In vegetation, especially in woody plants, a juice or vital circulating fluid called sap was to course, delivering essential food to the tiniest branch, leaf and blossom. Thus it might be said that the life of the tree is in the sap, which carries the life-sustaining properties of the plant throughout its entire system.

Furthermore, man was given no restrictions as to the cutting down of plants, thus taking their life. On the contrary, “all vegetation bearing seed . . . and every tree” were given to both man and beast for food. (Gen. 1:29, 30) But in Eden, and after man sinned and was expelled from Eden, he was not given authority to take the life of animals with the same unrestricted freedom he had with plants.