsewhere than the Tree of Life are found in the accounts of Judah and Lot. After selling his brother Joseph to slave traders, Judah separates himself from the tribe (outside the camp) and snuggles right up next to the forbidden Canaanites. It is here that he shacks up with a forbidden woman. (Deuteronomy 7:5)

It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited (turned in next to) a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.(Adullam, a royal Canaanite city of the plain) And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her (literally "took her") and went in to her.

— Genesis 38:1-2

Judah was assigned the Messianic lineage, the Tree of Life, and he's about to destroy everything by leaving his sacred assignment and setting foot in forbidden places. Like Eve, Judah "sees" and "takes" according to his desire.

... 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.
— Genesis 3:6

As Judah separated from his brothers, Lot separated from his "brother," Abraham, after disputes over land use created strife. In Lot's case, a mention of "the Garden of the Lord" in the story links back to the earlier Genesis account. In this case, we find Lot cozying up to forbidden people as well.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren ... Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld (he saw like Eve) all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose (like Eve) him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward (right up next to) Sodom
— Genesis 13:8, 10-12

The "Lot chose" clause reveals the deliberateness of the decision at the Tree. By overlaying the stories of Judah's taking and Lot's choosing, we can consider the reality that taking is, in fact, a form of choosing. The devil didn't make them do it.

In both stories, the literal translations imply that both Judah and Lot decide to set up shop near forbidden places and people (the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil), away from the promised places and people (the Tree of Life) that God commissioned. Ultimately, both end up immersed in the depraved cultures of both.

Additionally, the mention of plains, as seen in the Tower of Babel incident, suggests worshiping other things in other places. Considering the rivers flowing down it, Eden was thought to be on a mountain. Worshipping on the plain suggests self-devised worship that caters to one's own definition of good and evil.

Reading both of these accounts into Adam and Eve's fatal moment, it is apparent that rather than hang out near the Tree of Life or enjoy all of the accessible edible trees, they, instead, separated themselves from their God and hung out at the other Tree at the edge of disobedience. Perhaps they figured they would get close enough without getting burned.

Shimei throws stones at King David and curses him.

Shimei Leaves His Appointed Space

Shimei was a man from the house of Saul who came out to throw rocks and curse King David when he was on the run from Absalom (2 Samuel 16). Abishai offered to take off Shimei's head for the king, but David refused, saying that perhaps the Lord had sent him to do so; if not, he trusted that God would bless him for enduring the affliction. Before King David died, he instructed his son Solomon, who would succeed him, to deal with a few specific individuals after he was gone. One of those individuals was Shimei.

Then David's time to die drew near, so he commanded Solomon ... Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ So now, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”

— I Kings 2:1, 8-9

King Solomon gave Shimei a chance by sending him to Jerusalem for a probationary period. He was instructed not to leave the city.

Then the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. Now it will be on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, that you will know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.” Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
— I Kings 2:36-38

The "you shall surely die" clause in the above passage links back to Genesis chapter 3, which uses the exact phrase regarding Adam and the partaking of the forbidden tree.

Just like Adam and Eve most likely crossed a boundary and left the Garden space boundaries to obtain what they desired, Shimei leaves the city to retrieve his runaway slaves.

But it happened at the end of three years that two of the slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to search for his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. And it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.
— I Kings 2:39-41

Shimei's leaving and returning retraces Adam's steps of sneaking off to get his forbidden fruit and returning. Both receive their just wages.

So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you go out and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? ... So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.
— I Kings 2:42-46

Adam and Eve were banished from the garden sanctuary

Exile to the East

Notably, in the narrative of Lot, it is mentioned that he moves to the east upon departing from Abraham, the patriarch of the promised seed of the Messiah.

In review, the Tree of Life, represented by the Ark of the Covenant, was located in the innermost area of the Tabernacle diagram, at the west end of the structure. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, represented by the sacrificial altar, was at the outermost opposite end of the entire Tent of Meeting. This arrangement of trees means that Adam and Eve would have had to deliberately turn their backs on God's Presence and appointment at the Tree of Life by facing away from the Ark in the Holy of Holies to access the alternative tree. The direction they move is significantly east.

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ... So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden in Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

— Genesis 3:24

All subsequent Biblical exiles move east, a direction that faces away from God's presence. In the second biblical narrative involving humans' rejection of God's ways, Cain was also exiled even further east to the area known as the field outside Eden's territory. The account of Cain's exile mentions his moving eastward, away from God's presence.

Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, to the east of Eden.
— Genesis 4:16

In the case of Adam and Eve, the phrase "from the presence of the Lord" is not included in the discourse, thus indicating that they were exiled from the Garden but not from Eden.

In the prophet Ezekiel's vision, the Lord shows him a case of abominations occurring within the Temple. Part of the vision includes twenty-five men, their backs to the Temple and facing east.

Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
— Ezekiel 8:15-16

The Tabernacle entrance, situated between the porch and the altar, represents the gate of Eden. The prophet Jeremiah also uses this "back towards God's face" language when he confronts God's idolatrous people who, like Adam and Eve, look elsewhere for their fulfillment. Notice that Jeremiah accuses them of looking to a "tree" as their source of life.

They (God's people) and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets,
Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.

— Jeremiah 2:26-27

The tree's position, being both inside Eden and in the field simultaneously, would also have required Adam and Eve to "pass over" the boundaries of God's designated space to access it. The following section will examine the original word translation of the description of tree locations that supports this thought.

Ezekiel's Temple

The prophet Ezekiel, born into the temple priestly lineage, gives us a glimpse of what Adam, as the priest of the garden, should have done to keep the sacred space free from the contamination of wickedness. The following discourse centers on the idea of a seven-day wait and a "surely die" clause, similar to the account in Genesis chapter 3. Additionally, Ezekiel is called the "Son of Man." The Hebrew word for "man" is "adam." Ezekiel is tasked with warning the people to abandon their wickedness and return to God, reaffirming that Adam's wrongful choice involved distancing himself from God's presence.

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man (Adam), I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

— Ezekiel 3:16-19

The prophet Ezekiel also associates facing east with turning one's back on God and moving away from Him. The next portion of Scripture concerns a vision given to Ezekiel by the Lord concerning the abominations of the priests in God's temple service. Adam was a priest of the garden space and should be considered in this conversation about what happened here.

So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar (Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed, they put the branch to their nose.
— Ezekiel 8:16-17

Remarkably, the above scene takes place in the courtyard at the entrance to the sacred space, between the porch and the altar. It is the same place where Abel was killed, according to Jesus.

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
— Matthew 23:34-35

This thought is fitting in type, also, of the crucifixion of Christ if, indeed, it was the place of the fall of Adam and in association with the murder of Abel and the prophets.

Christ identifies Himself as the door. The crime of humanity occurred at the entrance of the tabernacle/temple/Garden. It was also where the sacrifice for the sin of God's one and only Son on behalf of humanity took place.

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep ... I lay down My life ...
— John 10:7

This concludes part 2 of the series. All parts of this series are linked below.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil's Location and Why That Matters—Part 1

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil's Location and Why That Matters—Part 2

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil's Location and Why That Matters—Part 3

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