TREE OF KNOWLEDGE (עֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת; LXX τό ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι). The full phrase is “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9), and designates one of two unusual trees which God placed in the Garden of Eden. God commanded Adam not to eat of this tree on penalty of death (2:17). The serpent’s temptation of Eve centered about this command and when he had convinced her that she would not die but become “like God” she ate of it to her sorrow. The phrase “good and evil,” which indicates the extremes of knowledge, denotes completeness, i.e. omniscience and power. It is equivalent to being divine (3:5). In partaking of its fruit, man reached for divinity but obtained guilt, shame, condemnation and expulsion instead.

Lack of knowing good and evil may be a mark of immaturity (Deut 1:39; Isa 7:14-17) and in 2 Samuel 19:35 the senility of old age. Its possession by the king makes him like an angel of God, and, according to 1 Kings 3:9, it was Solomon’s highly desired gift from God (cf. Gen 24:50; Num 24:13; Eccl 12:14; Jer 42:6). The tree of knowledge symbolized God’s omniscience.