Genesis3

The serpent, more subtil than any beast, tempts Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, promising god-like knowledge. Eve disobeys and gives the fruit to Adam, who also eats, leading to their awareness of nakedness and an attempt to hide from God. The LORD God confronts them, pronounces curses upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, and subsequently expels them from the Garden of Eden, guarding the way to the tree of life.
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The Serpent Tempts the Woman

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? ​
2
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3
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. ​
4
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5
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. ​

The Disobedience and The Fall

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. ​
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. ​

The Lord God Seeks Out Adam

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. ​
9
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ​
10
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
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?
12
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ​
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.

Consequences and Divine Judgment

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: ​
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. ​
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. ​
17
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; ​
18
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19
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.
20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Provision and Covering

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

Expulsion from the Garden

22
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: ​
23
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
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. ​

Study Notes for Genesis 3

Verse 1

The serpent is introduced as the agent of temptation, characterized by cunning ('subtil'). Biblical tradition often identifies this figure with Satan (Rev. 12:9). The temptation begins subtly by questioning the generosity and clarity of God’s command.

Verse 3

Eve slightly distorts God's original prohibition (2:17) by adding the prohibition against 'touching' the fruit. This suggests a weakening grasp or misunderstanding of the divine boundary, making her vulnerable to the serpent’s direct contradiction.

Verse 5

The core temptation is the promise of godlike autonomy—the ability to determine good and evil for oneself, thereby challenging God's sovereignty. The serpent accuses God of withholding essential knowledge out of self-interest.

Verse 6

The woman’s decision follows a pattern of desire (good for food, pleasant to the eyes, desired to make one wise), paralleling the threefold categories of temptation found in 1 John 2:16. Adam’s failure is emphasized by his passive reception of the fruit while 'with her.'

Verse 7

The opening of their 'eyes' signifies not physical sight but moral realization. They experience deep shame and guilt, leading to the immediate attempt to cover their moral exposure and fractured innocence.

Verse 8

The immediate consequence of sin is fear and alienation, causing Adam and Eve to hide from the presence of God. God’s action of ‘walking in the garden’ emphasizes His continued desire for fellowship, even after the Fall.

Verse 9

God's question, 'Where art thou?' is rhetorical, intended to prompt Adam to self-reflection and accountability rather than seeking his physical location.

Verse 12

Adam deflects responsibility, blaming Eve and subtly shifting blame toward God Himself ('The woman whom thou gavest to be with me'). This demonstrates the corrosive effect of sin on human relationships and personal honesty.

Verse 14

The judgment begins with the serpent, resulting in a physical change and setting the stage for future conflict.

Verse 15

This verse is known as the *Protoevangelium* (First Gospel). It promises perpetual enmity between the serpent's 'seed' (evil forces) and the woman's 'seed' (a specific descendant, understood as the Messiah), who will deliver a decisive, though costly, victory (bruise his heel).

Verse 16

The curse on the woman involves pain in childbirth and relational tension with her husband. The statement 'he shall rule over thee' describes the struggle for dominance and relational conflict that results from the Fall, contrasting with the original harmonious partnership.

Verse 17

Adam's judgment centers on the ground, which is now 'cursed' and resistant to human labor. The environment itself reflects the broken covenant, making life sustenance a matter of painful toil and sorrow.

Verse 21

God provides clothing made of animal skins, demonstrating that the covering of shame requires a substitutionary death. This act reveals God's mercy and provision even in the midst of judgment.

Verse 22

God recognizes that humanity has gained the knowledge of evil through disobedience. The expulsion is an act of mercy, preventing immortalization in a state of moral corruption by blocking access to the Tree of Life.

Verse 24

The Cherubim and the flaming sword serve as guardians, ensuring that the way back to eternal life (the Tree of Life) is closed until God provides the means for reconciliation and redemption.

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