Slavery or Agency: Reinterpreting Genesis 2:15-17

Genesis 2:15-17, traditionally interpreted as a divine command disobeyed by humanity, is better understood as a warning delivered not to humanity broadly but to ha’adam, an archetypal male, emphasizing human agency over rote obedience. This paper argues that Yahweh’s statement to ha’adam—permitting the consumption of fruit from every Tree, followed by a conditional consequence of mortality—lacks the prohibitive structure of a command. Through textual analysis of vayətzer (“warned”), mikol (“from every”), and mot tamut (“become mortal”), I demonstrate that the narrative frames eating from the Tree of Knowledge as an act of free will in the absence of divine coercion. The knowledge gained, identified as sexual awareness, necessitates expulsion to prevent overpopulation, not punishment. This reading contrasts the pagan gods of Mesopotamian myths who govern by divine whim, positioning Genesis as a story of human free will, culminating in the moral collapse described in Genesis 6:5-6. Reframing these three verses reshapes theological discourse on obedience, sin, and divine intent, offering a fresh lens through which to view biblical scholarship.