Genesis 3 | |
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![]() Genesis 3 in the Holy Bible, King James Version 1772. | |
Book | Book of Genesis |
Hebrew Bible part | Torah |
Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 1 |
Genesis 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is the first of the five books in the Torah. This chapter relates how the serpent tricks the woman (Eve) to eat the fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the woman gives the fruit to Adam (the first man) leading to the "fall of man" (the first sin of man), with the trial and eventual punishment (curses) for the serpent, the woman and the man because of the sins.[1]
Text
editThe original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 24 verses.
Structure
editCarson et al arrange this chapter into 3 parts:[2]
- Genesis 3:1–8: The fall
- Genesis 3:9–20: Trial and sentence
- Genesis 3:21–24: Judgment
The fall (3:1–8)
editThe entry of sin ruined the innocent harmony in the Garden of Eden[2]: When the Serpent lied the Serpent had committed the first sin. The serpent said their eyes would be opened if they ate the fruit. This was enough to convince the two as they also saw that the tree looked beautiful and the fruit looked delicious so they ate it committing the first sin of man."[3] And from this point on all men have committed sin and all fall short of God (Romans 5:12) And with this they fell into earthly ways of listening to Satan full of pride, the absence of good shame,[4] and that same urging humans get today they got causing them to eat of the forbidden fruit,[5][6][7] all originating from the sin of pride.[8]
Verse 1
edit- Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"[9]
- "Yahweh God had made": Clearly noted as one of the created animals, the serpent's identification to Satan is not stated in the Hebrew Bible, but only confirmed in the New Testament (John 8:44; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:9; 20:2).[10]
- "Has God really said": The serpent subtly creates "a disorienting atmosphere of uncertain questions".[11] The distortion of the serpent aims to throw doubts on the divine plan for the good things in life.[12] The strategy used by the serpent is seen as the same tactic used by Satan:[13]
- Misrepresented the words and heart of God (focusing on a particular prohibition without mentioning God's lavish provision)
- Smuggled in the assumption that God's word is subject to human's judgment
- Created distance between human and God by questioning God's motive for placing a prohibition and doubting God's desire for intimacy with His creatures.[14]
Verses 2–3
edit- 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden;
- 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.' "[15]
Eve corrected the Serpent's misrepresentation of God's commandment, but then she added on her own the phrase "nor will you touch it", which incorrectly characterizes God as "unreasonably strict".[14]
The trial and sentence (3:9–20)
editGod as the divine inquisitor interrogated the man, woman and serpent, eliciting their confessions, then sentenced them.[2] God asked if they had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil then they said they had.[16][17] After the sentencing, Adam called his wife, Eve (verse 20), which gives optimistim from the situation.[18]
Verses 14–15
edit- 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
- "Because you have done this,
- You are cursed more than all cattle,
- And more than every beast of the field;
- On your belly you shall go,
- And you shall eat dust
- All the days of your life.
- 15 And I will put enmity
- Between you and the woman,
- And between your seed and her Seed;
- He shall bruise your head,
- And you shall bruise His heel."[19]
- "Because you have done this,
The Lord God condemned the serpent to "a status associated with docility ('crawling on the belly') and death ('eating dust')",[20] while the offpring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman will "exchange blows until the serpent's head is eventually crushed".[21]
Verse 16
edit- To the woman He said:
- "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
- In pain you shall bring forth children;
- Your desire shall be for your husband,
- And he shall rule over you."[22]
- "For your husband": or "toward your husband"[23]
Verse 20
edit- And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.[24]
Judgment (3:21–24)
editThe full cost of sin became apparent, as Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, living a sort of life outside the intimate fellowship with God, separated from the presence of God and ultimately faced physical death.[2] Having been deceived by the serpent, the serpent was cursed and women's pregnancies were cursed with pain. And the serpent and it's offspring was cursed with disputes and so was Eve and her offspring. And women were also cursed to be ruled over by their husbands while wanting to control their husbands. And he cursed the man with struggling to live off the land his entire life eating of the grains of the fields while thorns and thistles grow around them around them until he returned to the dust he came from. And then God made leather robes for them. And then God said that humans had become like him and his Holy spirit and if they were to reach out and eat of the Tree of Life they would live forever. So they were Banished From the Garden of Eden. Then he left the serpent in the east of Eden and a flaming sword flashing back and forth protecting the Tree of Life.[26][27] God gave the couple skins to cover with and skin can refer to a plant or any animal including a snake.[28]
The Two Trees
editIn the Garden of Eden, there were two specifically named trees:[29]
- tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9, 17), presumably also 'the tree that is in the middle of the garden' (Genesis 3:3; cf. Genesis 3:11–12)
- tree of life (Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:22)
Both trees have been connected to 'wisdom themes', as in the Book of Proverbs 'knowledge' is synonymous to 'wisdom', and in Proverbs 3:18 'wisdom' is 'a tree of life to those who lay hold of her', but in Genesis 3, it is clear that the two trees were distinct, and also, 'knowledge' and '(eternal) life' are not synonymous.[29]
The Serpent
editThe text specifically states that the serpent (introduced in Genesis 3:1) is one of God's creature, though not specifically mentioned in previous chapters.[30] It was craftier ('arum) than all the others, but it is 'neither a supernatural enemy threatening God's creation from outside nor some kind of inner voice within the woman urging her to disobedience'.[29] The word 'arum is ambiguous, as it can also denote 'wisdom' in a positive sense, but 'here it is the wrong kind of wisdom' for it was possessed by the serpent that initiates mankind's fall into disaster.[29] Whybray notes a play on words between 'arum, meaning "crafty", and 'arom (Genesis 2:25) meaning "naked".[29] In a later interpretation, the serpent is identified with Satan or the Devil (Revelation 12:9 in New Testament).[30]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Turner 2009, pp. 21–25.
- ^ a b c d Carson 1994, p. 63.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM
- ^ The Beginning of Shame (Genesis 2:24-3:10, 21)
- ^ 1 Samuel 2:3 KJV
- ^ Galatians 6:4
- ^ James 4:6
- ^ The Sin of Pride https://www.allaboutgod.com/sin-of-pride.htm
- ^ Genesis 3:1 MEV
- ^ Whitworth 2012, p. 34.
- ^ Reno 2010, p. 85.
- ^ Reno 2010, p. 86.
- ^ Whitworth 2012, pp. 34–35.
- ^ a b Whitworth 2012, p. 35.
- ^ Genesis 3:2–3 MEV
- ^ Lessons From the Fall, An Overview of Genesis 3
- ^ The Gospel in the Garden: A Closer Look at Genesis 3
- ^ Turner 2009, pp. 25.
- ^ Genesis 3:14–15 NKJV
- ^ Walton, John H. (2001) Genesis (NIV Application Commentary, Old Testament) p. 225; apud Whitworth 2012, p. 39.
- ^ Whitworth 2012, p. 39.
- ^ Genesis 3:16 NKJV
- ^ Note on Genesis 3:16 in NKJV
- ^ Genesis 3:20 NKJV
- ^ Note on Genesis 3:20 in NKJV
- ^ Understanding Man Genesis 3:20-24 https://elmirachristiancenter.org/gospel-garden-closer-look-genesis-3/
- ^ Genesis 3 8-24 Deron J. Biles https://kenboa.org/theological/guilt-shame-what-is-their-role-in-the-life-of-the-believer-text/
- ^ Oxford Learner's Dictionary https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/skin_1
- ^ a b c d e Whybray 2007, p. 44.
- ^ a b Bandstra 2008, p. 50.
Sources
edit- Bandstra, Barry L. (2008). Reading the Old Testament: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (4 ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN 9780495391050.
- Carson, D. A.; France, R. T.; Motyer, J. A.; Wenham, G. J., eds. (1994). New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4, illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Inter-Varsity Press. ISBN 9780851106489.
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suggested) (help) - Reno, R. R. (2010). Genesis. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Brazos Press. ISBN 978-1587430916.
- Turner, Laurence A. (2009). Jarick, John (ed.). Genesis. Readings, a new biblical commentary (2nd ed.). Sheffield Phoenix Press. ISBN 978-1906055653.
- Whitworth, Michael (2012). The Epic of God: A Guide to Genesis. Start2Finish Books. ISBN 978-0615719573.
- Whybray, R. N. (2007). "4. Genesis". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 38–66. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
Further reading
edit- Hoffmeier, James K.; Wenham, Gordon John; Sparks, Kenton (2015). Gundry, Stanley N.; Halton, Charles (eds.). Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither?: Three Views on the Bible's Earliest Chapters. Zondervan Academic. ISBN 9780310514947.
- Platt, Rutherford. The First Book of Adam and Eve. Project Gutenberg. Release Date: January 19, 2008 [EBook #398].
- The Shame of Original Sin (Gen 3)
- The Role of Guilt & Shame in the Life of the Believer
External links
editJewish
edit- Genesis 3: Hebrew with Parallel English
- Harvard Hebrew Biblelink?
Christian
edit- Genesis 3 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate
- Genesis 3 King James Bible - Wikisource
- Genesis 3 ESV at Bible Gateway
- Genesis 3 at Bible Study Tools
- Genesis 3 NIV at Bible.com
- Genesis 3 NIV at Biblica.com
- Genesis 3 at Biblehub.com