Why Were Eve’s Eyes Not Opened When She Ate?
It was not until Adam ate then their eyes were opened and they felt the
need to cover themselves with clothes.
Biblical
Authority Ministries, April 23, 2025
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Geneses 3:6-7, NKJV)
The Possibilities
- When they ate, it was so close to the same time that it was negligible for comment.
- The effects were not immediate, but took a short amount of time (perhaps a matter of second or minutes) for them to realize this new feeling of shame and their eyes opened to their nakedness.
Other answers have some potential as well. Consider:
- The original command was given to Adam so there was no bearing on Eve when she ate. In other words, just because she ate, it was meaningless. However, I would lean against this one since Eve pointed out to the serpent in Genesis 3:2 that God’s command encompassed her as well.
- Adam was responsible for his wife. In fact, the woman was created for the man (1 Corinthians 11:9), and so the created order (which Satan through the serpent refused to acknowledge when he approached Eve first) began with Adam. So, Adam would have had to fall for their eyes to be collectively opened. So simply put, Adam was the one responsible, even for his wife’s actions preceded his. This is indeed a possibility.
- Another intriguing possibility is that both Adam and Eve had dominion, so both Adam and Eve had to fall for the change to occur. This perspective is based on Genesis 1:26-28, where Adam and Eve (that first man and woman) were given dominion together. In other words, for the entire dominion of man to fall, both had to sin.
Think of it in the converse. Had Adam eaten first would the same thing have happened? In this perspective the answer would be yes (i.e., had Adam ate first nothing would have appeared to happen, but when Eve would have eaten, then both had sinned and the entire dominion would fall.)
With this view, had Eve eaten and Adam not eaten, then the dominion would not have fallen, but only Eve and only would have been punished and died. It would have only affected her own person, not the entire dominion. Of course, there are really no “what if’s” so I wouldn’t get caught up in too much of this.
Take note though that the repercussion of Eve’s sin affected her and subsequently all women since then. But notice Adam’s punishment—the ground was cursed (i.e., the whole of the dominion). And Paul reveals the extend of this curse in Romans 8:20-22 as being the whole of creation. Which is why we need a “new heavens and a new earth”.
In fact, this view could be coupled with the previous view. Both Adam and Eve had dominion; but Adam being the final responsible party. Consider Romans 5:12 with regards to these last two viewpoints:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— Romans 5:12, NKJV
Naturally, these last couple of possibilities may be reading too much into the account, but it is worth considering in light of Scripture—after all, Adam received the blame for sin’s entrance so he was the responsible party.
But keep in mind their eyes being opened may be as simple as they ate at predominantly the same time and the effect may have a negligible delay in the effect (seconds to minutes). But when looking closely at this passage, one can’t help be discuss what exactly it meant by their eyes being opened. Let’s evaluation that in the next section.
Why did they feel the need to wear clothes?
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:25, NKJV)
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Genesis 3:7, NKJV)
When Adam and Eve sinned, the Bible says their eyes were opened. The very next statement is that they realized that they were naked. And then further, decided to make clothes—out of rough, scratchy fig leaves by the way! Hence, they were in a hurry.
This means that their sin affected the way they perceived things (i.e., their eyes were opened). In fact, the shame they now felt was due to sinful nature in that they no longer perceive things in a perfect fashion. Hence, they viewed that their nakedness should be covered.
Note that nakedness was not a sin, but a fallen perception of nakedness and the associated shame would be included in the sorrows and mental anguish they now feel. Even today, nakedness is bonded with shame as people the world over wear cloths. In fact, this doctrine of clothing that comes out of a literal rendering of Genesis reveals that cultures and religions from all over the world are betraying their own religions and confirming the Bible’s account is true.
For example, in an atheistic worldview where people evolved from animals and are animals, why wear clothes? Animals don’t put on clothes. But consider other religions like Hinduism, where nothing is ultimately reality. Why wear clothes? Islam, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses openly borrows from the Biblical doctrines. Please do not get me wrong, I am not asking people from these other religions to stop wearing clothes because it is a Christian doctrine, in fact, we appreciate that they adhere to this doctrine.
What we would ask is that these people who have been taught their respective religions consider the meaning of wearing clothes and how that goes back to our mutual grandparents Adam and Eve and this first sin of man. Such things point toward Christ who conquered sin on our behalf and offers the free gift of salvation to all who believe.
Originally
here: https://answersingenesis.org/adam-and-eve/why-were-eves-eyes-not-opened-until-adam-ate/;
Republished by permission.
