But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
3. of the fruit of the tree, &c.] The woman speaks of only one tree, and that one is in the midst of the garden. She does not mention it by name. In Gen 2:9, where two trees are mentioned, the one which is described as “in the midst of the garden” is the tree of life. Here the woman speaks of the tree, which is “in the midst of the garden,” as the tree of knowledge.
neither shall ye touch it ] This is an addition to the prohibition contained in Gen 2:17, either an element omitted in the previous chapter, or an exaggeration expressive of the woman’s eagerness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 3. Neither shall ye touch it] Did not the woman add this to what God had before spoken? Some of the Jewish writers, who are only serious on comparative trifles, state that as soon as the woman had asserted this, the serpent pushed her against the tree and said, “See, thou hast touched it, and art still alive; thou mayest therefore safely eat of the fruit, for surely thou shalt not die.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To wit, in order to the eating of it. Or the touch might be simply forbidden, or she might reasonably understand it to be forbidden in and by the prohibition of eating, because it was an occasion of sin, and therefore to be avoided. For it is not probable that the woman, being not yet corrupted, should knowingly add to Gods word, or maliciously insinuate the harshness of the precept. Others read, lest
peradventure ye die, as if she doubted of the truth of the threatening; which seems not probable, the woman yet continuing in the state of innocency, and such doubting being evidently sinful; and the Hebrew particle
Pen doth not always imply a doubt, as appears from Psa 2:12; Isa 27:3; 36:18, compared with 2Ki 18:3.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden,…. This tree stood near the tree of life, as is highly probable, since that is described in the same situation, Ge 2:9 she does not give it any name, which perhaps was not as yet given it; or she was not acquainted with it, its name in the preceding chapter being given by anticipation; and most likely it is, it had its name from the event, and as yet was without one:
God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die: here the woman is charged by some both with adding to, and taking from the law of God; and if so, must have sinned very heinously before she eat of the fruit; but neither of them are sufficiently proved; not the former by her saying, “neither shall ye touch it”, which though not expressed in the prohibition, is implied, namely, such a touching the fruit as to pluck it off the tree, take it in the hand, and put it to the mouth, in order to eat it: nor the latter by these words, “lest ye die”, or “lest perhaps ye die” h; as if it was a matter of doubt, when it was most strongly assured; for the word used is not always to be understood of doubting, but of the event of a thing; see Ps 2:12 and may be rendered, “that ye die not” i; which would certainly be the case, should they pluck the fruit and eat of it.
h “ne forte”, V. L. Tigurine version, Fagius. i , Sept.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Neither shall ye touch it This is the woman’s own addition to the commandment as given in Gen 2:17, and is thought by many to imply that in her own mind the commandment was too severe . The tempter started a thought which she develops, as if soliloquizing: “Yes, it is even so. We may eat of all other fruit, but this particular tree we must not even touch, lest we die!” And thus the way is prepared for bolder words from the deceiver.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 3:3. Neither shall ye touch it Words which some expositors have supposed to contain a prevarication on the part of Eve; but they express no more than a strong confirmation of the former clause.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Ver. 3. Neither shall ye touch it. ] This is of the woman’s own addition, and of a good intention doubtless. For afterwards, when she had drunk in more of the serpent’s deadly poison, from gazing upon the fruit, she fell to gaping after it, from touching to tasting. a He that would not feed on sin’s meat, must beware of the broth; “keep thee from an evil matter,” saith Moses. Exo 23:7 A good man dare not come near the treachery, though he be far off the blow; he dare not venture on the occasion, lest his tinder should take fire. It is ill playing upon the hole of the asp, or coming too near hell-mouth; b for by so doing, you may beseem to drop in. “Watch therefore, and pray” too, “that ye enter not into temptation,” saith our blessed Saviour; and mark his reason, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”: q.d., though the spirit purpose otherwise, the flesh will falter, and be foiled: witness the woman here with her “lest ye die.” She held the precept in the utmost extent of it, but that which she failed in, was that she minced the matter, and opposed not the commination to the temptation. And see how the devil works upon her weakness, as he watcheth for our haltings, and where to have us on the hip.
a Hausit virus peritura, et perituros paritura. – Bern.
b Circa serpentis antrum positus, non eris diu illaesus. – Isidor.
neither shall ye touch it. This sentence is added. Compare Gen 2:18, Gen 2:17. There is another word in this verse we need to consider, and it is the word “touch”. God’s command to Eve was; “neither shall ye touch it. “The Hebrew word for “touch” is # H5060 in the Strong’s dictionary is (Naga, a prime root, prop. to touch, i.e., lay the hand upon (for the purpose; euphemism, to lie with a woman), to reach), So we see that the warning to Adam and Eve specifically, was to stay away from Satan called both the “serpent”, and the “tree of good and evil”. The fruit of that tree was not to be taken; and we know that the “fruit” as the results of a sexual relationship between any man and woman is a child. God’s command was that Eve “not touch (lay with Satan).” So, we see that the order by God is that Eve not have sexual union with Satan.
lest ye die. Misquoted from Gen 2:16, Gen 2:17, by not repeating the emphatic Figure Polyptoton, thus changing the emph. preserved in the word “surely”.
But: Gen 2:16, Gen 2:17
touch: Gen 20:6, Exo 19:12, Exo 19:13, 1Ch 16:22, Job 1:11, Job 2:5, Job 19:21, 1Co 7:1, 2Co 6:17, Col 2:21
Reciprocal: Gen 2:9 – tree of knowledge Num 17:13 – any thing Eze 3:18 – I say Joh 8:44 – He was 1Ti 4:1 – seducing
3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, {c} lest ye die.
(c) In doubting God’s warnings she yielded to Satan.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes