Did Adam and Eve Walk with God in the Garden?

The only possible biblical reference to walking in the Garden of Eden is found after Adam and Eve sinned.

The only possible biblical reference to walking in the Garden of Eden is found after Adam and Eve sinned.

Why would anyone ask such a silly question? Of course, Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden, it’s written right there in Genesis…um…ah…is it 3? I know it’s there somewhere, isn’t it?

Based on the sheer number of people who have claimed this, it must be found somewhere in the Bible, right? I’ve heard pastors, speakers, authors, and many other Christians confidently state that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden.

The problem with this claim is that you’ll never find a Bible verse that teaches it. You read that correctly, the Bible never states that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. You may be reaching for your Bible right now to prove me wrong. Please do look it up, and if you find it, let me know, so I can apologize and correct this post.

Where Does This Idea Come From?

Since the Bible doesn’t make this claim, it’s impossible to know for sure where people get the idea from. In all likelihood, it comes from a misunderstanding of or making an inference from Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (NKJV).

It seems likely that many people have just remembered some of the wording in this verse and assumed that it says Adam and Eve walked with God. But that’s not at all what is going on here. This verse appears immediately after our first parents rebelled against the Creator. They are not taking a leisurely stroll with God, they are hiding from Him as He comes to announce His judgment. Here is the verse in its entirety.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Even if this translation is accurate, which is debatable, it does not say that they walked with God.

Some people have inferred from this statement that they must have known what it sounded like to hear God walk in the Garden so they must have walked with Him before. But what did they actually hear that made them afraid? Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10, ESV). Adam was ashamed to stand before God as he was now a sinner who was about to face his righteous God.

So what did they hear in the Garden? Was it God walking or was it something different? The ESV accurately captures Adam’s response in verse 10. It was the “sound of God” that Adam heard. Some scholars, such as J.J. Niehaus, have argued that the phrase translated as “the cool of the day” is better understood as referring a strong wind. If this is how the phrase should be translated, then God was not simply walking through the Garden. Instead, He manifested as a violent wind, perhaps not too different than how He spoke to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). Psalm 29 also uses strong imagery to show how the sound of the Lord acts upon nature like a powerful storm, breaking and bending trees and stripping off their leaves (Psalm 29:5–9, NET). Remember that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost with a “rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2).

So if the strong wind idea is actually being conveyed by the Hebrew, then there is no textual basis for claiming that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden in the cool of the day.

Theological Rationale

Another potential source for this idea is found in the statements made about those who did walk with God. For example, “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24) and “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).  But even these passages do not necessarily imply that Enoch and Noah physically took walks with God. Yes, they could have done this if God made a physical appearance (called a theophany), as He did in other places (e.g., Genesis 12:7; 18:1). However, the “walk” in these passages should probably be understood in a figurative sense. That is, Enoch and Noah lived faithful lives.

In a similar way, we are told in the New Testament to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). This walking refers to living a life that pleases God. If used in this sense, Adam and Eve did “walk” with God prior to sin because there was no fracture in their relationship with God. Perhaps some people may have this figurative sense in mind when they speak of our first parents walking with God. However, most people inevitably mention them walking in the cool of the day, so they aren’t thinking of it in the figurative sense.

Finally, there are many who use the idea of Adam and Eve actually walking with God to stress the theological point of man’s closeness to God prior to sin in order to contrast that with man’s lost condition after sin. But there is no need to make the text say something it doesn’t. From this view, Adam and Eve were with God in the Garden for a while and they had the privilege of regularly hanging out with Him.

The problem with this scenario is that Adam and Eve were almost certainly not in the Garden very long. God had told them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). They were created with perfect bodies and were husband and wife on the day they were created. So it would not have taken long for Eve to conceive, yet Cain was not conceived until they were banished from the Garden.

Conclusion

Could Adam and Eve have actually taken walks with God in the Garden? Of course, since God is capable of making physical appearances, but we need to be careful not to assert that the Bible directly teaches this. We also should not assume that God was at their beck and call so that He would come around for a stroll whenever they wanted Him there. Maybe He was physically there throughout the short time that they were in the Garden, but I have my doubts.

[Editor’s Note: As of February 17, 2024, comments have been turned off for this post. Many of the comments ignore points already made in the article, and they have become redundant. Also, I have not approved about one-third of the comments because they have become heated and resorted to personal attacks or other practices that do not meet the comment guidelines laid out in my Comment in Moderation post. For those who have engaged in civil dialogue to dive deeper into this subject, I wish to express my gratitude.]

About Tim Chaffey

I am the founder of Midwest Apologetics and work as the Content Manager with the Attractions Division of Answers in Genesis. I have written (or co-authored) several books, including In Defense of Easter, God and Cancer, The Sons of God and the Nephilim, and The Truth Chronicles Series (see the publications page for more details). Please note: the opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of Answers in Genesis.

Comments

Did Adam and Eve Walk with God in the Garden? — 88 Comments

  1. Tim,

    I just ran into this and found it interesting. So it sounds like in your opinion, you interpret the phrase, “Walking with God”, when used by someone else to describe Genesis 3 to be a literal, physical walk in the Garden. However, that same phase is often used to describe a relationship. Just the other day, someone described a friend they had never met, but knew online as having walked with them through some very tough times.

    I am assuming you would agree that Genesis 3 does indicate that there was a relationship between God and Adam of some kind? That being the case, then I would assume you also would agree that your concern about those who claim that Adam walked with God is only directed at those who are claiming a physical walk with God, like Jesus had with man when He came to earth.

    So is it true that your concern is really with anyone who says that God physically walked with Adam, but not so much with someone who is simply indicating that there was a relationship between God and Adam? For those, your argument would seem to fall into a logical fallacy where you have built a strawman and are now arguing with that set of strawman assumptions.

    -Bob

    • Hi Bob,
      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I believe my point has been very clear throughout the post and the many comments that have been made here. I am primarily addressing the claim that I have heard from so many people that goes like this: “The Bible says that Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day.” The way they talk about it is clearly meant in a physical way, so let me say this very clearly — No, the Bible does not ever say this. That’s my point. If someone wants to believe that they did, that’s perfectly fine by me because it doesn’t contradict Scripture. But it is not fine for people to claim that the Bible says this when it doesn’t.
      The problem with your comment here is that it assumes that “walking with God” is found in relation to Adam and Eve, as you state in your first paragraph. Just read Genesis 3 — it’s not in there or anywhere else. If it was in there, then you would have a basis for claiming that my argument would be fallacious. So, Enoch walked with God and Noah walked with God (as mentioned in the article), but the Bible never says this or anything like this about Adam and Eve, so we can’t make such a comparison. Do I believe Adam and Eve had some sort of relationship with God prior to sin that was then fractured by sin — absolutely, as I state clearly in the article.
      [Editor’s note: I closed comments on this post shortly after posting this response. The reason cited at the end of the article above was not in response to Bob’s civil comment. Instead, it was that I quickly received three more comments that were inappropriate, and there is no point in approving personal attacks, responding to irrelevant, emotional comments, or rehashing the same points made over and over again in the comments.]

  2. Thank you for helpful writing. I am searching for ideas about the absence of God in the Garden. Can you show me some similar articles? Thank you so much. God bless you.

  3. Tim,

    I have been following the comments on this article for several years, and I want to say how much I appreciate your kind and faithful answers. Your desire to keep us focused on what the Word actually says is to be commended. Well done!

    Your Brother,
    Mike

    • Thank you Michael. I appreciate the encouraging words. I’m glad to know that what you are able to recognize what I hope to accomplish whenever I respond to people.
      Sincerely,
      Tim

      • Hi Tim.
        Adam & Eve hid themselves from God. If God was in spirit form hiding would make no sense, how can you hide from someone you can’t see? You could be “hiding” with the Lord standing (figuratively speaking)right in front of them, and they wouldn’t know.

        Although I agree, you simply cannot prove this one way or another, however I believe the scripture gives us enough evidence to assume with confadence, that Jesus did take a physical form and did actually, literally walk through the garden.

        Adam & Eve had been very naughty and they were hiding from the Lord!!
        I appreciate your effort Tim, thank you.

        Jack ~'()’~
        Canada AKA “Commie – Da” under seditious King/Crime Minister Justin Trudeau!!

  4. Regarding your logic in your blog post here, titled, Did Adam and Eve Walk with God in the Garden?
    (Posted on October 30, 2014, http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1349)

    You claim the following, which I label as ‘CLAIM #1’. In that claim, I put your OWN verbatim in single quotes. The parts of the claim that are not in quotes are my reasonable inferences of your intent, given what you do *say verbatim*.

    CLAIM #1:
    ‘there are many who use the idea of Adam and Eve actually walking with God to stress the theological point of man’s closeness to God prior to sin in order to contrast that with man’s lost condition after sin. But there is no need to make the text’ outright ‘say something it’ does not, in fact, outright say. Of course, ‘from this view’ God was perceiveably with the pre-Fallen ‘Adam and Eve’, so that ‘they had the privilege of regularly hanging out with Him.’ But ‘Adam and Eve were almost certainly not in the Garden very long’ prior to their Fall. So it seems there would have been little or no point for God to have EVER been in their presence in the manner that this idea assumes: actually relating to them in the ordinary manner in which one human normally would relate to one or more other humans. The texts of Genesis 1-3 outright tell us ONLY what is necessary for our understanding of the events from Creation to the Fall, not of side issues that mean nothing for a proper interpretation of these texts. ‘Could Adam and Eve have actually taken walks with God in the Garden? Of course, since God is capable of making physical appearances’. ‘But we need to be careful not to assert that the Bible directly teaches this.’ Therefore, ‘We also should not assume that God was at their beck and call so that He would come around for a stroll’ with them ‘whenever they wanted Him there. Maybe He was physically there throughout the short time that they were in the Garden, but I have my doubts.’

    By a plain reading, Genesis 2:7 and 2:22c reasonably are inferred to imply that the place where God formed Adam, and then Eve, was a place some way *outside* of the garden (and this place likely being that of the shore of a river or a sea). If we were to narrowly abide only what the text OUTRIGHT affirms of given things, then this inference would be patently erroneous or, at least, unreasonable. But your claim is based on only such a narrow standard. It is like asserting that, since ‘NO text in the Bible OUTRIGHT affirms that Adam ever saw the stars’, then ‘It is unwarranted to assume that he ever did see the stars.’

    The natural reading of arithmetic is that according to arithmetic. The same (principle) applies to the natural reading of anything: that according to the thing itself. So if your standard were correct, then that same standard would itself have to be outright affirmed in the Bible. If you must doubt something, I think you would have to doubt that. No?

    • Daniel,
      I think your criticism of my article misses the mark. It would be accurate if the point of my article was to claim that Adam and Eve did not walk with God in the Garden prior to sin. But that isn’t the point of what I wrote. I don’t have a problem with people thinking that Adam and Eve walked with God (as I stated, they may have), but I want people to realize that the Bible doesn’t say that they did. I’ve heard far too many people claim, “The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day.” That’s simply false. The Bible doesn’t say that, and that is the point of the article.
      To use your example, it would be like if people repeatedly said, “The Bible says Adam watched the stars every night while in the Garden.” Even if he did do that, the Bible doesn’t say that he did, and it would be worth correcting someone on that point.
      The article is not imposing a narrow standard that makes no room for inference or implication. Instead, it encourages people to draw a distinction between what Scripture actually states and the inferences we make based on those statements, even if they are quite reasonable. It’s not that the inferences are necessarily wrong, it’s that they should not be mistaken for the Word of God.

  5. Hi Tim,
    I am so happy to find your website. I plan to search through it much more. I know this article about Adam and Eve walking with God in the Garden is over 6 years old, but I just now discovered it. I’ve enjoyed reading your article, the comments and your responses.

    I have read the account of Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Fall so many times in my lifetime, but I just recently realized that the Bible doesn’t say that Adam and Eve walked ‘with’ God in the Garden. I don’t recall what prompted it, but I do remember searching for the phrase, ‘God walked with Adam in the cool of the day’. I looked in Genesis, Psalms and even searched for New Testament references. I could not find it. I have found Bible studies that indicate that God fellowshipped or walked with Adam and Eve, and they refer to Genesis 3:8.

    Tonight I was thinking about it again. It bothers me that I have believed the Bible stated this, and that I have told other people it says this for so long, and I have read the first three chapters of Genesis so many times. I decided to search the internet to see WHY people believe this. Maybe it is written somewhere else in other ancient writings? Maybe it is implied elsewhere in the Bible?

    In my searching I found your website and I am so glad I did. I believe it is very important to know what is and isn’t in the Bible. We can speculate, contemplate, and imagine probable scenarios by referencing other relationships in the Bible, but in this day and time especially, we must be diligent and aware of the texts’ true contents. Our adversary seeks to discredit the validity of the Word of God. I believe one of the biggest weapons used against it is when secular opponents are more aware of the accuracy of the passages like this than we Christians who misuse and misquote them.

    Thank you. I will visit again.

    • Hi Carrie,
      Thanks for the kind words. It’s encouraging to know that my words have been very helpful for you. My goal in these types of blog posts is to encourage believers to look carefully at the text. I’m always amazed at how strongly some people try to defend certain positions. It’s one thing to believe that Adam and Eve walked with God and to recognize that it’s based on some fairly reasonable assumptions. But it’s entirely different to claim that the Bible teaches or implies that they did when there just aren’t any statements in the text that teach or imply that position. I guess it’s just hard to let go of certain ideas, but we must always allow our thinking to be challenged by what Scripture actually says rather than what we want it to say.
      Thanks for reading!

  6. Useful insights. The difficulties of translation, plus inevitable translator bias, can complicate getting a true understanding. Thanks for your focus on this and for sharing the fruits of your consideration of the passage.

  7. I to am searching regarding worship in OT times and wondered about Adam walking with God. Your answer leaves many questions for me though… Please explain the remaining context of Gen. 3 in Adam’s walk with God. You indicate a possible strong wind; did this wind also speak to the serpent and curse it? (Vs. 14) Did this wind also clothe Adam and Eve with skins from an animal – that had to be killed? (Vs. 21) Did the wind drive them out of the garden? (Vs. 24 says “He drove them out the he place Cherubim’s)

    Thank you

    • Hi Daniel,
      If the idea being conveyed by the text is a “strong wind” then this scene was probably quite similar to the way God spoke to Job, as I mentioned in the article. Job 38:1 states, “The YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:”. God appeared and revealed Himself in many different ways throughout the Old Testament. My post simply raises the possibility that He may have used something similar to the whirlwind of Job 38:1. He could have spoken out of a whirlwind to them and banished them from the Garden in that form. But I’m not arguing that this is how He did appear. I’m pointing out that possible understanding of the text. As I mentioned in the post, even if He walked through the Garden to speak to Adam and Eve it would not prove that they used to take walks with Him. Maybe they did, but the text doesn’t tell us that.
      Thanks for reading.

      • Thank you for your thoughts… I do understand the whirlwind , but Gen says God made them clothes from an animal to replace mans attempt of covering his nakedness.
        Can a whirlwind fulfill those processes? I suppose so, but seems illogical

        • Hi Daniel,
          In Job, God spoke out of the whirlwind. Whirlwinds don’t speak…unless it is God appearing in that form. If this is the correct way to understand the wording in Genesis 3, then I think it would be something similar. The Lord can speak out of it and He can perform any other functions, such as making coats of skins, while in that form.
          Sincerely,
          Tim

          • I don’t know if I will recieve a responce or not, but it does not say that God made them skins from animals. It says, “coats of skin”. What if Adam and Eve were not human as we are today. What if they were some sort of Spiritual Being as God and his Son were at the time. What if the “coats” of “skin” were actually human skin as we have now. Maybe their nakedness was not exposed genitalia, but realized they were naked in some other maner. I’m not saying this is true, I’m just pointing out that scripture does not say “skins of animals” or that God killed animals to clothe them. This is just another suposition made by humans who try to understand divinly inspired scripture with a flawed human mind.

            • Hi Robert,
              I don’t believe I said anywhere in the post or in the comments that the “coats of skin” were made from animals, although I certainly believe this is easily the most logical conclusion.
              I don’t find your suggestion to be plausible. First, we are told that God made man from the dust of the ground, and he didn’t become a living being until God breathed the breath of life into him (Genesis 2:7). In other words, man had a physical body made from the ground. Second, Eve was made from Adam’s rib (or more accurately “side”), indicating that they both had physical bodies (Genesis 2:21). Third, Adam’s response at seeing Eve confirms the point: “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). They had bone and flesh before they sinned, before they recognized their nakedness. They were not merely spiritual beings at that point. They consisted of both physical and spiritual components, just like all of their descendants, although originally they were without sin.

  8. However, God did come physically to Abraham and ate. Then God shared his thoughts to Abraham of judging Sodom and Gomorrah.

    • That’s correct, and I write about that in my book, Fallen. However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. We know that God is capable of doing this, but my point is that the text never states or implies that He did.

      • Tim> However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. We know that God is capable of doing this, but >>my point< OK, so does the Bible state or imply that He didn’t walk with Adam & Eve BEFORE they sinned? IMV they were walking in the IMAGE for which God created them with the FREE WILL to CHOOSE. The Tree of Life was in the Garden was it not? So there minds were NOT YET CORRUPTED until God ALLOWED there FREE WILL to be tested, just as the Father through the Holy Spirit ALLOWED Christ Jesus to be tested in the wilderness.

        Romans 5:10-12
        10 For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

        11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

        12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

        IOW, IMV Where Adam FAILED, Christ Jesus PASSED

        *Saying all this Tim, I truly respect your thoughts and views as a brother in Christ

        • Hi Nucc,
          Thanks for your thoughts and kind words. As I mentioned in my post, I have absolutely no problem with the idea that they might have walked with God in the garden. That would be really cool. My main point throughout has been to direct people back to Scripture to see what it really says. Far too many people run around claiming, “The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden,” but as I’ve pointed out, it doesn’t say that. I don’t really hear anyone saying, “The Bible says Adam and Eve never walked with God in the garden,” but if I did, then I’d correct that as well. I think too many people are confused about what it means that something is directly stated, or implied, or that we might infer, etc. So when I say, “The Bible just doesn’t say that…” some people think I’m saying that it didn’t and couldn’t have happened. But I am very clear in the post that I have no problem with the notion that they might have walked with Him. I am simply trying to point people back to Scripture as I’ve done in many other posts in my Misused Verses series.
          I completely agree that Adam and Eve had the freedom to obey or disobey regarding the forbidden fruit, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with my point in this post. And I completely agree that where Adam failed, Christ prevailed. But again, that doesn’t change my point.
          I hope this clarifies my objective in the post.

          • Adam and Eve heard the voice of God walking in the cool of the day.Read the KJV plus many other versions point to the fact that they walked with the voice of God. Much like those of us that have the infilling of the Holy Ghost and walk in the Spirit. We walk with the voice of God as well.

            • Hi Janice,
              Thanks for your comments. Yes, I’m aware that the KJV translates the term as “voice.” But look closely, notice that it never says they walked with the voice of God. Nothing in that passage says it, and that’s the main point of this post. The only time it mentions the “voice” and “walking” (if those are the right translations) is when Adam and Eve were hiding from God. It doesn’t say that they were walking with God.
              Again, I’m not opposed to the idea at all, but the text just never says it.

  9. Hey Tim,

    Man, this helped challenge me to really read through the scriptures on this topic. I had always taken it for granted too that “God walked with Adam in the cool of the day”… which He very well might have…and I’d like to use my imagination and believe that He did… but the Bible definitely doesn’t say that He did. Haha very eye opening. Thank you for your post and your diligence to pursuing Biblical accuracy!

      • Tim, thanks for striking the axe at the root of this human imagined concept. I’ve heard this, believed this, and repeated this on more than one occasion. But, like other things, there is truly not a single word to directly support the notion that “Adam walked with God in the cool of the day”.

        I was putting together a Bible lesson today for my twin girls on the Fall of Man. I was scanning Gen 2&3 to use the text where God walked with Adam in the garden. As you know, I couldn’t find it. Then ended up here.

        Thanks for caring about biblical accuracy. As my case shows and many of the comments here show, man created “truth” is powerful over our minds. So, here’s one guy that won’t repeat this again. And 2 kids who won’t hear it that way from Dad.

        Good work brother.

        • Awesome, you as a Dad leading his children, as the word instructs. Never stop, word will not go void! We did not know, nor trained ourselves to do that and now see our own child in the consequences. Tell everyone with small kids!

          Tim- Thank you, as I came searching for information on this before placing ‘and they walked with God’ in my book I am writing! I think for me it comes from the song In the Garden, it is a peaceful way to think God is walking with us. And maybe that is it, people just want to believe they they did as that is such a powerful feeling knowing God is walking with you. We speak of our’walk’ with God, yet don’t speak of Him being right there physically.
          Totally agree with you to know that not everything was told to us, but take what we are told and use it for good, not for argument. 🙂

  10. I appreciate your fidelity to God’s Word. Your article keeps us on the ever-important path of faithfulness. Keep up the good work. Thank you and God bless you!

  11. Hebrews 13:8 God is the same yesterday, and to day and forever more. Noah walked with God Genesis 6:9. If the voice of God walking in the garden caused them to run and hide because of disobedience, sin, judgement. Is it so hard to see that broke the fall in a righteous or right standing with God, the first family would run hard to God. Like a child jumping in his father’s arm as he comes home from work.

    • Hi Greg,
      It’s not hard at all to see that Adam’s and Eve’s sins broke the right standing they had with God. I think all conservative Christians would agree that this happened. It’s not even hard to imagine that Adam and Eve did walk with God prior to the fall. As I stated in the post and many times in the comments, I have no trouble believing that they walked with God; I have a problem with people claiming that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God, because it doesn’t say this.

  12. Dear Tim Chaffey,

    If I give “full and clear credit” to you with a link to your illustration “Adam-Eve-Shame” as follows:

    http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?attachment_id=1350

    … may I use your illustration in a short story that I will submit for publication on a non-commercial website (perhaps only my own personal website, if I cannot find acceptance at a more widely viewed site)?

    Best regards,

    John Hartung

  13. Hi Tim
    I agree that you’re right to the extent that believers should be mindful to validate sermons, statements or stories from pastors. But what comes to my mind is why would you choose this debated part to address the concern. No the bible didn’t directly say they walked with God. However, that story or statement being preached wont cause anyone to fall into sin. Do you think that statement is a stepping stone for misleading Gods people? Do you think the lord actually cares if pastors are saying Adam and Eve did walk with God? Following God’s words to the “T” is one of the reasons why the law was fulfilled by Jesus and not by man. In fact it comes to mind that the statement can be transcended as a statement of faith, that the Lord God was loving and personal as he claims himself to be and did walk with them, who knows. But as seasoned believers we need to understand it is better to use our hearts to hear the sermons the pastors preach rather than the details of the text. Seasoned or mature believers should know the text, the text is the milk, living the text is the meat. Our hearts were reformed for this exact purpose. So I wouldn’t personally address this part of Adam walking with God or not unless the message was ill.

    • Hi Bryan,
      Thanks for taking the time to read the blog post and for your kind words. As I mentioned near the end of the post, I have no problem with the idea that Adam and Eve may have walked with God. The point of my post was not to condemn anyone who believes that they did. The point was to urge Christians to pay closer attention to the text of Scripture. Far too often, we allow traditions, even seemingly innocent ones, to become the basis for our understanding of Scripture. That is why I have a whole series of commonly misused Bible verses—not to condemn but to encourage believers to elevate Scripture above our own ideas that we’ve unwittingly added to it.
      There are warnings in Scripture about adding to it. I’m not making an accusation here, but I do want to help people avoid making this mistake. How many pastors and other teachers have taught that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden? And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? In each case, they are basing their ideas on something that isn’t stated in Scripture. It would be far better to use a supporting argument that has a strong biblical basis.
      With this particular issue, the reason I addressed it is because I hear it so frequently. Of course, since I work in a ministry that emphasizes Genesis 1–11, I’m going to hear it more than most people. In fact, earlier this week during a Q&A session, one of the guests asked about Adam walking with God in the garden.
      Thanks again for reading!

      • Hi Tim you stated; How many pastors and other teachers have taught that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden? And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? In each case, they are basing their ideas on something that isn’t stated in Scripture. It would be far better to use a supporting argument that has a strong biblical basis.

        Looking at that from an opposite perspective; “Is it not also true that it is not stated they weren’t walking with God?” Who were they conversing with?

        • Hi Nucc,
          It is true that the Bible does not say, “Adam and Eve never walked with God in the garden.” That isn’t the point of my post. As I stated in the article and numerous times in the comments section, I have no trouble believing that they walked with God, but it is unwise for Christians to claim that the Bible says they did. You are essentially appealing to an argument from silence. I’m not sure what that accomplishes other than allowing for the possibility that they might have, which is something I have said from the start. But arguments from silence are not strong arguments to build a positive case for something. It’s sort of like saying, “The Bible never says Jesus wasn’t married, so He might have been.” It’s true that Scripture never states this plainly, but there are certain inferences people make from some verses in an effort to support such an idea. For the record, I strongly reject such a notion. See my article, Was Jesus Married? for details. Granted, Adam and Eve walking with God poses no theological problems, but my point here is that the strength (or better, weakness) of that particular argument is roughly the same.
          You asked who they were conversing with. Well, in Genesis 2, Adam names the animals, and the only words quoted from him in Gen. 2 have to do with what he said when he met Eve: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…” (Genesis 2:23). The first words recorded from Eve are from her encounter with the serpent. The only time we see Eve converse with God in Scripture is after she ate the fruit and hid with Adam among the trees of the garden. Again, nothing in Scripture tells us that they walked with God or carried on a conversation with Him. We do see God speaking to both of them in Genesis 1:28–30 when He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and told them to eat vegetation. This would have been after God made Eve and Adam awoke and uttered the words in Genesis 2:23. Beyond that, the Bible does not tell us about any communication between our first parents and God until after the fall.
          To be clear…again. The main point of this entire post is to encourage Christians to look closely at Scripture, so that they will stop saying, “The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God” or something very similar. This is something I have heard countless times, and based on the number of responses trying to justify such a view, it’s pretty clear that a lot of others have heard it and/or taught it. If you want to believe they did, that’s totally fine with me. If you want to try to build a case for the possibility, that’s fine with me too. What’s not fine with me is saying that the Bible says something that it doesn’t.

    • The problem of hearing a pastors sermon only from our hearts is what we see happening every few days now as pastors are turning WOKE and not faithful to Scripture. This in turn leds to turning their congregants into either weak or full blown woke listeners. We need to be more like the Bereans. That is go search The Scriptures to see what it says and then if what the preachersays lines up with precept on precept, line upon line, then and only then do we take his words to live in our hearts. We are to taste them before we swallow them in other words.

  14. Hello! I happened on this post because the thought came to my mind that God only walked with Adam, not Eve…I do not know why I had the thought, and I had not checked God’s Holy Word on the issue, but I read your article which partly validated my thought in an unexpected way. I found it interesting that with all the opinions to the idea of “walking” with God in the comments section, not too many have thanked you for letting us know that God’s Word does not say that Adam or Eve “walked” with God in the Garden. It was always my thought they in fact walked side by side as one would imagine them doing so. Thank you for reaffirming to me that we can say anything about God and find some reason for or against our reasoning, and that is why we have to be very careful to know what God’s Word says! Thanks again.

  15. Hello Tim, I honestly do not understand why you are so hellbent on trying to make a point of saying that Adam and Eve did not walk with God? It seems so trivial. If I am walkin* with you I would assume you are walking with me?
    I have been studying this part about god walking with Adam when I came across your post.
    First it should be recognised that Genesis is a seed box if you want details you need to keep reading.
    Tim please do a small word study on walking and when you do you will find that walking refers to a living relationship with the said persons mentioned .
    One good example is Leviticus 26:12 AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD.
    All the details of exactly how god walked with them are so plain to see that blind Freddy can see it.
    In Lev 26 god goes into great detail about how they were to walk with god and how god would walk with them ( please don’t say ohhh but it doesn’t say it) it does say very loudly it’s deafening.
    God goes to great lengths to explain how he wants the relationship to be. god wanted to walk (live) with them in an ongoing and fruitful relationship and the whole book of Leviticus shows them how to correctly walk with god. Here is just one example about working the land 26:1 make no idols.
    2 keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary.3 IF YOU WALK IN MY STATUTES AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS AND DO THEM 4 then I will give you rain in due season and the land shall give her increase and the trees of the field shall yield there fruit. This is very important to walk with god on this because if they didn’t walk with god by keeping his commandments sabbaths and statutes then there would be no rain. Let’s consider this for a moment? They were to work the land 6 years right? Then let the land rest on the seventh year right? Read lev 25:20 and if you shall say “what shall we eat in the 7th year? Behold we shall not sow,nor gather in our increase: now look at 21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year and it shall bring forth fruit for 3 years 22 and you shall sow the 8th year and eat of the old fruit until the 9th year until the fruits come in. No sowing or reaping for 3 years! This is a very good example of god walking with his people and his people walking with their god .look at 25:18 where off if you shall do my statutes that is live the way I instruct you to live that is walk in harmony with god then you shall dwell in the land in saftey.pleaseeeeeee this is why your argument is so trivial I have only given one example the whole book is showing how god walks with his people and how he expects them to walk with him read 26:11 and I will set my tabernacle among you 12 AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU NOW LETS LOOK AT WHAT THE SCENARIO IS WHEN THEY ARE NOT WALING TOGETHER 26:14 but if you will not hearken unto me to not do my commandments( do you know that obeying the commandments is to walk with god)15 if you despise my statues or if your soul abhor my judgements so that you will not do my commandments BUT THAT YOU BREAK MY COVENANT
    AMOS 3:3 CAN 2 WALK TOGETHER UNLESS THEY BE AGREED?
    16 I also will do this unto you I will appoint unto you terror consumption burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seed in vain your enemies shall eat it17 and I will set my face against you 18 and if you still don’t listen to Mei will punish you 7 times more for your sins – please not that it is sin that seperates man from god. 21 AND IF YOU WALK CONTRARY TO ME AND NOT LISTEN TO ME THEN I WILL ring 7 times more plagues upon you 22 I will also send wild beasts among you 23 and if you will not be reformed by me by these things BUT WILL WALK CONTRARY TO ME 24 THEN I WILL WALK CONTRARY TO YOU and punish you 7 times more for your sins
    This just goes on and on and on all the way through this book about how god expects his people to walk with him please read the book of Leviticus slowly it gives all the details that genesis doesn’t

    • Hi Ian,
      I’m not sure where you got the idea that I’m “hellbent on trying to make a point of saying that Adam and Eve did not walk with God.” I have no problem with the idea that Adam and Eve may have walked with God, which is what I stated in the conclusion of the post and in several follow-up comments. The goal of this post is to encourage people to take a closer look at the Bible instead of repeating what they’ve heard. I’ve heard so many people claim that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden (and some even add these words, “in the cool of the day”). But that is not what it says, so I’m trying to help people avoid teaching false ideas about Scripture.
      Your entire post is irrelevant to the discussion because you are trying to show what it means when it says that someone “walked” with God. But it’s an irrelevant point. Why? Because the Bible never says that Adam and Eve walked with God. Not once. The only mention of walking in that part of Scripture is while Adam and Eve are hiding from God in the garden. It’s not like Genesis 5:24 (Enoch walked with God) or Genesis 6:9 (Noah walked with God). There isn’t a verse like this about Adam and/or Eve.

      • You can’t see that god desires to walk with his people and expects rhem to walk with him?
        If they don’t walk with him no blessing no rain no food and punishment 7 times more.
        You can’t see that Leviticus expounds on how to walk with god?
        Walking with god is living with god he makes it very clear how we are to walk with him.
        I just don’t get your argument. So what if he didn’t say the words in genesis one would think you would be wise enough to figure it out it’s not hard

        • Hi Ian,
          Yes, I do understand that God desires relationship with His people—to walk with them as they walk with Him. I have no problem with that. Apparently, you have missed the point of this entire post. There are many, many Christians who have heard and taught that Adam and Eve physically took walks with God in the garden before they sinned. I hear it on a regular basis, and many of my coworkers have said it. This post isn’t about whether they enjoyed fellowship with Him prior to sin and “walked with Him” in a metaphorical sense. It’s about urging people to take a closer look at the text so that they do not make false claims about it. I even pointed out that when the Bible speaks of Enoch and Noah walking with God it should be understood in the figurative sense of them living godly lives (as opposed to taking physical strolls with Him).

  16. God did really walked with man physically, reasons: then Adam was sinless, only sin can hide God from us, so why should God hide himself from a sinless being? Just like when we will be fully glorified in the new age, we shall see God, because we shall be sinless then; Adam couldn’t have hid himself from wind alone, there must be an accompanied physical presence that he knew about; When you follow the account of Genesis at that material time, it’s hard to think that God was just coming through the medium of wind, then why did he create man in the first place, if at all he didn’t want the man to see him? Later after the fall of man, mankind lost the ability to see God physically save through the theophany.

    • Hi David,
      I have no problem with the concept of Adam and Eve walking with God and seeing Him. I have a problem with telling people that the Bible says they did this. That’s the point of this post. All of the things you mentioned are plausible, but they do not build a watertight argument.
      Yes, Adam and Eve were sinless, but this doesn’t mean that God’s physical presence needed to be right where they were. He created a vast array of angels prior to the creation of man, so there’s no guarantee that God spent a bunch of time with Adam and Eve. I think you misunderstand what was meant by the possibility of God coming in the wind. If that suggestion is accurate, then it would have been a physical presence of God coming in judgment, similar to how He spoke from the whirlwind in Job.

  17. Tim,I will have to agree that scripture does not state outright that God and Adam walked in the garden together on a daily basis, as many assume, however, the earlier verses in Genesis would seem to indicate that Adam and God did enjoy some sort of periodic personal interaction, such as when God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them, or when God gave Adam instructions regarding the work that he was to do in the garden, and what he was, and was not, supposed to eat, and certainly when God put Adam to sleep to remove one of his ribs. All these imply direct personal interaction, probably on more than one occasion. So, it is not a far stretch to suppose that God and Adam might have walked together in the Garden, if not regularly, else why would God have gone to the trouble to create a garden and put man into it, if not to have a direct relationship.

    • Hi Ralph,
      Thanks for taking the time to read the article and for the comment. I would agree with much of what you wrote, and I believe I’ve stated as much in the article and follow up comments. However, I don’t see how your final statement about the garden has any relevance. God does not require a garden to have a direct relationship with man, so I don’t see how the fact that God created a garden would have anything to do with whether they had a direct relationship (and by extension, that they walked together).
      My post is not arguing against the idea that Adam and Eve had some sort of relationship with the Lord prior to the Fall. It is meant to point out to people that the text doesn’t say what so many people have claimed — that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. The impression people usually get is that Adam and Eve were in the garden for a long time, enjoying daily walks with God. This just isn’t found in the text and seems very unlikely in light of the details given in the post. They may have walked with Him prior to the Fall, but it just doesn’t say that.

  18. I went to church this past Sunday and my pastor who is pretty good with the Word of God and quick to say if he is wrong said he had a revelation that’s god ohyically walked with Adam and Eve and as he spoke my discernment clearly was NO THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. Not because I think I’m right and feel holier than thou but it was just something burning in me saying NO. It bothered me for the day into right now where I went on the internet to find something credible and I landed here. I too feel in my sosirt that God did not walk physically. I believe when the Bible states they heard the Lord in the cool of the day I think it’s a spiritual voice. Like your parents can be in the house with you and not in the same room but you can clearly hear them in another part of the house. The sound of movement. Yes this is almost like apples and oranges because our parents are here in physical form but just trying to make a point and the Bible clearly says no one knows what God looks like except His Son . He never showed him self He when He was showing himself to Moses and the others He revealed himself to in some other form. Moses was only granted the backside of Jesus. Just because Adam and Eve had no sin they still were not privileged to seeing God in physical form. There are some who says He came in angelic forms throughout the Bible… yes He did but that’s through another likeness. One has still
    never seen what GOD actually looks like. If He did or didn’t is still and can always be up for discussion , it’s a gut instinct in me that says no but at the end of the day I’m just glad I’m saved and can sort it out when I get to Heaven!

  19. Hi Tim,

    Thanks for this post.

    I’m not sure you have dealt sufficiently with the argument that God must have walked with Adam and Eve in the garden previously for Adam and Eve to know that they sound they heard was God.

    The sequence of events is as follows:

    1. They hear a sound.
    2. They hide among the trees.
    3. God speaks, asking Adam where he is.
    4. Adam replies saying that he hid because he heard the sound of God.

    The sound of God that Adam heard was not the sound of God speaking, because God speaks after Adam has hidden himself, which Adam only does after he hears the “sound.”

    So Adam hears a sound, which he knows is the sound of God. For Adam to know that the sound he heard was the sound of God, he must have heard it before. I think this point has to be acknowledged regardless of whether you think the sound is God walking in the cool of day or God manifesting himself in a strong wind.

    With that in mind, what makes you say, from the text of Genesis, that the phrase translated “cool of the day” would be better translated “a strong wind?” If strong wind is the better translation, when prior to this event did God manifest himself to Adam and Eve in a strong wind in such a way that when they heard the strong wind on this occasion, they knew instantly that it was the sound of God?

    Further, although the phrase could be translated as a strong wind, the text would still say that he came “walking” in a strong wind. If he was just manifesting himself in a strong wind, there would be no need to use the word “walking”. You haven’t dealt with this in your explanation.

    You have argued that a “strong wind” would be a better translation, but you haven’t explained how it was that Adam knew that this was the sound of God as soon as he heard it.

    Adam heard God making a sound (aside from speaking) that God had made before and which enabled Adam to recognise that it was the sound of God.

    I think there are two reasons why it seems best to conclude that God had walked in the garden before:

    1. Regardless of whether you translate the disputed phrase as “cool of the day” or “strong wind”, the text still says that God was “walking” in the cool of the day / wind (of the day).

    2. The activity of God in 2:18-22 give the impression of prior occasions of God walking in the garden. When he made Eve, he took a rib, closed up Adam’s side with flesh and then he brought the woman to Adam. The impression given is one of God being there in an embodied form, performing surgery on the man, building Eve and then walking her to Adam.

    In terms of the theological questions of how God could do this, one answer could be that it is an embodied pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord, who is himself the Lord and who appears many times in the Old Testament.

    • To add to the post above, another theological consideration is the temple.

      Although Exodus established that God was present everywhere through the judgement on Egypt, it also taught that God would be present in a special way in the tabernacle (later to be replaced by the temple). The imagery in the temple indicates that it was recreating Eden, indicating that God was present in Eden in a special way that he was not present in other places on the earth.

    • Hi Kevin,
      Thanks for your thoughts on this. Sorry for the delayed response. I clarified my statement about “strong wind” being a better translation to point out that there are scholars who make this claim, like J.J. Niehaus.
      If “strong wind” is a better translation, then it would not be saying that God was “walking” in the garden, but instated that He was “moving” in the garden. The “strong wind” or “breezy” alternative is reflected in the notes of many English Bibles, such as the NASB, NET, and ESV, and it is even the translation of the HCSB. So if this is accurate, then what Adam heard was the “sound of the Lord” moving in the garden, as indicated in the same translations mentioned above. Adam doesn’t need to know instantly that it is God moving about, but once God speaks to Him (whether out of a whirlwind or appearing in human form or any other form) then Adam recognizes who is addressing Him. If I’m narrating a scene, I can write that the main character heard a certain sound (e.g., an approaching truck or an army on the march) before the character realizes what it is that he is hearing. So when the text says that Adam heard the sound of the Lord moving in the garden, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Adam knew right away that it was God making the noise. Once God addresses him, then Adam could say, “I heard the sound of You in the garden” (Gen. 2:10, ESV).
      To the second point in your conclusion, I think it is quite speculative. I think we both agree that God doesn’t need to appear in human form to bring the animals to Adam or to perform surgery on him. The Lord could speak from His throne and these actions could be performed just as easily as if He had manifested in the garden to perform the actions.
      To your third point (in the next post), I think the temple imagery is overdone a bit in modern times. Yes, I see that there are similarities, and I don’t deny the possibility that God was present in the garden in a special way compared to the way that He is omnipresent. But even that would not prove that He took strolls with Adam.
      As I mentioned in my conclusion, God certainly could have taken taken strolls with Adam and Eve, but the Bible does not directly teach this, and I have my doubts about it. I think too often we read ideas into a passage that might be accurate, but then through the years, our interpretation of the passage is taken as a given that it must be true.
      Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.

  20. Thanks for this article.

    Just a quick note: The verb used here in verse 8 to describe the divine movement of God — mi™hallë±—i (sorry, my keyboard isn’t able to type this word out correctly) – suggests iterative and habitual aspects. Maybe this is why pastors and teachers teach it this way (that God regularly walked with Adam and Eve), because they can see from the word study that this was a regular occurrence. Now there is no way to prove that God actually “walked” with them or actually spent anytime with them, it is just implied from His habitual “coming” to the garden in the cool of the day. I agree with you that we cannot say with certainty that God “walked” with them, I am just here to point out that the language suggests a repetitive habit of God. With that in mind, I would disagree with you on the reason you give for why God came to the garden that day. You say that since God’s coming is right after Adam and Eve sin, that His reason for coming is to proclaim judgment. I am not disagreeing and saying that God’s reason for coming was not to proclaim judgment, I am disagreeing by saying that we can not say for sure what God’s reason was for coming, Scripture doesn’t clarify.

    Thanks for this article, it was an interesting read.

  21. WALKED WITH GOD ????? ?? ???????

    ? Genesis 3:8 ?
    Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

    ~~~~~ There are other passages in Scripture about those who did walk with God. For example, “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24) and “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). That certainly could have been the case if God made a physical appearance (called a theophany), as He did in other places (e.g., Genesis 12:7; 18:1.

    God, by nature, is Spirit and a spirit does not have a bodily form. God has, in certain instances, revealed Himself in bodily form. The episode of God walking in the Garden of Eden is one of these instances. It is possible that God literally walked in the Garden of Eden in the form of a human. The term used to explain this and other episodes is anthropomorphism (human-forms).

    Could the person who was walking in the Garden have been the Angel of the Lord or the Pre-Incarnate Christ?
    Before He came to earth two thousand years ago, Jesus appeared at various times in the Old Testament in a physical form. These include appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Joshua (Joshua 5:13), Gideon (Judges 5:12), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:3).

    • Hi John,

      Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment. It is definitely possible that the person in the Garden was the preincarnate Christ. There is a possibility that we should understand that Hebrew text to be speaking about something more like the whirlwind at the end of Job—that they heard the sound of God moving about (not walking) in the Garden. But even if that happens to be the right way to look at it, then it may still be correct to view this as a theophany.
      Anyway, I’m very surprised I forgot to include a link to an article on theophanies that I wrote for Answers in Genesis. I’ve added that to the article now to help clarify that point. If you’re interested, here’s the link: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/incarnation/theophanies-in-the-old-testament/
      Thanks!

      • Hi Tim ….Here are my thoughts.

        Genesis 2:19
        19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, >>>>>and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.<<<<

        I believe the context of the above verse was a time when ADAM was NOT at enmity with God and they conferred with each other. Therefore while at yet there was no temptation, walking with God was natural.

  22. Tim:

    I must stand corrected as I also remembered Adam and Eve walking in the cool of the afternoon with God. Let me shine light on tis section you have written:

    The problem with this scenario is that Adam and Eve were almost certainly not in the Garden very long. God had told them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). They were created with perfect bodies and were husband and wife on the day they were created. So it would not have taken long for Eve to conceive, yet Cain was not conceived until they were banished from the Garden.

    If you will count the number of people listed as being created, you will find Adam #1, Eve #2 then Cain #3 and Able #4. so that’s a total of four people listed as being on the Earth. Please note that both boys were conceived and born after sin had entered the Earth.
    Now turn to Chapter 4 of Genesis verse 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

    Who is this that would kill him? Because at this time there are only three people left from the list. Now go to verse 17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.

    Where did this wife come from?

    Conclusion. Adam and Eve as well as other people born during the no-sin era. Why weren’t they mentioned? Easy, no relevance to the story.
    There may have been thousands of years, who knows? But at least enough time passed to provide people who lived in “Nod” and a wife for Cain.

    • Hi Mel,
      Who was Cain afraid of? There are several possibilities, such as siblings, nephews, and nieces. The Bible doesn’t tell us how old Cain was when he murdered his brother, but it does give us a potential clue. When Eve gave birth to Seth (at age 130) she viewed him as a replacement for Abel. So it seems as if Abel had just recently passed away. If so, that means Cain and Abel could have been over 120 years old when Cain killed Abel. Abel may have had plenty of kids who would want revenge against their Uncle Cain for killing their father.
      Who was his wife? More than like, Cain’s wife was his sister, or possibly a niece. The Bible doesn’t say that Cain’s wife was from Nod. It says that he went to the land of Nod and then she conceived a son (Enoch).
      For more on the issue of Cain’s wife, see this article: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/cain/cains-wife-who-was-she/

      • Great article!

        I just want to offer a thought about Cain and Abel’s ages. While it’s true they could have been over 120 years old when Cain killed Abel, they also could have been any age from very young up to 120+. After all, how old did they have to be to be “a keeper of sheep” and “a tiller of the land?” 15? 18? 21? 30? Since they were both born in Genesis 4 (after the expulsion from the Garden), they didn’t necessarily have to be 120+ by the year Seth was born.

        Considering that each year subtracted from Cain and Abel’s ages at the time of Abel’s murder could be added to Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden, it’s quite possible that Adam and Eve spent many years in the Garden, which would make their sin all that more sorrowful. Say, for example, that they weren’t expelled from the Garden until they were 60+ or 70+ (or older). That would be what we today would consider a “lifetime” of experiencing God’s faithfulness and guidance, only to throw it away in a single day!

        • Hi Warren,
          Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. I think your comments were probably addressing this point though (http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1747). That’s the one where I spend time talking about the ages of Cain and Abel. While it’s within the realm of possibility that Adam and Eve were 60+ when expelled from the garden, I find it extremely unlikely. God told them to be fruitful and multiply. Surely, He would’ve given them the ability to do that right from the start. There’s no reason to think that they waited 60+ years to have children when they were already husband and wife and were created by God to fulfill the instructions He had given them, including “be fruitful and multiply.”

  23. I know when I say that Adam walked with God in the Garden, I mean to say that God spent time with them, not literally walking in the garden, God doesn’t walk, He is Spirit!
    No, I mean that God must have spent time with them in order to teach them, how else would they learn to talk, to till the land, to eat, to basically live their lives in a way that was pleasing to Him!
    How do your children know how to live? That’s right, you are right there with them from birth, not that they were made a baby first of course, as that would take other humans to raise them as we know it!
    Why would God spend time with them, because He loved them and wanted to share His love with them! What is the one thing that He values the most, as we know it? To spend time with Him.
    If how we are not that naive to believe that this is a new thing with Him, no we can reasonably infer that God spent time with Adam and Eve.
    Not all of the time of course, how else would they have rebelled against Him. Let’s take a teacher in a class room full of students, then have the teacher leave the room, chaos will ensue, amen? Therefore God was not always with them in the Garden, not as we know it anyway. So again, let’s not be naive to think that God didn’t spend time with them!
    I love my time with Him and when I’m not with Him I want to do the right thing by Him, unlike Adam and Eve!
    I worship in His presence and put off His presence!

    • Hi Robert,
      Thanks for taking the time to comment.
      We do see examples of theophanies in the Old Testament where God does appear to people in human form, as He did to Abraham. This is what most people have in mind when they speak of the Lord walking with Adam and Eve. How do I know? Because they nearly always cite the verse about Adam and Eve hearing the sound of the Lord walking in the garden.
      It is possible that the Lord taught them how to do certain things, as you say, but it certainly wasn’t necessary. They were created “pre-programmed” by God. Adam understood what God meant when he was given instructions because God made him with the ability to understand those things. So comparing Adam and Eve to children who need to learn to talk, eat, etc. is not an accurate analogy. It also seems to assume that they were in the garden for quite a while when they almost certainly were not there for long at all.
      With that being said, I agree with you that it is reasonable to infer that He spent time with them, but the Bible does not imply that He did, and that was the point of this post. As I mentioned in the conclusion, God could have walked with them, but the Bible does not tell us that He did.

  24. One of my Bible study ladies commented about the command to “not eat of the fruit lest they die” as possibly being a mystery to Adam and his wife. After all, they had not experienced or seen death as of yet.

    What is you view on this?

    • Hi June,

      Thanks for the comment and for taking the time to read the post.
      I don’t think it was a mystery to them—at least not completely. It is true that they had not experienced death yet, they came “pre-programmed” with an ability to speak and understand things. When God said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat…” Adam knew what a tree was, what the garden was, and what eating was. He may have seen the trees and the garden as God spoke those words, but he probably hadn’t eaten yet. Adam and Eve surely knew that the punishment for rebellion was death—and even if they didn’t understand the fullness of that word, they knew it wasn’t good.
      I hope this helps.

  25. We know that God is Omnipresent. We know that God was with Adam and Eve at all times and wherever they were. He was with them when they were deceived by Satan. He saw them sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. They hid when they heard God; however it was that they heard Him. God asks them if they had eaten from the tree, but He already knows the answer. He was there, He is everywhere and He was always with them.
    WHY? Why don’t Adam and Eve know that God is with them at all times? What was their relationship? What can we honestly infer from the scriptures?
    It saddens me to let go of the notion that God would hang out with them in the cool of the evening. It’s beautiful imagery but you’re right, the bible doesn’t say this.
    He gives instructions and warnings and they fear Him when they disobey. This saddens me.

  26. when they heard God they hid from Him. When He asked them why they hid they answered Him. they heard him rebuke them. Or maybe they read Gods mind.

    • Ed,
      I’m not sure what this has to do with whether they walked with God in the garden. I have no doubt that they heard an audible voice when God asked, “Where are you?” or when He asked who told them that they were naked. But this does nothing to prove that they walked with God in the garden.

    • Just read John 1 it says God was there in the beginning and on earth in the flesh so just read the book

      • I’m not really sure how your comment addresses Ed’s point at all or anything in the article. Yes, Jesus is God and was in the beginning with God, but the part about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling “among us” (John 1:14) is a reference to the Incarnation that began when He was conceived in Mary’s womb. Furthermore, nothing in John 1 states that Jesus walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

  27. when they heard God walking in the garden, they hid from God. When God asked them how they knew they were naked, and asked them if they had eaten from the tree they were not to. Would that seem that they must have heard His voice at some other time

    • Hi Ed,
      Adam did hear God’s voice at another time. When the Lord made him on the sixth day, He commanded him not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So there is no need to appeal to some sort of walk in the garden for them to know God’s voice. Also, Adam didn’t necessarily say that he heard God’s voice (some Bibles translate it that way), but it could just as accurately be translated as “your sound” in the garden. This would still fit with the idea of God coming in judgment, which was given as a possibility in the article.

  28. Tim, thank you for your commentary. I never really gave it much thought that Adam and Eve “walked” with God in the garden.God can and does whatever He wants to do. I do however give a lot of thought when people preach/teach as truth that which is not written but surmised by man/woman to have taken place. I agree that it is very possible that God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden but there is no written statement(s) that support this. But what does it really matter, what appears to have happened here (according to some of the responses) is that golden calves have been kicked over and religion has taken a bump on the shins. Keep up the good work brother, the TRUTH shall be the only thing that sets us free.

  29. “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” Genesis 3:8.

    • I’LL TAKE YOUR APOLIGE NOW ,,WHERE THEY USE TO WALK WITH GOD ,THEY CHOOSE TO HIDE !!!NOW YOU CAN TAKE THIS LIE DOWN FOR GOOD ,,,THANK YOU !!!!STEVI

      • Steve,

        Perhaps you should take a moment to read the blog post before commenting. Simply quoting Genesis 3:8 does not disprove the point of my post since that verse never says that they walked with God. If you had bothered to read the post, you would have read these words:
        “In all likelihood, it comes from a misunderstanding of or making an inference from Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (NKJV).
        It seems likely that many people have just remembered some of the wording in this verse and assumed that it says Adam and Eve walked with God. But that’s not at all what is going on here. This verse appears immediately after our first parents rebelled against the Creator. They are not taking a leisurely stroll with God, they are hiding from Him as He comes to announce His judgment. Here is the verse in its entirety.

        And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

        Even if this translation is accurate, which is debatable, it does not say that they walked with God.
        Some people have inferred from this statement that they must have known what it sounded like to hear God walk in the Garden so they must have walked with Him before. But what did they actually hear that made them afraid? Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10, ESV). Adam was ashamed to stand before God as he was now a sinner who was about to face his righteous God.”
        So no, I will not take down this post or apologize for it, unless you can actually show me where the Bible says that they did walk with God. They may have done that, and I wouldn’t have any problem with it. But it would be nice for you or someone else to show me where the Bible ever makes that claim. Instead of adding our own ideas to Scripture and stating them dogmatically and demanding apologies from anyone who disagrees, perhaps we should learn to deal carefully with the word of God.

  30. This is a different subject. The children of Israel had a great amount of lifestock during the time of their exodus. I’m sure the water God supplied was for the animals as well as the people. But why wouldn’t the Israelites use the animals for sustenance-milk,meat,skins, etc. It seems from Scripture that they lived on manna exclusively. What do you think??

    • Hi Bob,
      Thanks for your question. As you supposed, God did provide water for the animals too. This is stated in the incident where Moses disobeyed by striking the rock instead of speaking to it (Numbers 20:10–11). God also provided quail for a whole month (Numbers 11:19–20). We know that the Israelites did eat some of their animals during the year. For example, the Passover lamb was to be eaten (Exodus 12:8). My guess is that they would not have had nearly enough animals to eat over their forty year wandering. I would assume that they drank goat’s milk during this time as well. I don’t recall a specific instance of this, but since the promised land was repeatedly spoken of as a land flowing with milk and honey, I take that to mean that their flocks would thrive and they would have an abundance of milk (in addition to honey and more).
      I hope this helps.

  31. Dear Tim Chaffey, my nephew and I have read and discussed these verses endlessly. We’ve arrived at a very similar conclusion very recently that Adam and his wife or help-meat very possibly disobeyed their creators command not to eat of the fruit of tree in the midst of the garden the first day they were placed there. In fact, nearly as soon as the Lord have man the woman they went together directly to the forbidden tree (as soon as God turned aside to rest from all the work of His creation) they were tempted, took the fruit and ate it.

  32. Hello Tim. Interesting post. I too have always heard that God walked with Adam & Eve in the “cool of the day” every day. In spite of being familiar with scripture, I never noticed that it doesn’t exactly say this. I’m not a Greek or Hebrew expert, or even a “student.” I depend on what I can find on sites (currently I use biblehub.com). I can see that they heard either a sound or a voice. I can see that “cool of the day” can be also be “breath”, “spirit”, or “wind”. I also see or notice (for first time) that the description occurred after the fall & is only described once. So I will get rid of the statement being discussed here. However, I also notice in chapter 2 that Adam recognized God speaking (commanding) to him concerning the forbidden tree. God also brought the animals to Adam so he could name them. Then brought Eve to him. Seems to me there was plenty of interaction & communication between Adam (& Perhaps Eve) and God. I see “familiarity” here. Adam (perhaps Eve too) was familiar with God’s presence. And in Genesis 3:10 Adam heard that familiar sound (be it foot steps, voice, wind or otherwise) & hid. It does say he was afraid—-afraid because they were naked. Possible the sound he heard was uncharacteristically harsh & is why he was afraid. Or perhaps just the knowledge of being disobedient & the result of knowing their nakedness is what caused him to be afraid. Regardless, my point is that Adam was familiar enough to recognized it was God. And therefore, it seems to me familiarity was brought about by regular communion/ communication/ visits from the Lord. In conclusion, the whole of chapter 2 & 3 causes me to conclude that Adam regularly communed with God somehow; and to me probably daily (or at least almost) since we know we are the apple of His eye. But then you had already stated this was possible. God bless you. Keep up the search for accuracy.

    • An additional notable commentary is that God made Adam in His image and likeness, and imbued him with His Spirit – the breath of life. These factors make Adam, and subsequently Eve who was taken out of the man Adam, uniquely designed to perceive the presence of God, and descern His will. If so, then it seems to follow that there would be ongoing communion and communication between God, Adam, and Eve.
      Lastly, as scripture verifies scripture, we see the second Adam, known as Jesus Christ in regular and perpetual contact with the same God and Father. Christ exemplified the relationship that mankind should have with our heavenly Father and creator.

      • Hi Tom,
        Thanks for the comments. I’m not sure that it necessarily follows that there would be ongoing communion and communication between God, Adam, and Eve. Yes, Adam and Eve were made in His image (as are all of us), but I would argue that angels are probably made in His image as well, and even the holy angels aren’t in ongoing (i.e. constant) communication with God (e.g., the angel in Daniel 10:13 who was withstood by the prince of Persian for 21 days until Michael came to help him). I know you didn’t use the word “constant” but that’s sort of the point in my article. They probably weren’t in the garden for very long at all—perhaps just a few days to a few weeks. So if they were in the garden for a month, how many times (if ever) did they walk with God? Did they do this daily, weekly, etc.? We can’t know because the Bible doesn’t speak to this at all.
        I believe this issue is often promoted by people with certain theological perspectives who want to show how much damage sin did to our relationship with God. So if we can claim that they walked with God in perfect communion before sin, then we can stress how bad sin is because we don’t get to do that anymore. But I don’t think we need to have them walking with God in the garden to show how bad sin is. Either way, prior to sin there was not a fractured relationship between God and man, but there certainly is as a result of sin.
        Like I mentioned before, I don’t have a problem with the idea that they may have walked with God in the garden. I think that would be fantastic. I have a problem with Christians continually repeating that the Bible says they walked with God in the garden because it doesn’t say that. I think your comments are valid additional arguments that could be used by those who favor that view, but as you seem to recognize (“it seems to follow”), the arguments are not watertight.
        Thanks for your thoughts.

        • “I would argue that angels are probably made in His image as well,”

          Where is the specific support for this argument found anywhere in the scriptures?
          Is it that they are referred to as “sons of God?” “holy ones?” That’s not exactly a clear cut and dry case, beyond dispute, based on those sparse details.

          • Hi Jeff,
            Notice that I said that I would argue that they are “probably made in His image.” I didn’t claim that there was “a clear cut and dry case” that is “beyond dispute.” My argument wouldn’t focus on the things you mentioned. Here is a portion of what I wrote on page 72 of my book, Fallen.

            Theologians have long wrestled with the very concept of being made in God’s image. What does it even mean? Suggestions include that it means we are made as rational creatures that can communicate with and worship God, or that we have been given dominion, or that we will live forever. The animals possess none of these characteristics, at least not to the same degree as man, so these seem like strong possibilities for what it means to be made in God’s image. However, many scholars believe the best way to explain the image of God is to think of it as a verb. Because we are made in God’s image, we are called to “image” God. In other words, human beings were made to reflect God’s glory—to show the world what God is like—through who we are and what we do. This concept is very helpful and it incorporates all of the others—intelligence, communication, worship, dominion, an eternal soul. What an absolute honor we have as human beings to be made in the image of the Creator and to be called to demonstrate who He is and what He is like. This is why Christians generally believe that all human life is precious. The unborn child, the mentally handicapped, the elderly, and even our worst enemies—all are made in the image of God.
            Did you notice something else about the way people typically define the image of God? Every description used can also be said about the angelic beings. They are intelligent, rational creatures, capable of communicating and worshiping God. They will live forever, and as we’ll see in the coming chapters, some of them have been given dominion over certain things. It is very possible that the angelic beings are also made in the image of God.

            I don’t believe this is a knock-down, drag-out argument, but given these details and many others described in my book, I believe angelic beings are very likely made in God’s image.

  33. Hi Tim. I agree with your conclusion that we should not assume that God was at Adam and Eve’s beck and call, coming around for a stroll whenever they wanted Him there, or that God spent considerable time fellowshipping with them in physical form as friends do. But since God formed (literally “squeezed into shape”) Adam and breathed into his nostrils and removed one of his ribs and closed up the wound and walked in the garden and spoke to Adam and Eve (and then Cain later on) in a way they could easily understand, the assumption is unavoidable that God was physically there in tangible form. I believe whenever we read the words “The Word of the Lord came to …” such and such prophet, that means Jesus (who is the Word of God)literally came to that individual as Jesus appeared to John on the Island of Patmos. I believe God appeared to Adam and Eve and Cain and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob (when He wrestled with Him) and the parents of Samson, and even to Balaam and his donkey, the same way He appeared to John.

    • When I was young I remember the most favorites of things I would get for Christmas. These were things i highly cherished. I would be with this item all day and be close to me at nite. I would take them apart and look inside to see how they worked. Dont you think that Adam and Eve being new and first created that God would have been extremely close to them ? Also, when Adam and Eve were created, I dont believe they were automatically filled with knowledge as how to take care of themselves, the animals, the garden,etc
      I would think that they received one on one instruction from God. Ok, we have God as a highly elevated being that perhaps didn’t want to spend timewith all of this…. well, they say that Jesus’s life was that of God or perhaps he was God…. why couldn’t it have been Jesus walking in the garden. – who knows perhaps it was. I just think that Adam and Eve would have needed alot of one on one guidance from God, in person, that of which they couldn’t have possibly received by remote control. Sam

      • Hi Sam,
        Thanks for your comments. As I mentioned in the conclusion of the article, it is certainly possible that the Lord walked with Adam and Eve, and if He did, then it may well have been the preincarnate Christ who walked with them. I’m not opposed to this idea. My main point is that we don’t go around saying that the Bible says that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, because that just isn’t in there.
        Also, it’s hard to know how much “preprogramming” Adam and Eve may have had when they were created and how much they needed to learn. Part of the commission to rule over creation would have included the need to study it and figure things out. At the same time, Adam understood what God meant when He spoke to him, so there clearly was some “preprogramming” that occurred when God created him.
        I don’t think it’s a matter of God wanting or not wanting to spend time with His creation, but more of a matter of how much time passed before they rebelled. And I think a strong case can be made for the notion that they weren’t in the garden very long at all. Blessings!