A cheeky response would be to say, "Nothing, she didn't eat an apple, she ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." Seriously though, we can never know more that what the Bible actually says. We have recorded a dialog between Eve and the serpent, after which Eve eats the fruit and gives the fruit to Adam who also eats. The Bible doesn't record any dialog between the serpent and Adam, or between Adam and Eve.
So anything else, is speculation. As it is written, Adam might not have been there, but if he was there why didn't he do anything to stop Eve from eating? Or did he hear the dialog between Eve and the serpent and want to eat the fruit himself, but he let Eve go first to see what dying looks like? What's dying when you've never seen it before. Is it something really terrible, or is it just a minor thing?
The subject of Adam being there with Eve is not speculative at all IF you believe the Word of God to be accurate. Look up that portion of scripture in any of the main Bible translations and they all say Adam who was with her or words to that effect. This means that Adam heard the dialog but did not try to stop Eve from doing what she was going to do, probably because he wanted to be like God to; remember this is the same reason Lucifer fell, he wanted to be like God, now Lucifer is tempting man with the same temptation he fell with, and it's the same thing that man has struggled with since. Satan also added in the unbelief thought when he said that God was basically lieing them when God said if you eat of that tree you will surely die, and man struggles with unbelief. Man thinks he doesn't need God, man is wise enough that they can take care of themselves without God ruling over us, man wants to be independant; remember what the children of Israel did? They were original governed by God, but they wanted a human ruler not some God.
Now I understand there are some commentaries out there that say that Adam was not with her, those commentaries are in error, they were written by man and man makes errors, there are also commentaries out there that say man was with her, and those are correct if you believe the word of God to mean what it says, Adam who was with her. Commentaries are usually written by a male, and as a man they do not want to believe that they made the mistake of not trying to prevent Eve from eating, no it's the fault of the woman and not man, in fact that is the chief complaint that Adam uses with God when God question Adam a bit later after the event when God "wonders" why Adam and Eve covered themselves!! God never wondered about it by the way, He already knew what they had done, God simply wanted man to see how far they would go to cover up their sin now that they have this supposedly profound wisdom...a wisdom that will fail man. And you find commentaries adding words to the scripture like Matthew Pooles where the commentary says: "Gave also unto her husband with her, who by this time was returned to her, and who now was with her; or, that he might eat with her, and take his part of that fruit." Nowhere in verse 6 does it say or hints that Adam returned to her, this is speculative, this is trying to make man seem like he's innocent of her behavior and knew nothing about it, again an excuse.
Also, the Bible being studied by gentiles do not understand the Bible through Jewish thought because we're not Jewish, there are a lot of traditions and cultural stuff within the Jewish system that helps to illuminate customs and certain ways the Bible says things that we as Gentiles miss. And one of those things is this verse 6 in discussion, according to Jewish culture and readings, Adam was with Eve the whole time. One of their commentaries words it like this:
"The Jews infer from hence, that Adam was with her all the while, and heard the discourse between the serpent and her, yet did not interpose nor dissuade his wife from eating the fruit, and being prevailed upon by the arguments used; or however through a strong affection for his wife, that she might not die alone, he did as she had done, and he did eat; on which an emphasis may be observed, for it was upon his eating the fate of his posterity depended; for not the woman but the man was the federal head, and he sinning, all his posterity sinned in him, and died in him; through this offence judgment came upon all to condemnation; all became sinners, and obnoxious to death,
Romans 5:12."
Also a Gentile commentary written by Keil and Delitzsch also agrees with the Jewish interpretation.
Getting back to the Adam was with Eve thing; the other thing the Bible says, to prove that Adam was with her, is that Eve eats part of the fruit then hands the rest to Adam, that can only happen if Adam is with her, which it states that he was after the words say Eve hands the fruit to Adam. Adam was just extremely passive about the whole event, as if he was afraid to upset Eve if he tried to stop her...though that is speculative.
And to say that Adam was out communing with God while this was all going on between Eve and the Serpent is even more ridiculas because that means that God, who knows everything, failed to realize that the Serpent was in the midst of a conversation to mislead Eve and then God failed to tell Adam anything about it? LOL, that's so absurd! That's implying that God either doesn't know everything that is going on, or that God didn't care, or God was allowing Satan to fool man, or all three, neither of which would have happened had Adam been communing with God, in fact if Adam had been communing with God God would have sent man to Eve prior to the discussion with the Serpent to prevent her from falling into his trap. If you had a son, and you send that son out to set a new bear trap out next to old rusty one that is set also and hiding, would you not warn the son that there is bear trap hiding that is set so be careful? or would you let just wonder out there hoping he won't get caught in it?
As an odd note; has anyone ever bothered to notice that there is no shock, or no surprise in the tone of the subject about Eve talking with an animal? An animal, animals can't supposedly communicate with man, at least in that sort of detail, yet there is no shock or surprise that this serpent can communicate with mankind with complete intelligence equal to at least their own...why is that? Could it be that before the fall of man that man could indeed carry on rational discussions with animals? Speculative? sure, but...
