Gen 3:1-19 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 3:1-24: 3:1-24 The rebellion of the man and the woman shattered their unity and harmony with earth, animals, each other, and God. 3:1 Genesis describes the deceiver as a serpent , one of the animals God created (see also 3:14 and study note). He is later identified as Satan, the great enemy of God’s people (Rev 12:9 ; 20:2 ). His manipulative language and his disguise as a serpent, the shrewdest of all creatures, show him as a master deceiver. Satan has various methods for opposing God’s people (see 1 Chr 21:1 ; Zech 3:1-2 ); deception remains among his key strategies (cp. 2 Cor 11:3 , 14 ). The Hebrew term for shrewd ( ‘arum ) can be positive (“prudent,” Prov 14:8 ) or negative (as here; see Job 5:12 ). It forms a wordplay with “naked” ( ‘arummim ) in Gen 2:25 . Adam and Eve were naked and vulnerable; the serpent was shrewd and cunning. • Probably the serpent asked the woman because the prohibition was given to Adam prior to Eve’s creation (see 2:16-17 ). Adam was probably aware of the serpent’s cunning, having assessed and named all the animals before Eve was created (2:19-20 , 23 ). • Did God really say? The deceiver began by twisting God’s language to cast doubt on God’s goodness. God’s original prohibition applied to only one tree (2:16-17 ), not to all ( any ) of them.

Summary for Gen 3:1-24: 3:1-24 ^a The rebellion of the man and the woman shattered their unity and harmony with earth, animals, each other, and God. 3:1 ^b Genesis describes the deceiver as a serpent, one of the animals God created (see also 3:14 ^c and study note). He is later identified as Satan, the great enemy of God’s people (Rev 12:9 ^d; 20:2 ^e). His manipulative language and his disguise as a serpent, the shrewdest of all creatures, show him as a master deceiver. Satan has various methods for opposing God’s people (see 1 Chr 21:1 ^f; Zech 3:1-2 ^g); deception remains among his key strategies (cp. 2 Cor 11:3 ^h, 14 ⁱ). The Hebrew term for shrewd (‘arum) can be positive (“prudent,” Prov 14:8 ^j) or negative (as here; see Job 5:12 ^k). It forms a wordplay with “naked” (‘arummim) in Gen 2:25 ^l. Adam and Eve were naked and vulnerable; the serpent was shrewd and cunning.

• Probably the serpent asked the woman because the prohibition was given to Adam prior to Eve’s creation (see 2:16-17 ^m). Adam was probably aware of the serpent’s cunning, having assessed and named all the animals before Eve was created (2:19-20 ⁿ, 23 ^o).

• Did God really say? The deceiver began by twisting God’s language to cast doubt on God’s goodness. God’s original prohibition applied to only one tree (2:16-17 ^p), not to all (any) of them.
Summary for Gen 3:2-3: 3:2-3 ^q The woman attempted to set the record straight; in the process, she belittled the privileges God had given her and her husband in several ways: (1) She reduced God’s “freely eat” (2:16 ^r) to may eat; (2) she downplayed God’s emphasis on the availability of fruit from every tree but one (2:17 ^s); (3) she added not touching to God’s prohibition against eating (2:17 ^t); and (4) she softened the certainty of death (2:17 ^u).
Summary for Gen 3:4-5: 3:4-5 ^v You won’t die! This is the exact negation of God’s clear and emphatic words: “you are sure to die” (2:17 ^w). The serpent capitalizes on the woman’s uncertainty by baldly denying the penalty and quickly diverting her attention to the supposed prize—to be like God, knowing both good and evil. The deceiver falsely implies that this would be an unqualified good for them. The term rendered God is Elohim; it can also mean “divine beings” (i.e., God and the angels; e.g., Pss 29:1 ^x; 89:7 ^y).
3:6 ^z She saw ... she wanted: The woman made two grave errors. (1) She assumed the right to decide what was and was not good, though God alone has this right; and (2) she coveted God’s wisdom (see Deut 5:21 ^aa).

• her husband ... with her: Although Scripture is clear about the woman’s central role in the Fall (cp. 1 Tim 2:14 ^ab), the man was clearly present and culpable as well. He comes to center stage in the verses that follow and in biblical theology. The consequence of his sin for the entire human race was immense. The Good News is that in Jesus Christ, the “second Adam,” God has made salvation universally available (Rom 5:12-21 ^ac).
3:7 ^ad Shame is opposite to the naked innocence Adam and Eve enjoyed prior to their rebellion (2:25 ^ae). Their relationship with one another and with God was fractured.

• sewed fig leaves together: These covered their physical bodies, but not their shame. They could not mend their broken relationships (see also 3:21 ^af and study note).
3:8 ^ag When the cool evening breezes were blowing: The Hebrew has traditionally been interpreted as referring to the cool part of the day, most likely the evening. Others think that the language refers to a powerful manifestation of God’s presence (a theophany; see Exod 19:16-25 ^ah; 1 Sam 7:10 ^ai) as a storm. If this view is correct, the man and the woman were hiding from the sound of the Lord appearing in judgment (see 2 Sam 5:24 ^aj; Ps 29 ^ak).

• God put trees in the garden as an environment for humanity to enjoy fellowship with God. Now the man and woman used them to evade the divine presence.
Summary for Gen 3:9-10: 3:9-10 ^al Where are you? The true intent of this rhetorical question is revealed in the man’s answer (3:10 ^am). The real question was, why are you hiding? (cp. 4:9-10 ^an).

• I was afraid because I was naked: Modesty was not the issue. The shame brought on by rebellion drove Adam and his wife to hide. Possibly they also feared punishment (see study note on 3:8).
3:12 ^ao It was the woman you gave me: Rather than confessing, the man became evasive. He blamed the woman for giving him the fruit and God for giving him the woman.
3:13 ^ap What have you done? is another rhetorical question that is really an exclamation of horror (cp. 4:10 ^aq).

• The serpent deceived me: As the man implicated the woman (3:12 ^ar), the woman accused the serpent. The serpent did play a role and would be punished (3:14 ^as), but that did not release the woman or the man from their guilt.
Summary for Gen 3:14-19: 3:14-19 ^at The parties were judged in the order of their transgression—serpent, woman, man. Each received a punishment unique to his or her situation, and each had a key relationship altered. God is principled in judgment, not fickle; each punishment is proportionate to the offense. 3:14 ^au to the serpent: Though later revelation identifies the deceiver as Satan, it is the created animal who was cursed, like the ground (3:17 ^av).

• Groveling in the dust reflects a posture of humiliation and defeat (Ps 72:9 ^aw; Mic 7:17 ^ax).
3:15 ^ay hostility: The prophet Isaiah envisions the day when the Messiah’s kingdom will restore all of creation to a harmonious state like the Garden of Eden before humans sinned (see Isa 11:8 ^az).

• her offspring (literally her seed): This collective noun can refer to a single descendant or many. The ancient Near Eastern concept of corporate solidarity (e.g., “you and your descendants,” Gen 28:14 ^ba) is also behind this description of the ongoing hostility that would exist between humans and snakes. The pattern is set using singular terms (He ... you). Christian interpreters have traditionally understood this verse as a prophecy of Christ, the seed of Abraham and the culmination of the woman’s seed (Gal 3:16 ^bb; 4:4 ^bc).

• strike: The striking of his heel is a reference to the suffering of God’s servant (see Isa 53 ^bd), while striking the serpent’s head—a more definitive blow—is ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s death, resurrection, and final victory over Satan (1 Cor 15:55-57 ^be; Rev 12:7-9 ^bf; 20:7-10 ^bg).
3:16 ^bh Judgment falls on the woman’s unique role of childbearing and on her relationship with her husband.

• And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you: The marriage relationship now included an element of antagonism rather than just security and fulfillment. New life in Christ allows for the restoration of a man and a woman’s marriage relationship (Eph 5:18-32 ^bi; cp. Matt 20:25-28 ^bj).
Summary for Gen 3:17-19: 3:17-19 ^bk God highlighted his original command not to eat the fruit by speaking of eating several times in 3:17-19 ^bl. The judgment affected humanity’s ability to get food, and it was proportionate to their offense of eating what had been prohibited.

• the ground is cursed: The relationship of the man to the ground (see study note on 2:7) was now antagonistic as judgment fell on his primary role (2:5 ^bm, 15 ^bn). He must labor and toil to work the ground, but with diminished productivity. Human sin has broad effects on creation (see 4:12 ^bo; 6:7 ^bp; Lev 26 ^bq; Deut 11:13-17 ^br, 28 ^bs; Rom 8:22 ^bt).