Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3 recounts the tragic story of humanity's fall from grace, a pivotal moment after the triumphant creation narrative of Genesis 1-2. It describes the loss of innocence and the introduction of sin into the world, forever altering the relationship between humanity and God. This chapter details the temptation, the transgression, and the consequences of Adam and Eve's disobedience, offering profound insights into the nature of sin, temptation, and God's response to human failure. Understanding Genesis 3 is crucial for grasping the core themes of the Bible, including the need for redemption and the hope found in Jesus Christ. This Genesis commentary aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Genesis 3 meaning.
The Serpent's Deception (3:1-5)
The chapter opens with the introduction of the serpent, identified elsewhere in Scripture as Satan (though the text doesn’t explicitly mention it here), the craftiest of all creatures. He approaches Eve, strategically bypassing Adam, who had received God's command directly. Satan's motive is clear: to undermine God's authority and lead humanity astray. He begins by subtly questioning God's word, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" (Genesis 3:1). This is a classic tactic of deception: casting doubt on God's goodness and trustworthiness.
Eve, perhaps not fully grasping the gravity of the situation, attempts to clarify, explaining that they are free to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die (Genesis 3:2-3). Adam had emphasized to Eve that she was not even to touch it.
Satan then boldly contradicts God, declaring, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5). He accuses God of withholding something good, appealing to Eve's desire for wisdom and autonomy. This is one of Satan’s oldest lies, as alluring today as it was then: God is holding out on you. Thus, Satan questioned the goodness of God. The serpent omits God’s relational name LORD (Yahweh) when speaking with Eve. This indicates that he doesn’t mind religion as long as there’s no relationship with the Lord God driving it.
The Fall (3:6-7)
Eve, captivated by the serpent's lies and the allure of the forbidden fruit, succumbs to temptation. She sees that the tree is good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom. The text says that she sized it up and concluded that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, so she took a bite. Our culture expresses this lie this way: “If it feels good, do it!” The results of buying the lie are just as tragic today as they were for Adam and Eve. She takes the fruit, eats it, and also gives some to Adam, who is with her. Adam, who was supposed to lead his family by making sure that both he and Eve knew God’s commands and walked in them, sat there in silence. He became the responder instead of the leader, and literally all hell broke loose as a result. His failure to help his wife live in obedience to God’s word had tragic consequences.
Immediately, their eyes are opened, and they realize they are naked. Shame and guilt flood their hearts, marking the emotional death that accompanied their sin. They sew fig leaves together to cover themselves, a futile attempt to hide their newfound vulnerability. The "knowledge of good and evil" is achieved by the rejection of good and the embracing of evil.
Confrontation and Consequences (3:8-19)
Hearing the sound of God walking in the garden, Adam and Eve try to hide among the trees (Genesis 3:8). Their spiritual relationship that nourished them and should have brought them their greatest joy had become a terror to them. But God, who knows all, calls out to Adam, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). God never asks questions because he doesn’t know the answer. So when he called to Adam, Where are you? (Genesis 3:9), he wasn’t losing a game of hide-and-seek. He was calling Adam to task, because Adam was the accountable one. He was the leader, and he had failed. I suspect that God is calling out to many men with the same question today. To those men abandoning their families, sitting passively in their relationships, and wasting their lives, God says, “Where are you?” It’s time to stop acting like little boys; step up to be the men God created you to be. Kingdom men accept responsibility under God.
Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent, illustrating the human tendency to deflect responsibility for our actions. God then pronounces judgment on each party involved.
- The Serpent: Cursed to crawl on its belly, symbolizing its degradation and humiliation (Genesis 3:14). God also declares enmity between the serpent and the woman, foreshadowing the ultimate conflict between Satan and the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ). He would win a painful victory—bruising Christ's heel—but would be crushed—by Christ—in the end.
- The Woman: Her pain in childbirth will be increased, and her desire will be for her husband, who will rule over her (Genesis 3:16). Their rebellion led to relational death, as God promised that the relationship between men and women would become a battle rather than a partnership.
- The Man: The ground is cursed because of him, and he will toil to produce food, experiencing pain and frustration in his work until he returns to the dust from which he was taken (Genesis 3:17-19). We even see economic death, as God promised that work would become painful labor rather than the fruitful process he intended.
God promised that eating from the tree would lead to death, and he was right. The manifestation of that death was emotional, spiritual, relational, environmental, and ultimately physical. And while Adam and Eve would not drop dead on the spot, their coming biological death was now guaranteed. They were like flowers cut off from the plant. The process of physical death had begun.
God's Grace and Expulsion (3:20-24)
Despite their disobedience, God demonstrates grace by providing clothing for Adam and Eve, made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). This act represents the first sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the atonement of sin.
However, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and living forever in their sinful state (Genesis 3:22-24). This expulsion marks the beginning of human history outside of paradise, characterized by hardship, suffering, and separation from God. In response to all of this, God did something gracious. He drove the man out of the garden, placing a cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword at the entrance (Genesis 3:24). This was the kindest thing God could have done. If Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in their sinful state, they would have been locked into that sinful state and its consequences forever.
This chapter serves as a crucial foundation for understanding the rest of the Bible, highlighting the consequences of sin, the need for redemption, and the enduring hope found in God's grace. This Genesis 3 commentary offers key insights into the Genesis meaning.
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3 recounts the tragic story of humanity's fall from grace, a pivotal moment after the triumphant creation narrative of Genesis 1-2. It describes the loss of innocence and the introduction of sin into the world, forever altering the relationship between humanity and God. This chapter details the temptation, the transgression, and the consequences of Adam and Eve's disobedience, offering profound insights into the nature of sin, temptation, and God's response to human failure. Understanding Genesis 3 is crucial for grasping the core themes of the Bible, including the need for redemption and the hope found in Jesus Christ. This Genesis commentary aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Genesis 3 meaning.
The Serpent's Deception (3:1-5)
The chapter opens with the introduction of the serpent, identified elsewhere in Scripture as Satan (though the text doesn’t explicitly mention it here), the craftiest of all creatures. He approaches Eve, strategically bypassing Adam, who had received God's command directly. Satan's motive is clear: to undermine God's authority and lead humanity astray. He begins by subtly questioning God's word, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" (Genesis 3:1). This is a classic tactic of deception: casting doubt on God's goodness and trustworthiness.
Eve, perhaps not fully grasping the gravity of the situation, attempts to clarify, explaining that they are free to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die (Genesis 3:2-3). Adam had emphasized to Eve that she was not even to touch it.
Satan then boldly contradicts God, declaring, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5). He accuses God of withholding something good, appealing to Eve's desire for wisdom and autonomy. This is one of Satan’s oldest lies, as alluring today as it was then: God is holding out on you. Thus, Satan questioned the goodness of God. The serpent omits God’s relational name LORD (Yahweh) when speaking with Eve. This indicates that he doesn’t mind religion as long as there’s no relationship with the Lord God driving it.
The Fall (3:6-7)
Eve, captivated by the serpent's lies and the allure of the forbidden fruit, succumbs to temptation. She sees that the tree is good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom. The text says that she sized it up and concluded that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, so she took a bite. Our culture expresses this lie this way: “If it feels good, do it!” The results of buying the lie are just as tragic today as they were for Adam and Eve. She takes the fruit, eats it, and also gives some to Adam, who is with her. Adam, who was supposed to lead his family by making sure that both he and Eve knew God’s commands and walked in them, sat there in silence. He became the responder instead of the leader, and literally all hell broke loose as a result. His failure to help his wife live in obedience to God’s word had tragic consequences.
Immediately, their eyes are opened, and they realize they are naked. Shame and guilt flood their hearts, marking the emotional death that accompanied their sin. They sew fig leaves together to cover themselves, a futile attempt to hide their newfound vulnerability. The "knowledge of good and evil" is achieved by the rejection of good and the embracing of evil.
Confrontation and Consequences (3:8-19)
Hearing the sound of God walking in the garden, Adam and Eve try to hide among the trees (Genesis 3:8). Their spiritual relationship that nourished them and should have brought them their greatest joy had become a terror to them. But God, who knows all, calls out to Adam, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). God never asks questions because he doesn’t know the answer. So when he called to Adam, Where are you? (Genesis 3:9), he wasn’t losing a game of hide-and-seek. He was calling Adam to task, because Adam was the accountable one. He was the leader, and he had failed. I suspect that God is calling out to many men with the same question today. To those men abandoning their families, sitting passively in their relationships, and wasting their lives, God says, “Where are you?” It’s time to stop acting like little boys; step up to be the men God created you to be. Kingdom men accept responsibility under God.
Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent, illustrating the human tendency to deflect responsibility for our actions. God then pronounces judgment on each party involved.
- The Serpent: Cursed to crawl on its belly, symbolizing its degradation and humiliation (Genesis 3:14). God also declares enmity between the serpent and the woman, foreshadowing the ultimate conflict between Satan and the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ). He would win a painful victory—bruising Christ's heel—but would be crushed—by Christ—in the end.
- The Woman: Her pain in childbirth will be increased, and her desire will be for her husband, who will rule over her (Genesis 3:16). Their rebellion led to relational death, as God promised that the relationship between men and women would become a battle rather than a partnership.
- The Man: The ground is cursed because of him, and he will toil to produce food, experiencing pain and frustration in his work until he returns to the dust from which he was taken (Genesis 3:17-19). We even see economic death, as God promised that work would become painful labor rather than the fruitful process he intended.
God promised that eating from the tree would lead to death, and he was right. The manifestation of that death was emotional, spiritual, relational, environmental, and ultimately physical. And while Adam and Eve would not drop dead on the spot, their coming biological death was now guaranteed. They were like flowers cut off from the plant. The process of physical death had begun.
God's Grace and Expulsion (3:20-24)
Despite their disobedience, God demonstrates grace by providing clothing for Adam and Eve, made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). This act represents the first sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the atonement of sin.
However, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and living forever in their sinful state (Genesis 3:22-24). This expulsion marks the beginning of human history outside of paradise, characterized by hardship, suffering, and separation from God. In response to all of this, God did something gracious. He drove the man out of the garden, placing a cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword at the entrance (Genesis 3:24). This was the kindest thing God could have done. If Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life in their sinful state, they would have been locked into that sinful state and its consequences forever.
This chapter serves as a crucial foundation for understanding the rest of the Bible, highlighting the consequences of sin, the need for redemption, and the enduring hope found in God's grace. This Genesis 3 commentary offers key insights into the Genesis meaning.