How long did Adam stay in Eden?

How long did Adam stay in Eden?

Ultimately we do not know this with any accuracy; some speculate one day or one week. We have no why to know for sure. Some Catholic mystics, such as Catherine Emmerich state that Adam (and Eve) were in the Earthly Paradise for about three (3) hours. The best response in my humble opinion is that they were in Eden for a relatively short period of time, with much leaning towards a single day or less.

How long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

The answer is that we do not know. But, based on other biblical evidence, we can assume that their time in the garden was relatively short. The couple did not have their first child until after they were banished from the garden (Genesis 3:23—4:2). Since Romans 5:12 tells us that “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned,” Adam must have been childless at the moment he chose to sin. Any child born before Adam’s sin would not have inherited Adam’s sinful nature. There is no reason to believe that the man and woman abstained from sexual relations in the garden, but we can assume that Eve did not conceive her first child prior to their sin. It seems, then, that the serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and the couple were expelled from the garden quite early on (Genesis 3:1–7).

In their sin, Adam and Eve decided that the Lord would not be their Lord in this situation. They would be their own gods and choose for themselves what was right for them. The world has been reaping the consequences ever since. God had given them everything they needed to thrive and enjoy life, but they soon chose to disobey Him, and they lost paradise. Immediately upon sinning, Adam and Eve realized they were naked, and they felt ashamed (Genesis 2:25; 3:7). They made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves. But God provided them with garments of skin (Genesis 3:21), demonstrating that sin leads to death, as He had said, and that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). God’s action was a foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, whose blood would ultimately cover the sins of all who put their faith in Him (Hebrews 10:1–18). Also in the garden, God promised a Savior, one who would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15)—that Savior is Jesus.

Then God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard it so they could not return (Genesis 3:24). But God never forsook them. In fact, He had a plan for redemption before He even called the world into existence (Isaiah 46:10; John 1:1–5; Revelation 13:8). For now, the world persists in sin, marred by its consequences (Romans 1:18–32; 8:18–25). But those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have been forgiven of sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13–15). We have new life now (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 10:10) and will live with God for all eternity (Luke 23:43; John 3:16–18). One day God will make new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:8–13; Revelation 21—22). The tree of life, lost to Adam and Eve, will be available to all who are a part of God’s restored creation (Revelation 2:7; 22:1–2).

Though Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden was short-lived, all is not lost. God offers us true life in Him. He is patient with this world, allowing it to continue on, because He wants all to repent and come to Him (2 Peter 3:9). He will one day bring judgment, and we must be ready (2 Peter 3:10)—we must turn from being the gods of our own lives and instead trust in the one, true God. By His grace, through faith, we can be saved (Ephesians 2:1–10). Choose life in Jesus Christ today!

Some Jewish traditions favours the opinion that Adam was in Paradise one day.

Talmud: The day on which Adam was created consisted of twelve hours. During the first hour his dust was gathered; the second hour it was made into a shapeless mass; the third hour his limbs were stretched out; the fourth hour a soul was placed in him; the fifth hour he stood on his feet; the sixth hour he named the animals; the seventh hour he was paired with Chava; the eighth hour they had two children; the ninth hour he was commanded not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge; the tenth hour he sinned; the eleventh hour he was judged; and the twelfth hour he was banished from the Garden of Eden and went on his way (Sanhedrin 38b).

Regardless of how we interpret the bible and any historical evidence, there will be be some who claim the Adam and Eve lived in Eden’s Garden for many years. Personally, this does not add up, but so be it.

While not inspired, The Book of Jubilees was written in the second century BC and claims that Adam and Eve were in the Garden for seven years [pp. 46-48]. If they entered the Garden with the appearance of being 12 years of age, as suggested above, it poses the following question: We have two nubile teenagers, naked and in an earthly paradise with God’s first commandment – “to be fruitful and multiply” – ringing in their ears [Genesis 1:28]. After seven years, why were there no children and Eve not even pregnant? The answer seemingly resides in the extreme longevity of pre-flood mankind. From the record in Genesis chapter five, we can deduce that the average longevity of the father [Enoch excluded] was 907 years, while the average age of the father for his first or principal son was 117 years. The Book of Jubilees maintains that Eve was aged between 64 and 70 years when she gave birth to Cain, her first child [p. 51]. - How Long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Notwithstanding the lack of historical evidence, many hold that both Adam and Eve were in Eden a relatively short time, perhaps a day or less.