This is a quirky inconsistency that might be the result of theological / Revelation development in the Judeo-Christian tradition. That I've thought about every so often when thinking about Sin etc.
Genesis 2:17-18
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
There is nothing in the passage about such things as touching it, or even fantasizing about it. Eve later on when talking to the Serpent mentions about not touching it, and their are a number of theories we might have for that. 1) Some people have speculated that was Eve somehow expanding on what God said, essentially "going above the line" of scripture figuratively speaking 2) Maybe Adam told her not to do that as a kind of Rabbinic fence, or 3) maybe God somehow expanded on verse 1 in one of those walks he use to take with Adam in the cool of the Garden.
But in theory based on that original scripture and how the later narrative is with the Serpent it looks like things are pretty much about actually eating the proverbial fruit, which incidentally in Middle Eastern culture/tradition is a fig and not an apple. So basically Eve could spend multiple occasions lusting after the fruit, touching it etc. but not actually eating it, and no Fall etc. the bomb does not go off so to speak till that first bite.
I however find the Garden of Eden scenario very interesting compared to when Jesus talks about sin: as far as lust, anger even greed goes. Where the mental life is very important to the point of being equated with completing the physical deed.
So what is your thoughts on this..? Do you think this is something 1) that changed with the Fall, 2) A result of theological development / Revelation, 3) The New Testament take on mental sin was true for the pre-Fall, but the situation is maybe unclear because of the genre, vocabulary or some other aspect of bronze age near eastern antiquity? Why and/or how? etc.
Do you have any other random thoughts on the topic?