King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
¶ 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;
Complete Jewish Bible:
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to what your wife said and ate from the tree about which I gave you the order, ‘You are not to eat from it,’ the ground is cursed on your account; you will work hard to eat from it as long as you live.
Berean Standard Bible:
And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
American Standard Version:
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 toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And unto Adam{H121} he said{H559}, Because thou hast hearkened{H8085} unto the voice{H6963} of thy wife{H802}, and hast eaten{H398} of the tree{H6086}, of which{H834} I commanded thee{H6680}, saying{H559}, Thou shalt not eat{H398} of it: cursed{H779} is the ground{H127} for thy sake; in sorrow{H6093} shalt thou eat{H398} of it all{H3605} the days{H3117} of thy life{H2416};
Cross-References (KJV):
Romans 8:20
- For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
Romans 8:22
- For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Genesis 5:29
- And he called his name Noah, saying, This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Isaiah 24:5
- The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isaiah 24:6
- Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
Ecclesiastes 2:22
- For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 2:23
- For all his days [are] sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 3:17
**Themes:**
1. **Disobedience and Consequences:** The verse underscores the theme of disobedience to God's command, emphasizing the direct link between Adam's choice to listen to his wife (Eve) and eat from the forbidden tree, and the resulting curse.
2. **The Fall and Human Suffering:** This verse is part of the narrative known as "The Fall," where human sin enters the world, leading to a life of hardship and toil, symbolized by the cursed ground.
3. **Cursed Earth:** The ground itself is cursed as a consequence of human disobedience, which introduces the theme of environmental hardship that humans must endure.
4. **Human Toil:** The verse speaks to the inevitability of hard work and struggle in life as a direct result of sin, particularly in the context of providing sustenance (sorrowful labor to eat from the ground).
**Historical Context:**
Genesis 3:17 is set within the primeval history of the Book of Genesis, which includes stories that explain the origins of the world, humanity, and the relationship between God and humans. This particular verse follows the narrative in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, an act forbidden by God.
The verse reflects an ancient Near Eastern context where agrarian life was the norm, and the fertility of the land was crucial for survival. The curse on the ground would resonate with the original audience, who would understand the gravity of such a pronouncement in an agricultural society.
This text is part of the Priestly source in the documentary hypothesis, which is one of the proposed sources of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). It is thought to have been written during or after the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE), although it includes much older oral traditions. The narrative addresses the universal human experience of struggle and the quest for understanding the presence of evil and suffering in the world.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H121
There are 107 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָדָם
Transliteration: ʼÂdâm
Pronunciation: aw-dawm'
Description: the same as אָדָם; Adam the name of the first man, also of a place in Palestine; Adam. - Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H8085
There are 1072 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁמַע
Transliteration: shâmaʻ
Pronunciation: shaw-mah'
Description: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.); [idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, [idiom] surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness. - Strong's Number: H6963
There are 436 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קוֹל
Transliteration: qôwl
Pronunciation: kole
Description: or קֹל; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound; [phrase] aloud, bleating, crackling, cry ([phrase] out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, [phrase] hold peace, (pro-) claim, proclamation, [phrase] sing, sound, [phrase] spark, thunder(-ing), voice, [phrase] yell. - Strong's Number: H802
There are 729 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אִשָּׁה
Transliteration: ʼishshâh
Pronunciation: ish-shaw'
Description: feminine of אִישׁ or אֱנוֹשׁ; irregular plural, נָשִׁים;(used in the same wide sense as אֱנוֹשׁ); a woman; (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English. - Strong's Number: H398
There are 825 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָכַל
Transliteration: ʼâkal
Pronunciation: aw-kal'
Description: a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively); [idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite. - Strong's Number: H6086
There are 288 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֵץ
Transliteration: ʻêts
Pronunciation: ates
Description: from עָצָה; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks); [phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood. - Strong's Number: H834
There are 220 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲשֶׁר
Transliteration: ʼăsher
Pronunciation: ash-er'
Description: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.; [idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever, when, where ([phrase] -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, [phrase] whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection. - Strong's Number: H6680
There are 475 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צָוָה
Transliteration: tsâvâh
Pronunciation: tsaw-vaw'
Description: a primitive root; (intensively) to constitute, enjoin; appoint, (for-) bid, (give a) charge, (give a, give in, send with) command(-er, -ment), send a messenger, put, (set) in order. - Strong's Number: H779
There are 177 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָרַר
Transliteration: ʼârar
Pronunciation: aw-rar'
Description: a primitive root; to execrate; [idiom] bitterly curse. - Strong's Number: H127
There are 372 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲדָמָה
Transliteration: ʼădâmâh
Pronunciation: ad-aw-maw'
Description: from אָדַם; soil (from its general redness); country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land. - Strong's Number: H6093
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עִצָּבוֹן
Transliteration: ʻitstsâbôwn
Pronunciation: its-tsaw-bone'
Description: from עָצַב; worrisomeness, i.e. labor or pain; sorrow, toil. - Strong's Number: H3605
There are 24 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כֹּל
Transliteration: kôl
Pronunciation: kole
Description: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from כָּלַל; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense); (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever). - Strong's Number: H3117
There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יוֹם
Transliteration: yôwm
Pronunciation: yome
Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. - Strong's Number: H2416
There are 452 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חַי
Transliteration: chay
Pronunciation: khah'-ee
Description: from חָיָה; alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively; [phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.