Meat Consumption Before the Fall in Genesis
The biblical account of creation in Genesis 1:29 indicates that God's original intention was for humans to follow a vegetarian diet, stating, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed... and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" [3]. This verse suggests that the consumption of animal products was not part of the initial plan for humanity.
The interpretation that humans were vegetarian before the Fall is supported by several commentators. John Gill notes that the grant of every herb and tree for food implies a diet free from animal products [3]. Adam Clarke also observes that the structure of the human body did not change after the flood, suggesting that the original diet was likely to have remained suitable [5].
However, the question of whether humans consumed meat before the Fall is debated among scholars. Some argue that the permission to eat meat was not given until after the flood, as recorded in Genesis 9:3, where God says to Noah, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you" [2]. Calvin's commentary on Genesis suggests that it is probable that humans were restricted to a vegetarian diet before the deluge, as God "confines, in some way, the food of mankind within certain limits" [4].
The practice of animal sacrifice, which is mentioned before the flood (Genesis 4:4; 8:20), implies that humans had some interaction with animals that could involve their consumption, although it is not direct evidence of meat eating [4]. The distinction between clean and unclean animals, which existed before the flood (Genesis 7:2), further complicates the issue.
After the flood, the permission to eat meat is explicitly granted, marking a change in the human diet [2, 6]. This change is accompanied by a new dynamic between humans and animals, with animals now living in fear of humans (Genesis 9:2) [6].
The prohibition on consuming blood, which is emphasized after the flood (Genesis 9:4), underscores the significance of blood in the context of life and sacrifice [1, 7]. Adam Clarke notes that the blood was considered sacred because it was the instrument of expiation and a type of the blood of Christ [7].
The original dietary instructions in Genesis 1:29, combined with the subsequent permission to eat meat after the flood, highlight a significant development in the biblical narrative regarding human diet and the human relationship with animals. The historical and theological context provided by various commentators and biblical references offers insights into the complexities of interpreting the biblical account of meat consumption before and after the Fall.
Sources
- Genesis “But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. -- Genesis 9:4”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 13.6: suffer themselves to be milked; that sheep are mute under the hand of the shearer; all these facts are the result of this dominion, which, although greatly diminished, is nevertheless not entirely abolished. 3. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you . The Lord proceeds further, and grants animals for food to men, that they may eat their flesh. And because Moses now first relates that this right was given to men, nearly all commentators infer, that it was not lawful for man to eat flesh before the deluge, but that the”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 1:29: And God said,.... That is, to Adam and Eve, whom he had made in his image and likeness, and to whom he had given the dominion of the earth and sea, and all things in them: behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth; every herb or plant which had a seed in it, by which it sowed itself again; or being taken off, might be sown by man, even everyone that was wholesome, healthful, and nourishing, without any exception; whatever grew in any part of the earth, be it where it would: and every tree, in which is the fruit of a”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 5.37: content with herbs and fruits until the deluge, and that it was even unlawful for them to eat flesh. And this seems the more probable, because God confines, in some way, the food of mankind within certain limits. Then after the deluge, he expressly grants them the use of flesh. These reasons, however are not sufficiently strong: for it may be adduced on the opposite side, that the first men offered sacrifices from their flocks. 99 99 It does not appear that there is much force in Calvin’s objections to the opinion, that flesh was ”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 1:29: I have given you every herb - for meat - It seems from this, says an eminent philosopher, that man was originally intended to live upon vegetables only; and as no change was made In the structure of men's bodies after the flood, it is not probable that any change was made in the articles of their food. It may also be inferred from this passage that no animal whatever was originally designed to prey on others; for nothing is here said to be given to any beast of the earth besides green herbs - Dr. Priestley. Before sin entered into the world, there could be, at leas”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 9:2: 9:2-3 There are two modifications to the original created order. (1) Previously, humans reigned over the animals (1:28), but now animals would live in terror of humans (similar military language is found in Exod 23:27-31; Deut 11:25; 31:8). (2) The animals’ terror was related to a change in human diet. Humans were now permitted to eat the meat of animals to supplement their subsistence on grains, fruits, and vegetables (Gen 1:29).”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 9:4: But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood - Though animal food was granted, yet the blood was most solemnly forbidden, because it was the life of the beast, and this life was to be offered to God as an atonement for sin. Hence the blood was ever held sacred, because it was the grand instrument of expiation, and because it was typical of that blood by which we enter into the holiest. 1. Before the deluge it was not eaten, because animal food was not in use. 2. After the deluge it was prohibited, as we find above; and, being one of the seven Noahic precepts,”