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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Genesis 3:17–19. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
We have here the sentence passed upon Adam, which is prefaced with a recital of his crime: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, Gen 3:17. He excused the fault, by laying it on his wife: She gave it me. But God does not admit the excuse. She could but tempt him, she could not force him; though it was her fault to persuade him to eat, it was his fault to hearken to her. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, not only be overruled, but turned against them, and made the grounds of their sentence. Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee. Observe,
I.God put marks of his displeasure on Adam in three instances: -
1.His habitation is, by this sentence, cursed: Cursed is the ground for thy sake; and the effect of that curse is, Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee. It is here intimated that his habitation should be changed; he should no longer dwell in a distinguished, blessed, paradise, but should be removed to common ground, and that cursed. The ground, or earth, is here put for the whole visible creation, which, by the sin of man, is made subject to vanity, the several parts of it being not so serviceable to man's comfort and happiness as they were designed to be when they were made, and would have been if he had not sinned. God gave the earth to the children of men, designing it to be a comfortable dwelling to them. But sin has altered the property of it. It is now cursed for man's sin; that is, it is a dishonourable habitation, it bespeaks man mean, that his foundation is in the dust; it is a dry and barren habitation, its spontaneous productions are now weeds and briers, something nauseous or noxious; what good fruits it produces must be extorted from it by the ingenuity and industry of man. Fruitfulness was its blessing, for man's service (Gen 1:11, Gen 1:29), and now barrenness was its curse, for man's punishment. It is not what it was in the day it was created. Sin turned a fruitful land into barrenness; and man, having become as the wild ass's colt, has the wild ass's lot, the wilderness for his habitation, and the barren land his dwelling, Job 39:6; Psa 68:6. Had not this curse been in part removed, for aught I know, the earth would have been for ever barren, and never produced any thing but thorns and thistles. The ground is cursed, that is, doomed to destruction at the end of time, when the earth, and all the works that are therein, shall be burnt up for the sin of man, the measure of whose iniquity will then be full, Pe2 3:7, Pe2 3:10. But observe a mixture of mercy in this sentence.
(1.)Adam himself is not cursed, as the serpent was (Gen 3:14), but only the ground for his sake. God had blessings in him, even the holy seed: Destroy it not, for that blessing is in it, Isa 65:8. And he had blessings in store for him; therefore he is not directly and immediately cursed, but, as it were, at second hand.
(2.)He is yet above ground. The earth does not open and swallow him up; only it is not what it was: as he continues alive, notwithstanding his degeneracy from his primitive purity and rectitude, so the earth continues to be his habitation, notwithstanding its degeneracy from its primitive beauty and fruitfulness.
(3.)This curse upon the earth, which cut off all expectations of a happiness in things below, might direct and quicken him to look for bliss and satisfaction only in things above.
2.His employments and enjoyments are all embittered to him.
(1.)His business shall henceforth become a toil to him, and he shall go on with it in the sweat of his face, Gen 3:19. His business, before he sinned, was a constant pleasure to him, the garden was then dressed without any uneasy labour, and kept without any uneasy care; but now his labour shall be a weariness and shall waste his body; his care shall be a torment and shall afflict his mind. The curse upon the ground which made it barren, and produced thorns and thistles, made his employment about it much more difficult and toilsome. If Adam had not sinned, he had not sweated. Observe here,
[1.]That labour is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; we are bound to work, not as creatures only, but as criminals; it is part of our sentence, which idleness daringly defies.
[2.]That uneasiness and weariness with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, and not complain of, since they are less than our iniquity deserves. Let not us, by inordinate care and labour, make our punishment heavier than God has made it; but rather study to lighten our burden, and wipe off our sweat, by eyeing Providence in all and expecting rest shortly.
(2.)His food shall henceforth become (in comparison with what it had been) unpleasant to him.
[1.]The matter of his food is changed; he must now eat the herb of the field, and must no longer be feasted with the delicacies of the garden of Eden. Having by sin made himself like the beasts that perish, he is justly turned to be a fellow-commoner with them, and to eat grass as oxen, till he know that the heavens do rule.
[2.]There is a change in the manner of his eating it: In sorrow (Gen 3:17) and in the sweat of his face (Gen 3:19) he must eat of it. Adam could not but eat in sorrow all the days of his life, remembering the forbidden fruit he had eaten, and the guilt and shame he had contracted by it. Observe, First, That human life is exposed to many miseries and calamities, which very much embitter the poor remains of its pleasures and delights. Some never eat with pleasure (Job 21:25), through sickness or melancholy; all, even the best, have cause to eat with sorrow for sin; and all, even the happiest in this world, have some allays to their joy: troops of diseases, disasters, and deaths, in various shapes, entered the world with sin, and still ravage it. Secondly, That the righteousness of God is to be acknowledged in all the sad consequences of sin. Wherefore then should a living man complain? Yet, in this part of the sentence, there is also a mixture of mercy. He shall sweat, but his toil shall make his rest the more welcome when he returns to his earth, as to his bed; he shall grieve, but he shall not starve; he shall have sorrow, but in that sorrow he shall eat bread, which shall strengthen his heart under his sorrows. He is not sentenced to eat dust as the serpent, only to eat the herb of the field.
3.His life also is but short. Considering how full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they are few; yet death being dreadful to nature (yea, even though life be unpleasant) that concludes the sentence. "Thou shalt return to the ground out of which thou wast taken; thy body, that part of thee which was taken out of the ground, shall return to it again; for dust thou art." This points either to the first original of his body; it was made of the dust, nay it was made dust, and was still so; so that there needed no more than to recall the grant of immortality, and to withdraw the power which was put forth to support it, and then he would, of course, return to dust. Or to the present corruption and degeneracy of his mind: Dust thou art, that is, "Thy precious soul is now lost and buried in the dust of the body and the mire of the flesh; it was made spiritual and heavenly, but it has become carnal and earthly." His doom is therefore read: "To dust thou shalt return. Thy body shall be forsaken by thy soul, and become itself a lump of dust; and then it shall be lodged in the grave, the proper place for it, and mingle itself with the dust of the earth," our dust, Psa 104:29. Earth to earth, dust to dust. Observe here,
(1.)That man is a mean frail creature, little as dust, the small dust of the balance - light as dust, altogether lighter than vanity - weak as dust, and of no consistency. Our strength is not the strength of stones; he that made us considers it, and remembers that we are dust, Psa 103:14. Man is indeed the chief part of the dust of the world (Pro 8:26), but still he is dust.
(2.)That he is a mortal dying creature, and hastening to the grave. Dust may be raised, for a time, into a little cloud, and may seem considerable while it is held up by the wind that raised it; but, when the force of that is spent, it falls again, and returns to the earth out of which it was raised. Such a thing is man; a great man is but a great mass of dust, and must return to his earth.
(3.)That sin brought death into the world. If Adam had not sinned, he would not have died, Rom 5:12. God entrusted Adam with a spark of immortality, which he, by a patient continuance in well-doing, might have blown up into an everlasting flame; but he foolishly blew it out by wilful sin: and now death is the wages of sin, and sin is the sting of death.
II.We must not go off from this sentence upon our first parents, which we are all so nearly concerned in, and feel from, to this day, till we have considered two things: -
1.How fitly the sad consequences of sin upon the soul of Adam and his sinful race were represented and figured out by this sentence, and perhaps were more intended in it than we are aware of. Though that misery only is mentioned which affected the body, yet that was a pattern of spiritual miseries, the curse that entered into the soul.
(1.)The pains of a woman in travail represent the terrors and pangs of a guilty conscience, awakened to a sense of sin; from the conception of lust, these sorrows are greatly multiplied, and, sooner or later, will come upon the sinner like pain upon a woman in travail, which cannot be avoided.
(2.)The state of subjection to which the woman was reduced represents that loss of spiritual liberty and freedom of will which is the effect of sin. The dominion of sin in the soul is compared to that of a husband (Rom 7:1-5), the sinner's desire is towards it, for he is fond of his slavery, and it rules over him.
(3.)The curse of barrenness which was brought upon the earth, and its produce of briars and thorns, are a fit representation of the barrenness of a corrupt and sinful soul in that which is good and its fruitfulness in evil. It is all overgrown with thorns, and nettles cover the face of it; and therefore it is nigh unto cursing, Heb 6:8.
(4.)The toil and sweat bespeak the difficulty which, through the infirmity of the flesh, man labours under, in the service of God and the work of religion, so hard has it now become to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Blessed be God, it is not impossible.
(5.)The embittering of his food to him bespeaks the soul's want of the comfort of God's favour, which is life, and the bread of life.
(6.)The soul, like the body, returns to the dust of this world; its tendency is that way; it has an earthy taint, Joh 3:31.
2.How admirably the satisfaction our Lord Jesus made by his death and sufferings answered to the sentence here passed upon our first parents.
(1.)Did travailing pains come in with sin? We read of the travail of Christ's soul (Isa 53:11); and the pains o death he was held by are called odinai (Act 2:24), the pains of a woman in travail.
(2.)Did subjection come in with sin? Christ was made under the law, Gal 4:4.
(3.)Did the curse come in with sin? Christ was made a curse for us, died a cursed death, Gal 3:13.
(4.)Did thorns come in with sin? He was crowned with thorns for us.
(5.)Did sweat come in with sin? He for us did sweat as it were great drops of blood.
(6.)Did sorrow come in with sin? He was a man of sorrows, his soul was, in his agony, exceedingly sorrowful.
(7.)Did death come in with sin? He became obedient unto death. Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ!
Historical interpretation
Five Centuries of Reception
12 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
To what kind of a crown, I ask you, did Christ Jesus submit for the salvation of both sexes? He who is the head of man and the glory of woman and the husband of the church—what kind of crown? It was made from thorns and thistles. They stood as a symbol of the sins that the soil of the flesh brought forth for us but that the power of the cross removed, blunting every sting of death since the head of the Lord bore its pain. And beside the symbol, we are reminded also of the scornful abuse, the degradation and the vileness of his cruel tormentors.
Immediately the earth is also cursed, Genesis 3:18 which before was blessed. Immediately spring up briers and thorns, where once had grown grass, and herbs, and fruitful trees. Immediately arise sweat and labour for bread, where previously on every tree was yielded spontaneous food and untilled nourishment. [Agaist Marcion 2.11]
After He had decreed concerning Eve and repentance failed to spring up in Adam, He then turned to him as well in punishment, saying, " Because you listened to the voice of your wife and were wheedled into eating of the Tree from which I told you not to eat, cursed is the earth because of you. " [ Gen. 3:17 ]
The two sentences seem to have a certain similarity, yet in that similarity there is a great difference. There is a difference in the way a person eats of the earth, as the serpent is related to have done and the manner in which this is recorded of the man: 'In sadness shall you eat.' That very phrase 'in sadness' makes the precise difference. Note how important this difference is. It is for my benefit that I should eat the earth in sadness rather than with delight, that is to say, that I should appear to feel a certain sadness in my bodily acts and senses rather than experience pleasure in sin. Many, in fact, because of their manifold iniquities have no awareness of sin. But he who says: ' I chastise my body and bring it into subjection,' [ 1 Cor 9:27 ] feels sadness because of regret for the sins to which we are subject. He himself did not have such serious faults for which he ought to feel sorrow. Hence he teaches us that that kind of sorrow is of value which has, not this world, but God, as its end. It is right, he says, that you become sorrowful, so as to feel repentance in the face of God: ' For the sorrow that is according to God produces salvation, whereas the sorrow that is according to the world produces death.' [ 2 Cor 7:9,10 ] Take note of those who in the Old Testament were sorrowful in the midst of their bodily labors and who attained grace, while those who found delight in such pleasures continued to be punished. Hence the Hebrews, who groaned in the works of Egypt, [ Exod 2:23 ] attained the grace of the just and those ' who ate bread with mourning and fear,' [ Tob 2:5 ] were supplied with spiritual good. The Egyptians, on the other hand, who, in their service to a detestable king, carried out such works with joy, received no favor. [ Exod 16:14-18 ]
After all, you are head of your wife, and she has been created for your sake; but you have inverted the proper order: not only have you failed to keep her on the straight and narrow but you have been dragged down with her, and whereas the rest of the body should follow the head, the contrary has in fact occurred, the head following the rest of the body, turning things upside down.
l know that you are wearied by the excess of words, but stir yourselves a little, I beseech you, lest we leave the sentence incomplete and depart while the judge is still sitting. We are in fact close to the end now. So let us see what he says to the man after the woman, and what kind of punishment he inflicts on him. "Whereas to Adam he said: 'Because you listened to your wife's words and ate from this one tree I told you not to eat from, accursed shall be the soil as you till it. In pain may you eat from it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles let it yield you, and you are to eat the grass of the field. In the sweat of your brow may you eat your bread until you return to the soil whence you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you are to return." [ Gen 3:17, Gen 3:18, Gen 3:19 ] Great is the Lord's care and beyond all telling displayed here for the human being but let us listen precisely to each word spoken. "Whereas to Adam he said: 'Because you listened to your wife's words and ate from this one tree I told you not to eat from." Since you listened to your wife, he is saying, and ate from the tree, and put the advice from her ahead of my command and weren't prepared to keep away from this one single tree which I told you not to eat from (surely, after all, I didn't bid you keep away from many? one only and yet you couldn't keep away from that, but forgot my commands and were overborne by your wife). Hence you are to learn through your very labors how much evil you have committed.
Let men give good heed, let women give good heed the former, that they may have nothing to do with those people advising evil actions, and the latter, that they may ad vise nothing of the sort. I mean, if Adam shifted the blame on to his wife and was still considered incapable of any excuse, what kind of defense could anyone offer in the claim, "It was on account of my wife that I sinned in this way and that, and committed this sin and that "? After all, the reason that she came under your dominion and you were declared her master was that she should follow your lead, not for the head to follow the feet. Frequently, however, it is possible to see the opposite occurring, that the one who is supposed to be in the position of head doesn't even keep to the position of the feet, whereas she who is in the position of the feet is installed in the position of head. Hence also blessed Paul, the world's teacher, foresaw all this and cried out, "How, after all, can you be sure, wife, whether you will save your husband? And how can you be sure, husband, whether you will save your wife?" [ I Cor 7:16 ] Still, let a husband be very much on his guard so as to resist his wife's inducement to harmful behavior, and let a wife keep fresh in mind the punishment Eve received for plying her husband with harmful advice, and not presume to offer such advice nor imitate Eve, but rather bring him to his senses by her example and encourage him to that kind of behavior that will discharge herself and her husband of any punishment or penalty.
But let us return to the text before us. "Whereas to Adam he said: 'Because you listened to your wife's words and ate from this one tree I told you not to eat from.'" Because, he is saying, you displayed such indifference about keeping the command given by me, and neither fear nor my intervening to decree the punishment liable to happen to you for eating the fruit was of any benefit, but in fact you ran headlong into such terrible wickedness that you were unable to keep away from that single tree despite such great enjoyment, accordingly "'accursed shall be the soil as you till it.'" See the Lord's loving kindness, how he punishes the serpent one way and this rational being a different way: to the former he says, "'Accursed are you beyond the earth,'" whereas in this case he doesn't speak in that way. What, then? "'Accursed shall be the soil as you till it.'" Appropriately, too. You see, since the soil had been produced for the sake of the human being so that he might thus be able to enjoy what sprang from it, accordingly in turn he places a curse on it on account of the human being's sin; because the curse on it impairs in turn the human being's relaxation and tranquillity, he says, "Accursed shall be the soil as you till it."
"accursed" means, he added, "'In pain may you eat from it all the days of your life.'" See how each punishment is extended for a lifetime, so that not only may they personally be the better off for it, but that those destined to follow in future may learn from these very events whence the source of this punishment derived in their case: "'In pain,'" he says, "'may you eat from it all the days of your life.'" Then, to teach us more precisely the kind of curse and the cause of the pain, he added, "Thorns and thistles let it yield you." [ Gen 3:18 ] Behold the reminders of the curse: thorns it will bring forth, he says, and thistles so as to give rise to great labor and discomfort, and I will ensure you pass the whole time with pain so that this experience may prove a brake on your getting ideas above your station and you may instead have a thought to your own makeup and never again bear to be deceived in these matters.
"You are to eat of the grass of the field. In the sweat of your brow may you eat your bread." See how after his disobedience everything is imposed on him in an opposite way to his former life style: My intention in bringing you into the world, he is saying, was that you should live your life without pain or toil, difficulty or sweat, and that you should be in a state of enjoyment and prosperity, and not be subject to the needs of the body but be free from all such and have the good fortune to experience complete freedom. Since, however, such indulgence was of no benefit to you, accordingly I curse the ground so that it will not in future yield its harvest as be fore without tilling and ploughing; instead, I invest you with great labor, toil and difficulty, and with unremitting pain and despair, and I am ensuring that everything you do is achieved only by sweat so that under pressure from these you may have continual guidance in keeping to limits and recognizing your own makeup. Nor will this continue for a short period or a brief space of time: it will last all your life. "In the sweat of your brow may you eat your bread until you return to the soil whence you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you are to return." [ Gen 3:19 ] You will endure this as long as the span of your life is extended and you decompose into the material you were formed from. You see, even though in my loving kindness I endowed you with a bodily nature, yet your body being from the earth will in turn revert to the earth. "For dust you are, and to dust you are to return "' After all, to pre vent this happening I said, "'Do not touch the tree," explaining that "on the day you eat of it you will truly die." You see, this was not my intention; on the contrary, everything on my part was carried through, but you appropriated it for your self so don't attribute the blame to anyone else, but put it down to your own indifference.
At this point, however, a further question arises for us, which, if you don't mind, we'll dispose of immediately at this stage and bring the sermon to a close. God said, the text tells us, "On the day you eat from it you will truly die;" yet they are shown living for a great number of years after the disobedience and tasting the food. This seems to pose a problem for those who read the subject matter superficially; if however you give your attention to it in the proper spirit, the verse is clear and offers no problem to the student. You see, even if they lived a long time, nevertheless from the time they heard the words, "Dust you are, and to dust you are to return," and received the sentence of death, they became liable to death and you would say front that moment they were dead. So this is what Scripture is also implying when it says that "on the day you eat, you will truly die" that is to say, receive the sentence of being mortal from now on. I moral, just as in the case of human tribunals, when someone receives the sentence of beheading and is cast into prison, even if he stays there a long time his life is no better than that of dead people and corpses, being already dead by reason of his sentence, in just the same way they, too, from the day they received the sentence of mortality were dead by reason of their sentence, even if they lasted a long time.
I know that our words have been numerous and the thread of our teaching has been drawn out to great length. Hence, since by the grace of God and to the extent of our ability we have proposed everything to you and brought to a Conclusion the subject matter we read about, let us at this point close the sermon. It would, in fact, have been possible for us to propose other matters, illustrating further that the imposition of that very punishment and their being made liable to death was a mark of great depths of loving kindness. But in case we smother your thinking with a great surfeit of words, come now, let us encourage you as you leave here not to give your time to brainless gatherings or to improper gossiping; instead, reflect privately and rehearse with one an other what has been said, reminding yourselves of what the judge said in reply, what defense the guilty made, how the man shifted the blame on to the woman and she shifted it to the serpent, how God punished that creature and the fact that he inflicted on it the punishment that would be constant and lasting for all time, that in its regard he delivered a severe denunciation and thus demonstrated his care for those deceived. You see, from the fact that he punished their deceiver it is clear that he had practiced his deception on people very dear to God. Next recall from this text the sentence on the woman and the punishment inflicted on her, or rather the admonition and thus recall the words addressed to Adam, remembering the sentence, "Dust you are, and to dust you are to return;" find cause for wonder in this at God's ineffable love, that we, though coming from dust and decomposing into it, are deemed worthy, should we wish to embrace virtue and shun evil, of those unspeakable good things prepared for those who love him, "which eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have they entered man's heart." [ I Cor 2:9 ]
Consequently, we ought to pay the Lord abundant thanks for his so generous favors and never consign them to oblivion; instead, through good works and careful avoidance of foul deeds let us win his approval and render him well disposed to us. I mean, how could we avoid the appearance of ingratitude if, while he who is God and immortal does not decline to take on himself our mortal nature and earthly character, free us from the ancient curse of death, lead us to highest heaven, honor us with his ancestral home and deem us worthy of being honored by all the heavenly host, whereas we are not ashamed to requite him in just the opposite way, glueing our immortal soul (so to say) on to our body and thus ensuring that it becomes earthly, perishable and impotent? Let us not, I beseech you, be so ungrateful to such a constant benefactor of ours; let us rather keep his laws and perform what he has decided and is well pleasing to him, so that he may declare us worthy also of eternal goods. May we all be judged deserving of such goods, thanks to the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power and honor, now and forever for ages of ages. Amen.
Since man had shown great disobedience, God cast him forth from his life in paradise. God curbed man’s spirit for the future, so that he might not leap farther away. He condemned him to a life of toil and labor, speaking to him in some such fashion as this: “The ease and security that were yours in abundance led you to this great disobedience. They made you forget my commandments. You had nothing to do. That led you to think thoughts too haughty for your own nature.… Therefore, I condemn you to toil and labor, so that while tilling the earth, you may never forget your disobedience and the vileness of your nature.”
Behold the reminders of the curse: thorns it will bring forth, he says, and thistles so as to give rise to great labor and discomfort, and I will ensure you pass the whole time with pain so that this experience may prove a brake on your getting ideas above your station, and you may instead have a thought to your own makeup and never again bear to be deceived in these matters.“You are to eat of the grass of the field. In the sweat of your brow may you eat yourbread.” See how after his disobedience everything is imposed on him in an opposite way to his former life style: My intention in bringing you into the world, he is saying, was that you should live your life without pain or toil, difficulty or sweat, and that you should be in a state of enjoyment and prosperity, and not be subject to the needs of the body but be free from all such and have the good fortune to experience complete freedom. Since, however, such indulgence was of no benefit to you, accordingly I curse the ground so that it will not in future yield its harvest as before without tilling and ploughing. Instead I invest you with great labor, toil and difficulty, and with unremitting pain and despair, and I am ensuring that everything you do is achieved only by sweat so that under pressure from these you may have continual guidance in keeping to limits and recognizing your own makeup.
(Verse 17.) Cursed is the ground because of your actions. The works here do not refer to cultivating the land, as many think, but rather sins are signified. As it is written in Hebrew: And Aquila does not disagree, saying: Cursed is the soil because of you. And Theodotion: Cursed is the earth because of your transgression.
What shall we say about the judgment pronounced against the man? Are we perhaps to think that the rich, for whom the necessities of life come easily and who do not labor on the earth, have escaped this punishment? It says, "The earth will be cursed for you in all your works, and you shall eat from it in sadness and groaning all the days of your life. It will bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the grain of your field. In the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken, for you are earth, and you will return to the earth." It is certainly clear that no one escapes this sentence. For anyone born in this life has difficulty in discovering the truth because of the corruptible body. For as Solomon says, "The body that is corrupted weighs down the soul, and the earthly habitation presses down the mind that thinks many thoughts." These are the labors and sorrows that man has from the earth. The thorns and thistles are the prickings of torturous questions or thoughts concerned with providing for this life.
Adam was created pure by God for his service. All these creatures were given to him to serve him. He was destined to be the lord and king of all creatures. But when the evil word came to him and conversed with him, he first received it through an external hearing. Then it penetrated into his heart and took charge of his whole being. When he was thus captured, creation, which ministered and served him, was captured with him.
But to Adam he said: Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree concerning which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life, thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field, etc. Who is ignorant that these are the labors upon the earth of the human race, and that they would not be if the happiness that was in paradise had been maintained? For by the sin of man the earth was cursed, so that it would bring forth thorns, not that it itself would feel punishment because it is without sensation, but in order that the crime of human sin might always be placed before men’s eyes, so that they might be reminded to turn away from sins at some point, and turn towards God's commandments. Indeed, poisonous herbs were created for the punishment or the discipline of mortals. And this must be noted because of sin, for we became mortal after sin. We are also mocked through unfruitful trees, so that we may understand how shameful it is to be without the fruit of good works in the field of God, that is, in the Church, and so that we may fear lest God abandon us, because they themselves abandon unfruitful trees in their fields, nor do they apply any cultivation to them. Therefore, before the sin of man it is not written that the earth brought forth anything except herb for feeding and fruitful trees; but after sin we see many horrible and unfruitful things grow, for the reason we have mentioned. Mystically indeed, the earth which is said to have been cursed in the work of Adam's transgression is better understood as the flesh. For now it brings forth thorns and thistles for us, because propagated by the lust of the flesh, we suffer the stings and incitements of sins from the flesh itself.
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Summary
Genesis 3:17 records God's solemn declaration of judgment upon Adam, a pivotal moment immediately following his direct disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Because Adam chose to heed his wife's voice over God's explicit command, the very ground from which he was formed and by which he was sustained is cursed. This pronouncement transforms human existence from effortless provision to one of arduous toil and sorrow, fundamentally altering humanity's relationship with creation and setting the trajectory for a life of struggle outside the idyllic Garden.
Context
Literary Context
Genesis 3:17 stands as the culmination of the divine judgment pronounced in response to the Fall, directly following the curses on the serpent in Genesis 3:14-15 and Eve's consequences in Genesis 3:16. This verse specifically addresses Adam's culpability, highlighting his failure to uphold the clear boundary set by God in Genesis 2:17. The narrative progression demonstrates a systematic unfolding of consequences, moving from the instigator (serpent) to the first to partake (Eve) and finally to the one who bore primary covenantal responsibility (Adam), whose actions had cosmic ramifications for all creation.
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, the relationship between humanity and the land was foundational. Agriculture was the primary means of sustenance, and the fertility of the ground was often seen as a direct blessing or curse from the divine. A "cursed ground" would imply a direct divine intervention making the land less productive or requiring immense effort to yield its fruit. This concept would have resonated deeply with an agrarian society, emphasizing the profound disruption of the natural order and the hardship that would now characterize human labor, a stark contrast to the effortless provision of Eden.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several overarching themes in Genesis and the broader biblical narrative. It underscores the sovereignty of God in pronouncing judgment and establishing consequences for disobedience. It vividly illustrates the pervasiveness of sin, demonstrating how human rebellion not only corrupts humanity but also impacts the created order itself, leading to the brokenness and futility observed in the world (a theme later explored in Romans 8:19-22). Furthermore, it introduces the theme of toil and suffering in human labor, transforming what was originally a joyful stewardship in Genesis 2:15 into a burdensome struggle for survival.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
The name of the first man, also meaning "mankind" or "humanity." In this context, it specifically refers to the individual Adam, but his actions and the subsequent judgment have representative implications for all humanity, as he is the federal head.
From the same root as Adam's name, signifying soil or earth. The curse is directed specifically at the ground, emphasizing the direct impact of Adam's sin on the very source of human sustenance and the physical realm over which he was given dominion.
This word denotes more than mere emotional sadness; it signifies pain, laborious effort, vexation, and grievous toil. It describes the arduous nature of the work required to extract sustenance from the cursed ground, highlighting the physical and mental hardship that would now define human labor.
Verse Breakdown
"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife"
God directly addresses Adam, pinpointing his specific culpability. The phrase "hearkened unto the voice" (H8085 shâmaʻ and H6963 qôwl) implies not just hearing, but obeying or giving heed. Adam's failure was not merely passive; he actively chose to follow Eve's counsel over God's explicit command, abdicating his responsibility as the covenant head and guardian of the Garden.
"and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it"
This clause highlights the direct and unambiguous nature of Adam's transgression. God's command was clear and specific, reiterated to emphasize the deliberate nature of Adam's disobedience. His act of eating (H398 ʼâkal) from the forbidden tree (H6086 ʻêts) was a direct affront to divine authority and a breach of the covenant.
"cursed [is] the ground for thy sake"
The immediate consequence of Adam's sin is not a direct curse upon him, but upon the ground (H127 ʼădâmâh) itself. The Hebrew word for "cursed" (H779 ʼârar) signifies a severe, binding declaration of negative consequences that fundamentally alters the nature of something. The ground, which was originally given to humanity for joyful stewardship and sustenance, now becomes hostile, symbolizing the pervasive reach of sin beyond humanity to the entire creation.
"in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life"
This final clause details the practical outworking of the curse. "Sorrow" (H6093 ʻitstsâbôwn) conveys deep pain, laborious effort, and vexation. This signifies a radical transformation of human labor from a delightful, fruitful activity in Eden to a burdensome struggle for survival. Sustenance will no longer be effortlessly provided but will require strenuous toil, sweat, and hardship (H398 ʼâkal). This establishes the pattern of human struggle and hard work that culminates in Adam's return to the dust from which he came, as further elaborated in Genesis 3:19. This condition is to last "all (H3605 kôl) the days (H3117 yôwm) of thy life (H2416 chay)," indicating a lifelong, pervasive impact.
Literary Devices
Genesis 3:17 employs several potent literary devices. Irony is evident as the ground, from which Adam was formed and was meant to provide for him, now becomes the source of his toil and sorrow. The very means of his sustenance is now antagonistic. Parallelism is also present in the cause-and-effect relationship: Adam's disobedience (hearkening to his wife, eating the forbidden fruit) directly leads to the curse on the ground and the sorrowful toil. This establishes a clear moral and theological link between human action and cosmic consequence. Furthermore, the passage uses metonymy by cursing the "ground" for Adam's "sake," implying that the curse on the physical earth represents the broader disruption of the entire created order and humanity's relationship with it, all due to Adam's sin.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Genesis 3:17 is a foundational text for understanding the consequences of the Fall, revealing how sin profoundly impacts not only humanity's spiritual state but also the very fabric of the physical world and the nature of human existence within it. It underscores the pervasive reach of disobedience, demonstrating that rebellion against God introduces brokenness and futility into creation, transforming what was once effortless provision into a life characterized by arduous toil and sorrow. This divine judgment, though severe, is a righteous consequence for deliberate rebellion, re-establishing the divine order that was broken and highlighting the absolute necessity of obedience to God's word.
Reflection and Application
Genesis 3:17 offers profound insight into the enduring struggles of human existence, revealing that the toil and hardship we experience in daily life, particularly in our work, are direct echoes of this ancient curse. It challenges us to recognize the deep impact of sin, not just on our spiritual state but on the very fabric of our physical world and our daily experience within it. Our frustrations with work, the resistance of nature, and the sheer effort required for sustenance are all reminders of Adam's choice. Yet, understanding this also fosters a deeper appreciation for the grace of God, who, even in judgment, provides sustenance and points towards a future hope where such sorrow and toil will be no more. This verse calls us to labor with diligence, acknowledging the reality of the curse, but also to look beyond it to the redemptive work of Christ that promises ultimate restoration and rest.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is the ground cursed for Adam's sake, rather than Adam himself being directly cursed like the serpent?
The curse on the ground signifies the cosmic impact of Adam's sin. As the one given dominion over creation, Adam's rebellion corrupted his relationship with God, with Eve, and with the very earth he was meant to steward. The ground's curse reflects the brokenness of the entire created order due to humanity's sin, making life difficult and laborious, rather than directly condemning Adam to immediate annihilation. This highlights the interconnectedness of humanity and creation, where the sin of the federal head brings consequences to his domain.
What is the significance of Adam "hearkening unto the voice of thy wife" instead of God's voice?
This phrase highlights Adam's failure in his role as the covenant head and guardian of the Garden. He was given the original command directly by God in Genesis 2:16-17 and was responsible for upholding it. By choosing to obey his wife's persuasive words over God's clear instruction, Adam abdicated his spiritual responsibility and leadership, leading to the devastating consequences for all humanity. It underscores the profound seriousness of prioritizing any voice over the clear word of God.
Does this verse mean that all work is a curse or inherently evil?
No, the verse does not mean work itself is a curse. Work existed before the Fall, as God placed Adam in the Garden to "work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). However, the nature of work changed after the Fall. It became "sorrowful" (H6093 ʻitstsâbôwn) and toilsome, characterized by pain, frustration, and struggle to yield its fruit. The curse is on the ground, making the process of work difficult and burdensome, rather than work itself being inherently evil. Work remains a divine mandate, but now it is performed "by the sweat of your brow" (Genesis 3:19).
What does "in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it" truly imply beyond just sadness?
The Hebrew word 'itstsabown (H6093) implies much more than just emotional sadness. It encompasses pain, grievous labor, vexation, and the arduous effort required for sustenance. It signifies a life of struggle and hardship in obtaining food from the ground, a stark contrast to the effortless provision of Eden. This "sorrow" reflects the deep-seated frustration and futility that now accompany human efforts to subdue the earth, a direct consequence of the broken relationship between humanity and creation.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Genesis 3:17, with its pronouncement of a cursed ground and a life of sorrowful toil, profoundly underscores humanity's desperate need for redemption. This verse foreshadows the coming of Christ, who is revealed as the "second Adam" in passages like Romans 5:12-21. Where the first Adam brought a curse through disobedience, Jesus, through His perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross, provided the means for the curse to be ultimately undone. His suffering and death on a cursed tree (Galatians 3:13) directly address the consequences of Adam's eating from the forbidden tree. Christ's redemptive work not only offers spiritual liberation but also points to a future hope where creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:21). Ultimately, the new heavens and new earth will be a place where there will be no more curse, fulfilling the deep longing for a world free from the toil, sorrow, and brokenness introduced by Adam's sin. Through Christ, the promise of a restored creation and a life of true rest and joy is secured.