How was life in the Garden of Eden before the fall? How long did Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden before they were tempted by the devil?
We can answer your first question in one word: PERFECT! Eden, which means “pleasure, delight” was truly a PARADISE on earth. God created it to the perfect environment for man. We will list some verses that describe Eden, and we will learn that it was indeed a place of “pleasure and delight.”
“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made EVERY TREE THAT IS PLEASANT TO THE SIGHT AND GOOD FOR FOOD” (Genesis 2:8-9). We learn here that Eden was BEAUTIFUL and filled with PERFECT FOOD.
“Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden…” (2:10). There was no need of any kind of irrigation system; God had supplied the water to enrich the soil and allow the trees to continually produce fruit.
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to TEND and KEEP it” (2:15). We are not told exactly what was all involved in “tending and keeping” the garden, but we know that Adam’s labors were delightful and free of any negative working conditions such as “excessive heat and humidity, storms, mosquitoes, thorns & thistles, or anything else that was introduced “after the fall.” It was only “after the fall” that God told Adam, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “CURSED is the ground for your sake; in TOIL you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both THORNS AND THISTLES it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat of the herb of the field. In the SWEAT OF YOUR FACE you shall eat bread till you return to the ground” (3:17-19).
“And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (2:18). If we read on in verses 19-23, we see that God created a “WOMAN for Adam” to help him in the garden and to fill his heart with joy and satisfaction as they had PERFECT FELLOWSHIP together. It was true MARITAL BLISS in every way!
“And they were both naked, he and his wife, and were not ashamed” (2:24). Life in Eden was one of PERFECT INNOCENCE. There was no sin, no guilt, no shame. The fact that they were naked shows us they had no “knowledge of right or wrong.” It also shows us (again) that their environment was perfect. The temperature was always ideal. There were no pests, bugs, or dangerous animals that would cause them to cover their bodies. They no doubt enjoyed each other perfectly, including the consummation of their marriage by becoming “one flesh” (2:24) in sexual intimacy. Some have asked, “Did they have children before the fall?” We are not told that they did, and Scripture seems to imply that they did not have children till after the fall. It was after sin came in that we read, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the LORD.’ Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel” (4:1-2).
Regarding your second question, we are not told how long Adam and Eve lived in the garden before the woman was tempted by the devil. But it SEEMS that it was short-lived for as we just saw, it appears there was not enough time to have children. Also, Adam had not even named his wife Eve prior to the fall, as we see in 3:20, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Adam called her Eve based on his faith in the gospel promise spoken by God in 3:15. (DO) (579.1)