Genesis 3:23

So God hunted them out of the garden. To get food, they had to dig the ground and grow plants. You know, God made that man out of the ground, and after they left the garden, that man had to dig that same ground.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

In Context

22After that, God said, “These people are like us now. They know what things are good, and what things are bad. We have to stop them, so they will not eat fruit from the other tree in the middle of the garden, the tree that makes people stay alive. If they eat that fruit, they will live for ever.”

24After God hunted them out of the garden, he made sure that they couldn’t get back. He put some of his angel workers as guards just outside the east side of the garden in Eden. And he put a long knife there with them. That knife kept on moving around all the time, and it looked like it was on fire. Those angel workers and that long knife, they kept everyone away from that tree that makes people stay alive.

Read all of Genesis 3

Cross References

Genesis 2:5At first, God didn’t send any rain on the earth, and there were no people to make the ground right for the plants. So nothing was growing on the earth at that time.

Genesis 2:8Then God made a garden in a place called Eden. It was in the east part of the land. And God put the man in that garden.

Genesis 4:2After that, they had another son, and she gave him the name Abel. Abel grew up, and he looked after sheep and goats all the time. Cain grew up, and he became a gardener. He dug the ground and grew plants for people to eat.

Genesis 9:20Soon after Noah came out of the big boat, he started growing a garden. He planted some grape vines, and they grew some grapes. Then he made some wine from those grapes.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 3:23-24

Adam and Eve Expelled from Eden. ( b. c. 4004.) 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: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.… Read the whole commentary →

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