Genesis 3: The serpent, the fruit, and leaving the garden
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
The serpent questions God's command, the woman and the man eat from the forbidden tree, and they hide from God. God questions them, speaks to the serpent, the woman and the man in turn, clothes them, and sends them out of the garden of Eden.
Who is speaking?
The serpent, the woman, the man and God all speak. God's own words are in 10 of the 24 verses. When the woman repeats God's command to the serpent (verse 3), those are her words, not his, so they are not gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now 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’?”
In plain English: The serpent was more cunning (or clever) than any wild animal Yahweh God had made. The serpent said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The Hebrew word: "Serpent" is nachash, the ordinary word for a snake.
How it is translated: This Bible says "serpent" in 18 of its 28 verses and "snake" in 6.
Church tradition: Many churches teach that the serpent was Satan. Genesis 3 does not name him. later calls the devil "the old serpent".
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2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
In plain English: The woman answered the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
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3but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”
In plain English: but not the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, 'Do not eat from it, and do not touch it, or you will die.'"
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4The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
In plain English: The serpent said to the woman, "You will not really die.
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5for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
In plain English: God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (or "like gods"), knowing good and evil."
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6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
In plain English: The woman saw that the tree's fruit was good to eat, beautiful to look at, and desirable for making one wise. So she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
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7Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
In plain English: Then their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
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8They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
In plain English: In the cool of the day they heard the sound (or voice) of Yahweh God walking in the garden, and the man and his wife hid from him among the trees.
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9Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God called to the man, "Where are you?"
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10The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
In plain English: The man answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
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11God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”God speaks
In plain English: God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?"
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12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
In plain English: The man said, "The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
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13Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God said to the woman, "What have you done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."
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14Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go on your belly and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you did this, you are cursed more than all the livestock and wild animals (or: cursed, set apart from them). You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all your life.
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15I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”God speaks
In plain English: I will make you and the woman enemies, and your offspring and her offspring enemies. He (her offspring, which can mean one or many) will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
The Hebrew word: "Offspring" is zera, which means seed.
How it is translated: This Bible says "offspring" in about 2 of every 3 of its 205 verses, and "seed" in about 1 in 5.
What changes: Zera can mean one child or many descendants. "He" matches the word zera, so the text alone does not settle whether one person or many is meant.
Church tradition: Many churches read this verse as the first promise of Christ, sometimes called the "first gospel". Genesis 3 does not name the offspring.
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16To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. You will bear children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”God speaks
In plain English: To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pain and your pregnancies (or: your pain in childbirth); you will have children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
The Hebrew word: "Desire" is teshuqah. It appears only 3 times in the Bible: here, , and .
What changes: In Genesis 4:7 it is sin's desire to master Cain; in Song of Solomon 7:10 it is a lover's longing. Readers differ on which of the two this verse is closer to.
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17To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.God speaks
In plain English: To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree I told you not to eat from, the ground is cursed because of you. You will work hard to get food from it all your life.
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18It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.God speaks
In plain English: It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
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19You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”God speaks
In plain English: You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you go back to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and you will go back to dust."
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20The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
In plain English: The man named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of everyone who lives.
Good to know: "Eve" is chavvah, which sounds like the Hebrew word for "living": she is named "the mother of all the living".
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21Yahweh God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
In plain English: Yahweh God made clothes of skin for Adam and his wife, and dressed them.
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22Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, so that he does not reach out and take from the tree of life too, and eat, and live forever..."
Good to know: God again speaks in the plural ("one of us"), as in . The sentence breaks off in the Hebrew, which is why the verse ends unfinished.
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23Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
In plain English: So Yahweh God sent him out of the garden of Eden to work the ground he had been taken from.
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24So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
In plain English: He drove the man out. On the east side of the garden of Eden he placed cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
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