Tree of life tree 10x5 cm in 7 gemstone versions.

The Biblical tree of life or tree of life (Hebrew: עץ החיים‎; Etz haChayim) is mentioned in the Bible book of Genesis in verse 2:9 as the tree that, together with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was planted by God in the Garden of Eden (Paradise) and whose fruits give eternal life (immortality). After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Bible records that both were banished from the Garden of Eden to keep them from eating the fruit of the tree of life: “Then God thought , the LORD: Now man has become like us, and he has knowledge of good and evil. Now I will prevent him from gathering the fruit of the tree of life, for if he eats it, he will live forever." — (NIV, Gen 3:22), According to the Bible story, Adam and Eve were thus separated from the tree of life and made mortal. In the Christian New Testament, this banishment from the Garden of Eden is compensated by the 'planting' of the new tree of life (Jesus) on the side of man. In the Book of Revelation of John, the Koinè Greek phrase xylon zoës (ξύλον ζωής) is used three times (2:7, 22:2 and 22:19), which in Dutch translations literally means 'tree of life' or 'tree of life' translated (22:19 is also translated as 'book of life' in some translations). The 'tree of life' is used several times in the Bible book of Proverbs in connection with Wisdom. As an image it describes the value of Wisdom. Wisdom is a tree of life for those who embrace it (Prov. 3:18). A righteous man plants a tree of life (Prov. 11:30). Fulfilled desire (as opposed to unfulfilled hope) is a tree of life (Prov. 13:12). Calm words (as opposed to a false tongue) are a tree of life (Prov. 15:4). The writer of Proverbs seems to show a preference for the image of the tree of life, but it is nowhere explicitly stated. The image as such probably has sufficient expressive power for the writer. The tree of life is depicted in several examples of sacred geometry and is a central point in Kabbalah (the mystical study of the Torah), where it is represented as the sefirot.