How long was it before Adam and Eve sinned?

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Accepted answer

Genesis 5:3 says:

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

By virtue of this, we know that Cain killed Abel within 130 years of Adam being created, because Seth was not born until after that occurred. This means that the Fall had to occur within that time. Other than that, the Bible is silent.

Upvote:-1

The question assumes that the story of Adam and Eve is to be taken literally, not metaphorically. The narrative of their sin begins with Chapter Three of Genesis, when the serpent enters the picture. There is no chronology attached to the narrative, so it is impossible to discern from the text how much time elapsed between Eve's creation (Gen. 2:21-25) and the sin (Gen. 3:1-6).

Upvote:0

Nevertheless man being in honour abides not: he is like the beasts that perish." Psalm 49:12

The word "abides" concerns lodging at a place, that is "to stay for a night" at a place.

Adam: and some understand this of the first man Adam, who was created and crowned with glory and honour; but it did not abide with him, nor he in that: so some Jewish writers (y) interpret it. But whether the words will admit of this sense or not, the general view of the psalmist, which is to show the inconstancy and instability of worldly honour, may be exemplified in the case of the first man; he was in honour he was created after the image and likeness of God, and so was the glory of God, being his image; he was in friendship with God, as many instances show, and had dominion over all the creatures below; he had much knowledge of God, and communion with him, and was a pure, holy, and upright creature; but he continued not long in this state of honour and glory; "he lodged not a night" (z), as the words may be rendered; see Genesis 28:11; and as they are by some, who conclude from hence that Adam fell the same day in which he was created; and which is the sense of the above Jewish writers, who say, he was driven out of paradise the evening of that day; but though he might stand longer, and the word is sometimes used of a longer continuance; see Psalm 25:13; yet by the account in Genesis it looks as if he continued in his state of honour but a short time. (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Upvote:2

My strong hunch is that Adam and Eve were not sinless for very long at all. Here's why:

  1. God gave them a cultural mandate to multiply
  2. At the time God gave that mandate, Adam and Eve were sinless
  3. Being sinless, they would have almost certainly obeyed God and gone about the multiplication process almost immediately
  4. However, there were no children at the time of The Fall of Man
  5. Therefore, one would reasonably conclude that they were tempted, and they sinned, very shortly after being created.

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