Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Why did God say, “on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die,” yet Adam & Eve did not die the same day they ate the fruit?



Many people who have read the story of the fall in Genesis chapters 2 and 3 have noticed an apparent discrepancy. In Genesis 2:17, God warns Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:

CSB17 Genesis 2:17 “ . . .but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Based on God’s warning, we expect that Adam and Eve will die the very same day that they eat the fruit. But they don’t. In fact, Adam lives 930 years before he dies.

In this blog post, I will examine five proposed solutions to this problem. The last two solutions arrive at a similar interpretation, but do so through different linguistic routes (solution #4 focuses on the Hebrew behind the phrase “on the day,” while solution #5 focuses on the Hebrew behind the phrase “you will certainly die”). I believe that one of these last two interpretations is the correct one, and that of these two, solution #5 is most likely the most precise correct interpretation.

Finding the correct interpretation does not merely solve a challenging puzzle. In the concluding remarks we will see how a correct understanding of Genesis 2:17 harmonizes with the Apostle Paul’s discussion of Adam and Jesus and death and resurrection in the New Testament.




POSSIBLE SOLUTION #1: A Non-literal meaning of death

A popular solution to our problem is to posit that in Genesis 2:17 the word “die” does not refer to normal, ordinary death. It is claimed that instead it refers to “spiritual death.” The term “spiritual death” is not found in the Bible, so different Christians give somewhat different definitions. Perhaps the most common definition, at least in the context of discussing Genesis 2:17, is to say that to die here refers to being separated from God.

Several lines of evidence might be offered to attempt to support this view. It might be claimed that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they were thus separated from God, or at least from close, intimate fellowship with Him. Also, it is a general biblical principle that our sins do separate us from God in some sense (Isaiah 59:2, Proverbs 15:29, Deuteronomy 31:17-18).

Despite the arguments that can be made to support this solution, there are multiple reasons to reject it.

1. Moses consistently uses the same Hebrew phrase to refer to literal, normal, physical death many  times .

The Hebrew phrase translated “you will certainly die” consists of the absolute infinitive of the verb for “die” followed by the same verb in a finite form. We don’t have a grammatical form closely equivalent to this in English, so it is difficult to translate it. If one were to try to translate it in a word for word literal way some options might be:

“dying you will die”
“to die you will die”
“death you will die”

None of these options capture the meaning of the Hebrew phrase (in fact, none of these options really says anything clear in English since in English we don’t use this grammatical construction). We will come back to this grammatical construction later and try to nail down more precisely what it does mean. For now, the important point is that this same construction with a doubling of the Hebrew verb for “die” is used a total of 31 times by Moses. Once in the verse we are examining, once a few verses later when Satan denies what God said, and then 29 more times from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers (this phrase does not appear in Deuteronomy). In every one of those 29 examples, the phrase is clearly referring to ordinary death, not some kind of spiritual death.

This data makes it quite unlikely that Moses intended something different from ordinary death in Genesis 2:17. However, if the context of the story supported a different, rare, meaning, that might be enough to override the more common meaning. But as we will see, the context actually reinforces the normal meaning of death.

2. The immediate context of the story of the fall and the broader context of Genesis both support an ordinary meaning of death.

After they eat the forbidden fruit, God visits Adam and Eve and gives them a series of consequences. There are more consequences than death (of any kind). But there is one consequence that is very closely connected with death: “For you are dust, and you will return to dust” (Gen. 3:19 CSB17). Returning to dust relates to ordinary, physical death.

As far as the context of the rest of Genesis goes, the same Hebrew word used for death five times in Genesis chapters 2 and 3, is found 74 more times in the rest of Genesis. Here we are counting all uses of the verb for “to die,” not just the cases where it has the same precise grammatical form as found in Genesis 2:17. It always refers to normal, physical death and is never used to refer to some type of spiritual death. In fact, it is even used twice to refer to animal death (see Appendix 2).

3. Although we know that sin does cause separation from God, this element is not emphasized in the account of the fall. In fact, the very next verse after the story of the fall in Genesis 3 shows that in a significant way God was still with them and helping them:

CSB17 Genesis 4:1 The man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the LORD 's help."

Adam and Eve are indeed cast out of the Garden, and as a result do not have access to the tree of life. However, God is still with them outside the Garden and helping them.

In summary, I think the evidence is strongly against the first possible way to explain why Adam and Eve did not die the day they ate the fruit. The argument that God was referring to a spiritual death of some kind is not well supported. The other four possible solutions are all consistent with God’s warning referring to ordinary death.




POSSIBLE SOLUTION #2: Adam and Eve began the process of dying on the very day they ate the fruit, and finally died later.

This solution says that God meant that Adam and Eve would begin the process of dying on the day they ate the fruit, and then later they would finally die. This reflects the widely observed and experienced truth that our bodies begin to decay (age) long before we die. We now know that this is due, at least in part, to the accumulation of genetic damage at each cell division and over the life of each cell. While Moses would not have known the biological causes (and even today we are far from completely understanding all that goes into aging), he certainly would have known that our bodies normally start to get old, weak, stiff, and begin to experience many problems long before we actually die. And of course, God, who inspired Moses, knows this. But for this explanation to work, there has to be something in the language to suggest that God might have been referring to a process of dying leading to death rather than simply referring to death.

Proponents of this solution think there is something in the language to support this view. They base it on the fact that the Hebrew for “you will certainly die” is mōwt tamut. Both mōwt and tamut are forms of the Hebrew verb which means “to die.”

It is uncontroversial that tamut by itself means “you will die.”

The complicated part is mōwt. This is the absolute infinitive of the verb. The Hebrew absolute infinitive does not have an exact equivalent in English. Because it is called an infinitive, some have suggested “to die” as the best literal translation. However, because the absolute infinitive often functions like a noun, others have suggested “dying,” since in English participles sometimes function as nouns. As a result, the word-for-word translation “dying you will die” has been suggested. That sounds like it might mean that Adam and Even would begin the process of dying that day and then eventually die later.

For those who have not studied the meaning of the Hebrew absolute infinitive, and have not looked at examples of mōwt tamut throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the above explanation sounds very attractive. However, I believe a closer examination shows that the translation “dying you will die” simply cannot be supported.

The big problem is that mōwt tamut functions as an idiomatic grammatical unit where the meaning of the unit cannot be determined simply by the meaning of each individual word. As mentioned above, this exact wording is used 31 times by Moses and another 20 times in the rest of the Old Testament. All of these uses are listed in Appendix #1. You can see that there is not a single example outside of Genesis 2:17 and Satan’s denial of God’s warning in 3:4 where the context would support a meaning like “a process of dying that ends in death.”

Therefore, while this interpretation is attractive when we think about the fact that our bodies usually go through a process of decay leading to death, there is no linguistic evidence to support the idea that God was referring to this process when He warned Adam that he would surely die if he ate the fruit. Further, there is nothing explicit in the context to justify such a rare and unusual meaning. For example, if while declaring the curses God had said something like “Now you will begin to die (or decay),” this might justify such an interpretation. Or if somewhere in the story it said something like “Then Adam and Eve began to decay (or die, or something similar),” that might justify a meaning of mōwt tamut in Genesis 2:17 that is different from how it is consistently used elsewhere. But lacking any contextual clues, there is no reason to interpret this phrase as having a unique meaning here. This is even more true because, as we will see when we get to possible solution #5, the normal meaning of mōwt tamut fits perfectly well here and provides a solution that works.




POSSIBLE SOLUTION #3: God graciously chose to delay Adam and Eve’s death to allow them and their descendants to experience His plan of salvation.

A major advantage of this solution is that it allows Genesis 2:17, as most commonly translated in English translations, to be taken entirely literally. “on the day you eat from it” means literally just that, and “you will certainly die” refers to normal, ordinary death. After looking at many verses using the phrase “on the day” and many other verses containing the Hebrew phrase mōwt tamut (translated “you will certainly die” above), it appears that the Hebrew text could easily support this simple, literal interpretation.

In addition to allowing a simple, literal reading of Genesis 2:17, this solution can point to the fact that God provided clothing made from animal skins to cover Adam and Eve. Whatever solution Christians think is most likely to explain why Adam and Eve did not die the same day they ate the fruit, many agree that the provision of animal skins, which would have necessitated killing an animal, likely points to the way God would ultimately cover our sins (and not merely cover, but atone for and wash away), by the substitutionary death of Christ. So, this first animal sacrifice (although not explicitly called an animal sacrifice) pointed to God’s mercy and plan of salvation. In light of His mercy and plan of salvation, He might then have chosen to delay the execution of the death sentence that Adam and Eve (and all of us, outside of Christ!) deserved.

Might God threaten someone with death and then delay the execution? Yes.

In the 20th chapter of 2 Kings, the prophet Isaiah tells King Hezekiah that he is about to die. But after Hezekiah cries out to God in prayer, God sends Isaiah back to the tell the King that He has added fifteen years to his life.

Further, in Ezekiel God provides a list of sinful actions and then says:

CSB17 Ezekiel 18:13b Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die (mōwt tamut). His death will be his own fault.

Is there any hope for this person who due to detestable acts is certain to die? Yes:

CSB17 Ezekiel 18:21 "But if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.

Perhaps an even more relevant example is found in Exodus after the tragedy of the golden calf. God is ready to wipe out all of Israel and start over again with Moses. But after Moses intercedes in prayer, we read:

CSB17 Exodus 32:14 So the LORD relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.

What makes this last story so relevant is that God does cause almost all the Israelites to die in the desert due to their sins, but their deaths are delayed long enough to allow a new generation to be raised up.

Considering these examples (and others could be given), I feel that solution #3 is a reasonable explanation that cannot be ruled out. But I don’t think it is the best explanation for the following reasons:

1. Unlike some of the other examples listed above (like when God allowed the Israelites to live 40 years in the desert after Moses interceded) , there is nothing in the story of the fall that explicitly states that God changed his mind. Nor is there any record of Adam or Eve asking Him to.

2. The next two explanations, while a bit more complex due to the fact that we don’t speak biblical Hebrew, both seem to provide a solution that fits the language and the story a little better. Although  solution #3 works very well with the most common English translations of Genesis 2:17, ultimately it is the meaning of the original Hebrew text which is most important.




Possible Solution #4 The phrase “on the day” as used in the Hebrew Old Testament does not always refer to an event happening in or on just one literal day.

In English, we sometimes use the word “day” to refer to a much longer period of time than a literal 24 hour day. For example, we might say “In Abraham Lincoln’s day America was bitterly divided.” Anyone reading this would interpret “day” to mean “lifetime.” It turns out that in Hebrew they also sometimes used the word “day” to refer to periods other than a literal day.

In examining examples from the Hebrew Old Testament, it will help to know that the Hebrew word for day is yom and the phrase “on the day” is formed in Hebrew by adding a prepositional prefix to yom so that it becomes beyom.

One example close to our own text is found earlier in the same chapter of Genesis:

ESV Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day (beyom) that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

We quoted from the ESV above because this translation tends to be more word-for-word literal and in this verse chose to translate beyom in a word-for-word literal way, even though it would be a bit unusual for us to say it that way in English since it took more than one day for God to create the world. Other translations chose to translate this same verse in a way that feels more natural in English. Here are some examples:

CSB17 Genesis 2:4 These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time that (beyom)  the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

NIV Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when (beyom) the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

NLT Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When (beyom)  the LORD God made the earth and the heavens

Genesis 2:4 is not the only time when beyom is used to mean basically “when.” Consider this passage:

16 The LORD said to Moses, "You are about to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them.
 17 My anger will burn against them on that day (beyom); I will abandon them and hide my face from them so that they will become easy prey. Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day (beyom)  they will say, 'Haven't these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us? '
 18 I will certainly hide my face on that day (beyom)  because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. (Deut. 31:16-18 CSB17)

When we look at what actually happened, Israel prostituted themselves with foreign gods and God afflicted them with troubles and hid his face from them over long periods of time in Israel’s history. Other examples could be given.

Based on these examples, it seems that it would be reasonable to translate beyom in Genesis 2:17 as simply “when” or “if” since that would be a more natural translation in English which would be less likely to be misunderstood. In fact, some translations (especially those which place relatively more focus on catching the idea clearly of the original Hebrew in natural English, as opposed to those which place a little more weight on translating as word-for-word literally as English allows) have in fact translated Genesis 2:17 in ways which are consistent with our possible solution #4:

NIV Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when (beyom) you eat from it you will certainly die."

NET Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when (beyom) you eat from it you will surely die."

NLT Genesis 2:17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If (beyom) you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

If the above translations are correctly capturing the sense of the original Hebrew, that does not necessarily mean that more literal translations are wrong. It may merely mean that those translators chose to use a more word-for-word translation and allow Bible commentators, teachers, and preachers to figure out and explain the Hebrew idiom. Translating it word-for-word also allows for the possibility that God did intend to mean that something literally happened in that day (as is the case in the other 4 possible solutions).

At this point, you may be thinking that this solution is the right one. I think this solution is reasonable and plausible. It may be correct. But I don’t think it is the solution which is most precisely correct. This solution, despite its considerable strengths, does have some weaknesses.

Just because yom sometimes refers to a period of time other than a literal day, doesn’t mean it is being used this way in Genesis 2:17. In fact, most of the time, yom does refer to a literal day. Likewise, while beyom sometimes is used in a broad sense to mean “when” or “in the time that,” most of the time when beyom is used, it does mean literally “in the day” or “on the day.” According to my BibleWorks search engine, the phrase beyom is used 524 times in the Old Testament, including 138 times by Moses. I looked at all the times Moses used it and a fair sample of the other times. I also looked at some examples having the basic form “If you do something, then this will be the consequence.” Examples I looked at included Genesis 20:7, Exodus 8:2, Leviticus 26:21, Numbers 32:23, and Deuteronomy 28:15. Many similar examples could be added. None of these warnings which have a form similar to Genesis 2:17 use beyom. They all use the normal Hebrew word for if. Why would God have used beyom instead of simply using if unless He wanted to emphasize the time element? After looking at all this data, I feel it is more likely that in the specific context of Genesis 2:17 Moses meant literally “on the day” and his readers most likely would have interpreted it that way. This is a judgment call. It’s not black and white because beyom has a range of possible meanings and there are many ways to say basically the same thing in any given language.

We have one more possible solution to consider. In this solution something does happen on the very day they eat the fruit. This last solution is the one which I think most likely is correct:






Possible Solution #5 The Hebrew phrase mōwt tamut basically means “death sentence!” and thus the force of the sentence is not that Adam and Eve would certainly die on the very day they ate the fruit, but that they would receive a death sentence that very day that would make their eventual death certain.

The difference between solution #5 and solution #4 is that in solution #4 Genesis 2:17 is not speaking about anything that happened on the literal same day that they ate the fruit, while in solution #5 it does refer to something that happened on the literal same day.

This solution has in its favor the easily verifiable fact that in almost all the 51 times mōwt tamut is used in the Old Testament it refers to a death penalty. You can see this for yourself in Appendix #1.

While mōwt tamut seems to be the most common way to refer to a death penalty, on a few occasions, a Hebrew phrase meaning literally death-judgment is used. In one passage, the phrase for mōwt tamut
is used and then later the Hebrew phrase meaning death-judgment is used to refer to the same thing. After Jeremiah faithfully declares God’s message, some of the religious leaders declare that Jeremiah must die:

CSB17 Jeremiah 26:8 When he finished the address the LORD had commanded him to deliver to all the people, immediately the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, "You must surely die!” (mōwt tamut)

In verse 26:11, the same priests and prophets ask the city officials to give Jeremiah a death sentence:

CSB17 Jeremiah 26:11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."

And in 26:16, the officials (who seem to be a bit more reasonable) reply that Jeremiah really does not deserve a death sentence:

CSB17 Jeremiah 26:16 Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, "This man doesn't deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God!"

The point is that mōwt tamut seems to mean the same thing in verse 8 that “the death sentence” means in verses 11 and 16.

This solution is also supported by the fact that on the same day they eat of the fruit, God casts them out of Eden for the specific purpose of ensuring that they do not live forever in a fallen state. Surely, this is a death sentence:

CSB17 Genesis 3:22 The LORD God said, "Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever."

There are some translations of Genesis 2:17 which reflect this interpretation. Perhaps the most important one is a translation by Robert Alter in which he includes explanatory notes. Here is his translation:

“But from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you are doomed to die." (Genesis, Translation and Commentary by Robert Alter).

Alter’s commentary on this verse is enlightening:

16.—17. surely eat. . . doomed to die. The form of the Hebrew in both instances is what grammarians call the infinitive absolute: the infinitive immediately followed by a conjugated form of the same verb. The general effect of this repetition is to add emphasis to the verb, but because in the case of the verb "to die" it is the pattern regularly used in the Bible for the issuing of death sentences, "doomed to die" is an appropriate equivalent. (Genesis, Translation and Commentary by Robert Alter, footnote for Genesis 2:17)

Alter’s translation is not widely known, but it received a positive review by Hershael York on The Gospel Coalition site.

Another translation which is consistent with this interpretation is found in the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB):

CJB Genesis 2:17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die."


We could offer a few possible translations of our own:

                “on the day you eat from it – death sentence!”

                “on the day you eat from it you will be sentenced to death.”

I think this final option is the best of the five solutions.

Summary of the Five Solutions

I don’t think we can (or at least I don’t think I can) say with complete confidence that one of the solutions is certainly correct. But neither do I think they are all equally likely. This chart summarizes how likely I feel each solution is:




While it may seem unsatisfying to have a conclusion which is uncertain, this reflects the reality of language and the difficulty of interpreting from an ancient language. However, it should be encouraging that there are good solutions to the question of why God seems to say Adam and Eve will die the day they eat the fruit, but then they don’t die until much later.

Something else also is important. Only solution #1 above calls for a non-literal, “spiritual” interpretation of death in Genesis 2:17. The other four solutions all work very well with, or even require, the death threatened in Genesis 2:17 to refer to the literal, ordinary meaning of death. Specifically, it means that a person loses their life. They cease to live.

If my judgment of the relative likelihood of the five possible solutions is approximately correct, it would mean it is very unlikely that Genesis 2:17 is referring to a “spiritual death” and nearly certain it is referring to ordinary death. This does not mean that nothing spiritual happened that day. For example, Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness and felt shame in a way they had not before. Also, while it is not explicitly stated in the story, their intimacy with God was damaged. God still was with them to help them in some ways (see Genesis 4:1), but we know that sin damages our relationship with God until our sin is dealt with by repentance and God’s grace. So, we’re not saying that their sin had no spiritual consequences. It certainly did! However, God was not specifically referring to those consequences when he warned them that the result of their disobedience would be death. He was warning of death, plain and simple. This fact is important because it harmonizes the warning in Genesis 2:17 that Adam’s sin would bring death with two passages in the New Testament where Paul specifically mentions Adam and death.

Connecting Genesis 2:17 to the New Testament




In Genesis 2:17, God warns Adam that if he eats the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil then Adam will receive a death sentence. Adam and Eve do eat the fruit. Later that day God comes and declares the consequences. The most serious consequence is that they will, indeed, die and return to dust. God casts them out of Eden and blocks their access to the tree of life so that people will not live forever in a fallen state.

Thank God there is more to the story. Even while proclaiming the curse, God gives hope that the serpent will one day be crushed by a descendant from Eve. God also provides animal skins to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. This act, which would have involved killing an animal, points to God’s plan to provide forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

In Romans, Paul explains how all mankind has fallen short of God’s glory and thus we all deserve to die (Romans 1:32). He then goes on to explain the very good news that Jesus died for us to satisfy this penalty. We can now be justified (declared righteous) through faith in Jesus. In Romans 5, Paul explains that this declaration of righteousness in Christ overcomes the death penalty we all deserve. Paul ends the chapter with this beautiful summary which emphasizes that the possibility of eternal life which was lost in the garden has now been restored through Christ:  “sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:21 CSB17).

While those Christians alive at the return of Christ will apparently never experience death (see 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18), most of us die before Christ returns. We conquer death not by never experiencing a death, but in the exact same way that our Lord conquered death: through a glorious bodily resurrection. This is the great topic of 1 Corinthians 15. Once again, Paul connects this great truth to Adam and what happened when he sinned. The tragedy that began in Eden, and has been repeated by our own sins, is reversed through the work of Christ. For all who have faith in Him, death will not be our end.

For just as in Adam all die,
 so also in Christ all will be made alive.
(1 Cor. 15:22 CSB17)

But what about those who reject Christ? They also are resurrected, but only for the purpose of facing judgment (John 5:29). This judgment affirms the death sentence that God warned of back in Eden. By resurrecting them temporarily back to life God ensures all creation clearly knows and sees that the death sentence of the unrighteous is just and right. They then die a second time, a fate the Bible four times refers to as “the second death.” This means they perish (John 3:16). God destroys both their bodies and souls in hell (Matthew 10:28). They are burned to ashes (2 Peter 2:6). Then they “will fade away like smoke” (Psalm 27:20) and “will be no more” (Psalm 37:10).


Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .



Acknowledgements and Additional Reading Resources:

In this blog post, I drew heavily on the insights and research from this article on Genesis 2:17 by Peter Grice on the Rethinking Hell website:


I’ve written several other articles that are related to the topics of death, second death, and immortality in the Bible. Here are four you may be interested in:




 











Appendix #1: All examples of absolute infinitive of death followed by a finite verb with the same root

This appendix contains all 49 occurrences of the Hebrew verb for “die” having the same grammatical form (absolute infinitive followed by a finite verb with the same root) as the Hebrew verb phrase found in Genesis 2:17. In this blog post, we are trying to determine how best to interpret Genesis 2:17 in light of the fact that Adam and Eve did not die on the same literal day they ate the fruit. In looking at these sentences notice the following:

1. After the two verses in the story we are discussing (Genesis 2:17 and 3:4), in all other 47 examples death refers to literal, ordinary death.

2. In the vast majority of these examples, this phrase is being used to express a death penalty either for a certain sin, or for someone who has committed a sin. The penalty is usually declared by either God or a human king.

The English words which translate the relevant Hebrew verbs (sometimes along with their objects and other modifiers) are placed in bold red to help you quickly see them.

CSB17 Gen. 2:17  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die."

CSB17 Gen. 3:4  "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman.

CSB17 Gen. 20:7  Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours."

CSB17 Gen. 26:11  So Abimelech warned all the people, "Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly be put to death."

CSB17 Exod. 19:12  Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don't go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death.

CSB17 Exod. 21:12  "Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death.

CSB17 Exod. 21:15  "Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.

CSB17 Exod. 21:16  "Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession.

CSB17 Exod. 21:17  "Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death.

CSB17 Exod. 22:19  "Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

CSB17 Exod. 31:14  Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must be put to death. If anyone does work on it, that person must be cut off from his people.

CSB17 Exod. 31:15  Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

CSB17 Lev. 20:2  "Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.

CSB17 Lev. 20:9  "If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his death is his own fault.

CSB17 Lev. 20:10  "If a man commits adultery with a married woman-- if he commits adultery with his neighbor's wife-- both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

CSB17 Lev. 20:11  If a man sleeps with his father 's wife, he has violated the intimacy that belongs to his father. Both of them must be put to death; their death is their own fault.

CSB17 Lev. 20:12  If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have acted perversely; their death is their own fault.

CSB17 Lev. 20:13  If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, they have both committed a detestable act. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault.

CSB17 Lev. 20:15  If a man has sexual intercourse with an animal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the animal.

CSB17 Lev. 20:16  If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault.

CSB17 Lev. 20:27  "A man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault."

CSB17 Lev. 24:16  Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the resident alien or the native.

CSB17 Lev. 24:17  "If a man kills anyone, he must be put to death.

CSB17 Lev. 27:29  No person who has been set apart for destruction is to be ransomed; he must be put to death.

CSB17 Num. 15:35  Then the LORD told Moses, "The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp."

CSB17 Num. 26:65  For the LORD had said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

CSB17 Num. 35:16  "If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.

CSB17 Num. 35:17  If anyone has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.

CSB17 Num. 35:18  If anyone has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.

CSB17 Num. 35:21  or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.

CSB17 Num. 35:31  You are not to accept a ransom for the life of someone who is guilty of murder; he must be put to death.

CSB17 Jdg. 13:22  "We're certainly going to die," he said to his wife, "because we have seen God!"

CSB17 Jdg. 21:5  The Israelites asked, "Who of all the tribes of Israel didn't come to the LORD with the assembly?" For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the LORD at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.

CSB17 1 Sam. 14:39  As surely as the LORD lives who saves Israel, even if it is because of my son Jonathan, he must die!" Not one of the troops answered him.

CSB17 1 Sam. 14:44  Saul declared to him, "May God punish me and do so severely if you do not die, Jonathan!"

CSB17 1 Sam. 22:16  But the king said, "You will die, Ahimelech-- you and your father's whole family!"

CSB17 2 Sam. 12:14  However, because you treated the LORD with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die."

CSB17 2 Sam. 14:14  We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.

CSB17 1 Ki. 2:37  On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head."

CSB17 1 Ki. 2:42  So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Didn't I make you swear by the LORD and warn you, saying, 'On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die '? And you said to me, 'The sentence is fair; I will obey.'

CSB17 2 Ki. 1:4  Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.'" Then Elijah left.

CSB17 2 Ki. 1:6  They replied, "A man came to meet us and said, 'Go back to the king who sent you and declare to him: This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you're sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.'"

CSB17 2 Ki. 1:16  Then Elijah said to King Ahaziah, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron-- is it because there is no God in Israel for you to inquire of his will?-- you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.'"

CSB17 2 Ki. 8:10  Elisha told him, "Go say to him, 'You are sure to recover.' But the LORD has shown me that he is sure to die."

CSB17 Jer. 26:8  When he finished the address the LORD had commanded him to deliver to all the people, immediately the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, "You must surely die!

CSB17 Ezek. 3:18  If I say to the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but you do not warn him-- you don't speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life-- that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.

CSB17 Ezek. 18:13  and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His death will be his own fault.

CSB17 Ezek. 33:8  If I say to the wicked, 'Wicked one, you will surely die,' but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.

CSB17 Ezek. 33:14  " 'So when I tell the wicked person, "You will surely die," but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right--



Appendix #2 All Uses of the Word Death/Die in Genesis
Here is a list of all the uses of the Hebrew word for death in Genesis. I’ve provided a very brief description of the context in which the word death is used for each verse. You should be able to hold your cursor over a verse and see it pop up.

Genesis 2:17      “you will certainly die” - God

Genesis 3:3         Eve slightly misquotes God

Genesis 3:4         “you will not die” - Satan

Genesis 5:5         Adam died

Genesis 5:8        Seth died

Genesis 5:11      Enosh died

Genesis 5:14      Kenan died

Genesis 5:17      Mahalalel died

Genesis 5:20      Jared died

Genesis 5:27      Methuselah died

Genesis 5:31      Lamech died

Genesis 7:22      Everything on dry land died (includes animal death)

Genesis 9:29      Noah died

Genesis 11:28    Haran died

Genesis 11:32    Terah died

Genesis 18:25    Abraham pleads for God not to kill the righteous in Sodom

Genesis 19:19    Lot is concerned that he will die

Genesis 20:3      God warns Abimelech that he is as good as dead (prolepsis)

Genesis 20:7      God warns Abimelech that if he does not return Sarah he will certainly die

Genesis 21:16    Hagar cannot bear to watch her child die

Genesis 23:2      Sarah died

Genesis 23:3      Refers to Sarah’s death

Genesis 23:4      Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 23:6      Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 23:8      Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 23:11    Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 23:13    Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 23:15    Refers to burial of Sarah’s dead body

Genesis 25:8      Abraham died

Genesis 25:11    Refers to Abraham’s death

Genesis 25:17    Ishmael died

Genesis 25:32    Esau (exaggerating) says he is about to die from hunger

Genesis 26:9      Isaac was afraid he might die (be killed) because of his wife

Genesis 26:11    Abimelech declares death penalty for anyone who touches Isaac or his wife

Genesis 26:18    Refers to death of Abraharm

Genesis 27:2      Isaac says, “I do not know the day of my death.”

Genesis 27:4      Isaac wants to bless his son before he (Isaac) dies.

Genesis 27:7      Repeats desire of Isaac to bless his son before dying.

Genesis 27:10    Also discusses Isaac blessing a son before dying.

Genesis 30:1      “Give me children, or I shall die!” – Rachel to Jacob

Genesis 33:13    “the flocks will die” (refers to animal death)

Genesis 35:8       Deborah died and was buried

Genesis 35:18     Refers to Rachel dying

Genesis 35:19     Rachel died and was buried

Genesis 35:29     Isaac died

Genesis 36:33     Bela died

Genesis 36:34     Jobab died

Genesis 36:35     Husham died

Genesis 36:36     Hadad died

Genesis 36:37     Samlah died

Genesis 36:38     Shaul died

Genesis 36:39     Baal-hanan died

Genesis 37:18     Joseph brothers plan to put him to death

Genesis 38:7       The Lord puts Er to death

Genesis 38:10     The Lord puts Onan to death

Genesis 38:11     Judah worries that Shelah might also die

Genesis 38:12     Judah’s wife dies

Genesis 42:2       Plan to by grain “that we may live and not die”

Genesis 42:20     Joseph orders his brothers to bring the youngest to avoid death

Genesis 42:37     Reuben offers to allow his two sons to be put to death if he fails to return Benjamin 

Genesis 42:38     Jacob thinks Joseph is dead

Genesis 43:8       Judah wants to buy more food so that they don’t die

Genesis 44:9       Joseph’s brothers say they will die if any of them took the cup

Genesis 44:20     Joseph’s brothers think he is dead

Genesis 44:22     Concern that losing Benjamin might cause Jacob to die

Genesis 44:31     Jacob will die if Benjamin does not return

Genesis 45:28     Jacob plans to see Joseph before dying

Genesis 46:12     Recounts that Er and Onan died in Canaan

Genesis 46:30     Jacob is ready to die

Genesis 47:15     Egyptians and Canaanites plead for food so they won’t die

Genesis 47:19     same as above

Genesis 47:29     Time approaches for Jacob to die

Genesis 48:7       Jacob remembers Rachel’s death

Genesis 48:21     Jacob knows he is about to die

Genesis 50:5       Jacob is about to die

Genesis 50:15     His sons see Jacob is dead

Genesis 50:16     Jacob’s brothers mention their father’s death

Genesis 50:24     Joseph says he is about die

Genesis 50:26     Joseph died (last verse in Genesis)




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