For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Marvin Reynolds
Point is the command WAS NOT given to her but the Adam only as recorded in Genesis one and two. She DID NOT check the command which she MUST have heard via Adam in the encounter with Satan in the form of a Snake. Hence based on what Satan said she agreed to test the fact of what was said by her Adam and in the same fact Adam was present when this occurred and did not speak out in protest. Result was Death came on the scene and took out Adam and Even and everyone since that time.
Danny Hickman
Is adding to God's word sin? I think it isn't a righteous thing to do. Adding to God's word is not of faith, which makes it sin.
If Eve added to God's word before she ate of the forbidden fruit, then she sinned before eating the fruit.
That is surely "adding to God's word!" That's suggesting that she had already sinned before the Bible teaches us that she sinned.
So what am I trying to say?
We don't need to parse every word of the Bible! We don't have a courtroom transcript of what was said! The point is they were not to "go near that tree." They were not to "fool around with" that tree.
She could have used the colloquialisms I just threw out and it would carry the same meaning. She told the serpent the tree was forbidden, and the serpent talked her out of believing what God had told them. It's just that simple; the meaning is what's important, not the exact wording.
It is a colossal waste of time to parse every word of the scriptures; more often than not, it serves to alter the intended meaning of the narrative.
In any case, that's exactly what it has done here. Without realizing it, the church is saying Eve distorted what God had told them BEFORE she ate of the forbidden fruit. That's error! Simple and plain.