Paula

Yes, we need to remember that guards are not authorities. They have a responsibility and the authority to repel invaders, as pointed out already, but never over the people they protect. Nobody would put the generals of the army on guard duty, nor put the king beneath the guards simply because the guards protect them. So Adam’s having been charged with protecting the garden and all it contains is certainly no authoritative role in itself. His dominion over other life forms was not tied to this task of guarding at all, and was given to both he and Eve. But Eve was charged to guard Adam! And although she failed, her failure was due to being beguiled by the most skilled deceiver of all time, while Adam’s failure cannot be excused.