CLAIM: God asks the first humans, “Where are you?” However, the Bible teaches that God is all-knowing (Ps. 147:5; Heb. 4:13). Did God really not know where they were? Why would an omniscient being need to ask questions like this?

RESPONSE: God asked this question to give them an opportunity to confess. Good counselors know to ask questions of clients –even if the counselor knows the answer to the question before they ask it. Jesus asked roughly 150 questions in the gospels, which shows the same pattern. Moreover, in the very next chapter of Genesis, we see that God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” (Gen. 4:9) However, when Abel lied to him, God already knew the answer to his own question (v.10). Therefore, the text demonstrates that God was not ignorant; instead, he asked questions to draw out his listeners.