KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
WORDS OF GOD IN RED
To get what Genesis 2:17 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “But of the tree” | וּמֵעֵ֗ץ | A tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks) | tree |
| “of the knowledge” | הַדַּ֙עַת֙ | Knowledge | knowledge |
| “of good” | ט֣וֹב | Good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well) | good |
| “and evil,” | וָרָ֔ע | Bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) | evil |
| “thou shalt not” | לֹ֥א | Not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles | not |
| “eat” | תֹאכַ֖ל | To eat (literally or figuratively) | eat |
| “of” | מִמֶּ֑נּוּ | Properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses | of |
| “it: for” | כִּ֗י | (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed | it for |
| “in the day” | בְּי֛וֹם | A day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb) | day |
| “that thou eatest” | אֲכָלְךָ֥ | To eat (literally or figuratively) | eatest |
| “thereof” | מִמֶּ֖נּוּ | Properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses | thereof |
| “thou shalt surely” | מ֥וֹת | To die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill | surely |
| “die.” | תָּמֽוּת׃ | To die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill | die |
See Genesis 2:17 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.