How could Adam and Eve go from God’s presence if God is
everywhere?
PROBLEM: The Bible says that God is everywhere present at the same time, that is, He
is omnipresent ( Ps. 139:7–10 ; Jer. 23:23 ). But, if God is everywhere, then how
could Adam and Eve be sent out “from the presence of the Lord”?
SOLUTION: This verse is not speaking of God’s omnipresence, but of a visible
manifestation of God (cf. v. 24 ). God is everywhere in His omnipresence, but from
time to time He manifested Himself in certain places through certain things, such as a
burning bush ( Ex. 3 ), the pillar of fire ( Ex. 13:21 ), smoke in the temple ( Isa. 6 ),
and so forth. It is in this latter localized sense that one can go “from the presence of
the Lord.”