Genesis 3

Genesis 3:1 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?

As chapter two ends with both being עֵירוֹם (aromim) naked in the Garden we are introduced now to the נָּחָשׁ (nahash) snake with a play on of words as the snake was more עָרוּם (arum) subtil or crafty than any other חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה (hayat hasadeh) beast of the field that God created.

And the snake starts speaking וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף (vaiomer el ha eisha af) “and he said to the woman” to Eve as part of the narrative.

The KJV does not give the best diaglogue of what the snake asked her: “yea, hath God said?” it should read “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן (ki amar Elohim lo hokulu mikkol ets hagan?) It was an open ended question of doubt to get her to start thinking for herself.

Genesis 3:2-3 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. 

So she responds back וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל־הַנָּחָשׁ (vatomer haeisha el hanahash) “and the woman said unto the serpent.” She knew that she could eat מִפְּרִי עֵץ־הַגָּן (mipree ets hagan) “from the fruit of the garden.”  Yet God told them specifically not to each of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And she safeguards herself further putting an extra boundary around eating by saying: “neither shall ye touch it” וְלֹא תִגְּעוּ בּוֹ (velo tigu bo). And Eve knowing the consequences that would follow if she ate thereof: “Lest ye die.”

Genesis 3:4-5 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.

By responding to the snake he now has the ability to enlighten her understanding and says to her לֹא־מוֹת תְּמֻתוּן (Lo-moth temuthun) “You shall not die!” And knowing he’s lying there he tells her a truth that when she eats of it her eyes will be opened and she will יֹדְעֵי טוֹב וָרָע (yodeeh tov vara) “knowing good and evil” and be as Elohim, or as the angels, the gods.

Remember the term Elohim has a singular plural meaning. Normally when it is used its used in the singular. But like as in Genesis 1:26-27, here, satan is tempting even telling her that she will be like the divine beings those from the judicial council who God spoke to as he said “Let us make man in our image.” And to tell her that she would be like unto the angels and not die, made the temptation even stronger for her to desire it.

Satan believed that getting Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit would frustrate God’s plan. That by doing so, they would bring death into the world as they yield and partake of the fruit going against God’s command. That once yielding to such temptation, and choosing to die, it would give him dominion, and subject both of them to death and to him.

Genesis 3:6 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 just like that Eve say that טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל (tov ha etz lemachal) “the tree was good for food” as it would make her לְהַשְׂכִּיל (lehaskil) “wise.” She took it and ate it and then went and gave it to Adam and he ate of it also.

Genesis 3:7 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 the serpent’s promise of their עֵינֵיים (eineyim) eyes being opened was fulfilled. And their minds and conscience were opened that was previously blinded the cunning craftiness of the evil one. And because of such, they saw not just their physical selves being naked, but that awful predicament of transgression against God’s law. The one he forbid them in partaking of tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thereby rejecting the terms to remain in the Garden of Eden, no longer able to abide in God’s presence, and accepting death.

And as death would come upon them both, it also would come upon all their posterity because of their transgression. Thus subjecting all mankind to put on corruption, to waste away and die, never to rise again, to be subject to physical death and being shut out from God’s presence, a spiritual death forever and ever. And our spirits would out of necessity become like Satan, being devils and angels to a devil because all are shut out from God’s presence, and this first judgment would remain at play ever after with all being subjected to the devil in misery. That was the serpent’s plan.

Genesis 3:8 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.

God put them in paradise, but they disobeyed him and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes became open, and they sewed fig leaves as coverings for themselves because of their awareness. Moreover, God appears as he did before. They heard his voice in the Garden, but did they approach it? No. In fact “they hid themselves, he and his wife from the presence” וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ מִפְּנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים (vayyithabbe ha adam veisto mippene yaweh Elohim betok ets gan). 

Shame, remorse, fear, guilt for disobeying God, and some motivating factors, convinced them that hiding was the best solution. In addition, they knew their punishment and did not want to be held accountable for it.

Genesis 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Something was wrong. Adam was hiding. Of course, God knew exactly where he was, but Adam did not know—giving Adam an open invitation to show himself and acknowledge his wrongdoings.

Genesis 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the Garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Adam comes out into the open and responds to him, "I heard thy voice in the garden" וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּגָּן (vaiomer et qoleka shamati ba gan), and he explains the reason as to why he was hiding being afraid because he was "naked" עֵירֹם (erom). Moreover, he confesses to God the consequence of his sin, but he does not mention what made him aware that he and his wife were naked. 

Genesis 3:11 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? 

So God asks, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ כִּי עֵירֹם (m higid leka ke erom?). He strictly forbid them both not to eat of the tree, and that meant more than the consequence so he asks: "Hast thou eaten of the tree? אָתָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵץ (hatah hamin haes)? You know" from which I commanded you not to eat?" אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְבִלְתִּי אֲכָל־מִמֶּנּוּ אָכָלְתָּ (aser sivitika lebilti akal mimennu?)

Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

Adam then accuses God of why he ate of the tree: "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me." Adam could not deny his heart or what he had done, so he blamed God and his wife directly. Furthermore, when he said "I did eat" וָאֹכֵל (vaokel), what he said was a verb in a future tense, so that not only did Adam eat of it, but he would eat it again.

Genesis 3:13 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.

So like any father going to his children trying to understand the situation, he gives Eve a chance to confess and repent. Will you own your fault, Eve? That was the real question. However, like her husband, she does not fully own it but blames the snake: "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי וָאֹכֵל (vatomer haishah hanhahash hishiani vaokel). 

Genesis 3:14 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:

The serpent stood there without excuse because he intentionally tempted them to eat off the tree, which led them to sin, so God cursed the serpent and did not even allow it to speak. He curses it threefold, condemning it to crawl on its belly, to lick the dust in shame all the days of his life.

Genesis 3:15 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.

Who did God put enmity between Adam's or, specifically Eve's seed and the serpent? It says it is between hers and the serpent's seed: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed." וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ וּבֵין זַרְעָהּ הוּא (veebah ashit beneka uben ha ishah uven zaraka uven zarah).

This concept here is strikingly different between the Jew and the Christian. In Judaism, they believe that an evil inclination came into existence because of the fall due to Adam and Even partaking of the Tree of Knowledge. And because man has self-awareness, there is an eternal war within themselves choosing right vs. wrong, symbolized as temptation through evil inclination. 

What does this mean? When one disregards any commandment to any degree, one tramples God and his law under their foot, giving power to the serpent (i.e., the devil) to bruise his heel as man tramples God's law. However, suppose a person uses his head by studying the commandments (Torah). In that case, they can come off conquer and rise above the evil inclination to the point they may be brought back into the paradise from which they fell, which in turn bruises the serpent's head.

However, to Christianity, this was the first prophecy through the woman's seed that there would arise a redeemer to crush the serpent's head and end the death curse. So again, the symbolism of the serpent is Satan. And as the plan of the devil was to subject man to corruption so they would waste away and die, never to rise again, subjecting mankind to physical and spiritual death forever, this means that they would be his. 

A fall happened; therefore, out of necessity, a new Adam would come as God pronounced about such enmity: "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב (yesupeka ros veatah teshupennu aqev), a redeemer would come through the seed of the woman alone who would crush the serpent's head and rectify the fall and would at some point rise from such death, unto life eternal.

Genesis 3:16 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 God turns to Eve and curses her twofold. The first was with childbearing. So she would at least have the joy of bringing children into the world through all the travail and pain she would go through. The second curse was her desire after her husband alone and that her husband would rule over her. 

Her punishment was measure for measure. First, she influenced Adam to disobey God, so now she is subservient to him. And the condition to where the man fell, one of the lesser vessels as to physical labor, meant she would depend on him as he conducted everyday life to provide. 

Men, though, should honor, respect, and love their wives. Because as they become obedient to the commandments and place God in their lives, they become "a crown of her husband and the pearl of his life" (Proverbs 12:4; 31:10). He should love her as he loves himself. This position of power is of strength and should not be abused in any way. A God-fearing man would love her and cherish her always. After all, she is his helpmate, and it is not suitable for a man to be alone.  

Genesis 3:17-19 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.

God now curses Adam and places him in his natural abode, an eventual return to the dust of the earth. As he was made from dust, his body would waste away. The normal condition introduced into the world was complete, and man would die as his body would return to the ground from whence it came.  

Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

And with the narrative of how Adam named all creatures, he also names his wife and calls her Eve. However, according to Christianity, because of the promise of a seed to come at a future date who would rectify their fall, Adam called his wife Eve, for she was the mother of all living. Because through her seed and the power of redemption, they would one day return to God's presence from where they fell and live forever with Him.

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

As Adam fell, death passed upon all creatures upon the earth. The fall did not only apply to Adam but put the entire universe and earth into a death spiral. Until sin entered the world, there was no shedding of blood. However, to show Adam and Eve what death looked like, God killed animals right in front of them so they would know personally the consequence of their choice. Death came upon them through their sin as it did upon the entire planet. All things fell. God clothed them and showed the use for animals as they would now enter a world void of God's presence. 

Genesis 3:22-23 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.

And God knew that Adam had become one who could distinguish the difference between right and wrong, he said “behold the man has beomce like one of us” וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ (hen ha adam hayah keahad minmennu). To prevent Adam from partaking of the tree, living forever, and making God a liar, He banishes both out of the Garden. If it had been possible for Adam to stretch forth his hand and eat from the Tree of Life, there would have been no death and voiding out the consequence of their action. Yet they would have lived forever in their sins and never be able to return. 

Genesis 3:24 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.

Because of this, man could not put forth their hand and live forever. So Adam fell by partaking the fruit and made man become lost and fallen, subject to sin and death, never to rise from the grave. And we see that death comes on all mankind. 

God's plans are never frustrated. The devil did know God's designs nor the plan from the beginning. Nevertheless, he tried to destroy and frustrate it by subjecting man to misery, death, and himself. 

However, God prepared a plan, seeing the end from the beginning; he gave man a probationary state and prepared a plan of salvation and redemption. When death entered the world, a resurrection must be prepared, a plan to redeem and rectify the fall so all mankind would not live in misery forever. 

So God placed the Cherubims and a flaming sword לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים (lishmor et derek es hahayyim) "to keep the way of the tree of life." Thus appointing humanity a space to live and then return to the earth from where they came. However, that space given was an invitation for all to call upon God and the plan of redemption, that according to their faith and good works, they would be able, through the seed of the woman, to enter back into God's presence and once again partake of God's glory as they did before the fall.