Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's statement, "Behold, the man has become like one of us," is not an acknowledgment of man's newfound godliness, but a profound observation of the consequences of his choice. By gaining the knowledge of good and evil through disobedience, man has mirrored God's capacity to discern between them, but in doing so, has irrevocably altered his own state from innocence to a fallen one, now requiring a different path to true life.
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and gained a new, painful awareness of their shame and separation from Him, God immediately takes steps to address the situation. He speaks to them, pronouncing judgment and curses upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, and consequently upon the ground itself. Then, God makes garments of animal skins to cover their nakedness, a clear sign of the substitution and sacrifice that would be necessary to bridge the chasm sin had created.
God surveys humanity after their fall. What does He observe, and why does this observation prompt immediate action?
The verse begins with God's declaration: 'Behold, the man has become as one of us in knowing good and evil.' This isn't God acknowledging humanity as equals, but a profound, perhaps ironic, observation of the result of their choice. They sought god-like knowledge, and in a twisted way, they achieved it – by experiencing the bitter reality of evil.
Humanity now knows good and evil. Why is this knowledge, combined with immortality, a terrifying prospect that demands immediate intervention?
The verse continues with God's urgent concern: 'Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—'. This reveals the critical danger of humanity's new state.
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Understand the original words
tob wara · Hebrew Noun phrase
To know good and evil in the biblical sense implies the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, or the desire to possess the autonomous capacity to define morality apart from God’s revealed authority.
ets chayyim · Hebrew Noun phrase
A symbolic tree representing the divine gift of eternal, incorruptible life provided by God's presence, which becomes inaccessible to humanity due to sin.
c. 4004 BC
Creation of Adam and Eve
God creates the first humans, Adam and Eve, in His image and places them in the Garden of Eden with a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
c. 4004 BC— this verse
The Fall of Humanity
Adam and Eve disobey God's command, eating the forbidden fruit. This act brings sin, shame, and death into the world.
c. 4004 BC
Expulsion from Eden
God expels Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and living forever in their fallen state.
This verse echoes the divine council language used when God created humanity, highlighting the plural 'us' and the concept of knowing good and evil, which is a foundational theme in this passage.
Romans 5:12Paul directly links the entry of sin and death into the world to Adam's disobedience, which is the context for God's pronouncement in Genesis 3:22.
1 Timothy 2:14This passage discusses Adam and Eve's deception, noting that Adam was not deceived but transgressed, providing a theological lens on the actions leading up to God's statement in Genesis 3:22.
Ecclesiastes 7:29This verse reflects on humanity's search for complexity and wisdom, paralleling the desire that led Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
John 8:44Jesus describes the devil as a murderer and a liar from the beginning, connecting to the serpent's deceptive role in Genesis 3 and God's statement about the consequences of that knowledge.
gillGenesis 3:22: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:"
And the Lord God said,.... The Word of the Lord God, as the Jerusalem Targum; not to the ministering angels, as the Targum of Jonathan but within himself, or to the other two divine Persons: behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; which is generally understood as an irony o…
wesleyGenesis 3:22: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:"
3:22 Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil - See what he has got, what advantages, by eating forbidden fruit! This is said to humble them, and to bring them to a sense of their sin and folly, that seeing themselves thus wretchedly deceived by following the devil's counsel,…
God's statement, "Behold, the man has become like one of us," is not an acknowledgment of man's newfound godliness, but a profound observation of the consequences of his choice. By gaining the knowledge of good and evil through disobedience, man has mirrored God's capacity to discern between them, but in doing so, has irrevocably altered his own state from innocence to a fallen one, now requiring a different path to true life.
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and gained a new, painful awareness of their shame and separation from Him, God immediately takes steps to address the situation. He speaks to them, pronouncing judgment and curses upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, and consequently upon the ground itself. Then, God makes garments of animal skins to cover their nakedness, a clear sign of the substitution and sacrifice that would be necessary to bridge the chasm sin had created.
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and gained a new, painful awareness of their shame and separation from Him, God immediately takes steps to address the situation. He speaks to them, pronouncing judgment and curses upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, and consequently upon the ground itself. Then, God makes garments of animal skins to cover their nakedness, a clear sign of the substitution and sacrifice that would be necessary to bridge the chasm sin had created.
"Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”" — God's statement, "Behold, the man has become like one of us," is not an acknowledgment of man's newfound godliness, but a profound observation of the consequences of his choice. By gaining the know…
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Last reviewed October 2026