The phrase is not found in the Bible. That’s because man didn’t fall from perfection or anything else; Adam was formed from the dust of the earth, and Adam simply sinned when he disobeyed God. Adam was sent out to the east of the garden of Eden to till the ground; the same thing he did while in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:23,24). No falling mentioned. If the garden had been absolutely perfect, a Utopia, there would not have been a need for Adam to subdue, to till, and to maintain it (Gen 1:28; 2:5,15). The so-called “fall of man” (a.k.a, the fall of Adam) is just not there. Contrary to Joni Mitchell, God is not trying to get us back to the garden. The garden was just the starting point in God’s plan to bring mankind to perfection (Luke 6:40; John 17:23; Matt 5:48) and into His Family (1 Corinthians 15:28).

What Adam and Eve did was to choose to walk in the counsel of their flesh instead of the word of God (Jeremiah 7:23-24; Leviticus 26:3,12; Ezekiel 36:27-28). Making a covering for themselves with fig leaves to cover their nakedness was the sign of making a covenant with the flesh, instead of making a covenant with Yahweh to be His people (Ezekiel 16:8, KJv; Deuteronomy 27:20, ABP).