Forbidden Fruit
"Forbidden fruit" is the common name for the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat in Eden. The Bible does not identify the fruit by species.
At a Glance
"Forbidden fruit" is the common name for the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat in Eden. The Bible does not identify the fruit by species.
Description
"Forbidden fruit" is a traditional expression for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden (Gen. 2–3). In Scripture, the central issue is not the fruit’s botanical identity but God’s explicit command and humanity’s choice to disobey it. The serpent tempted Eve to doubt God’s word and seek wisdom on her own terms, and Adam joined in the transgression. Their eating marked a decisive act of rebellion that brought guilt, corruption, and death into human experience. Because the phrase itself is traditional rather than a formal biblical label, a careful definition should keep attention on the biblical text: God gave a clear prohibition, the first couple violated it, and the result was the fall into sin.