It means nothing, because that's not what the Bible says. That's not what God commanded.

Genesis 2:17 says, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

It is not the "tree of knowledge" that God commands them not to eat of. It is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So, with that distinction made, why would God command that? He was protecting them. They already knew Good. Everything surrounding them, everything he created, was Good. The only thing they would learn by eating the fruit of that tree was Evil. How is the introduction of Evil into a world where everything is Good beneficial in any way? It's not. Obviously. And they learned this the hard way, first with the corruption of creation, and then with their eldest son murdering their second son.

But, to understand the Bible, one first has to quote what it actually says.

@Wordmage Well, thanks for correcting the quote. Any of those trees around still? It seems we still can't tell the difference between good and evil yet here we are closing in on the apocalypse.

In grade school, studying grammar, I remember being intrigued by opposites and comparatives. Can one thing exist without necessarily creating its opposite. Can something be better or worse without the ability of comparison. If there is a south there must, by necessity, be a north. Eliminate the concept of evil and all is good. Without comparison, there is no means of differentiating, thus no knowledge of good or evil. Without evil, all is good.

@FrankZeleniuk, would ice cream still be good if there were no diced cockroaches?
Good is not dependent on the existence of evil.

@Wordmage

Genesis 2:17 says, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

I like this quote. It holds some significance to me. I think it is important.

I prefer not to dwell on it further.