Genesis Chapter 3

Updated: September 14, 2025

The Serpent's Deception

(Genesis 7:1-5; Romans 5:12-21; 2 Peter 3:1-9)

1Now 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? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But 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. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For 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. 6And 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. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

God Arraigns Adam and Eve

8And 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. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13And 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.

14And 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:

15And 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.

The Punishment of Mankind

16Unto 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.

17And 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;

18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19In 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.

20And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

The Expulsion from Paradise

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

22And 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: 23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24So 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.

The Serpent’s Deception
(Romans 5:12–21)

1 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?’” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, 5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When 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 of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

God Arraigns Adam and Eve

8 They heard the voice of Yahweh God 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. 9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Fate of the Serpent

14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”

The Punishment of Mankind

16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bear children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.

19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

20 The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

The Expulsion from Paradise

21 Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.

22 Yahweh 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...” 23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Serpent’s Deception
(Romans 5:12–21)

1 Now the serpent a was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ”

2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

God Arraigns Adam and Eve

8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze b of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

10 “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12 And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

The Fate of the Serpent

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and every beast of the field!

On your belly will you go,

and dust you will eat,

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 will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel. c”

The Punishment of Mankind

16 To the woman He said:

“I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth;

in pain you will bring forth children.

Your desire will be for your husband, d

and he will rule over you.”

17 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.

18 Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your bread,

until you return to the ground—

because out of it were you taken.

For dust you are,

and to dust you shall return.”

20 And Adam named his wife Eve, e because she would be the mother of all the living.

The Expulsion from Paradise

21 And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

23 Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

Footnotes:

1 a Hebrew nachash , translated in this chapter as serpent , is translated in most cases as snake .
8 b Or at the breezy (time) ; Hebrew unto the Ruach
15 c Or He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel . The same Hebrew root for crush , bruise , or strike  appears twice in this verse.
16 d Or You will desire to control your husband
20 e Eve  sounds like the Hebrew for giving life  or living .

The Serpent's Deception

(Genesis 7:1-5; Romans 5:12-21; 2 Peter 3:1-9)

1And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, 'Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?' 2And the woman saith unto the serpent, 'Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat, 3and of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest ye die.' 4And the serpent saith unto the woman, 'Dying, ye do not die, 5for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it -- your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.' 6And the woman seeth that the tree is good for food, and that it is pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make one wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat; 7and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they are naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make to themselves girdles.

God Arraigns Adam and Eve

8And they hear the sound of Jehovah God walking up and down in the garden at the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of Jehovah God in the midst of the trees of the garden. 9And Jehovah God calleth unto the man, and saith to him, 'Where art thou?' 10and he saith, 'Thy sound I have heard in the garden, and I am afraid, for I am naked, and I hide myself.' 11And He saith, 'Who hath declared to thee that thou art naked? of the tree of which I have commanded thee not to eat, hast thou eaten?' 12and the man saith, 'The woman whom Thou didst place with me -- she hath given to me of the tree -- and I do eat.' 13And Jehovah God saith to the woman, 'What is this thou hast done?' and the woman saith, 'The serpent hath caused me to forget -- and I do eat.'

14And Jehovah God saith unto the serpent, 'Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all the cattle, and above every beast of the field: on thy belly dost thou go, and dust thou dost eat, all days of thy life;

15and enmity I put between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he doth bruise thee -- the head, and thou dost bruise him -- the heel.'

The Punishment of Mankind

16Unto the woman He said, 'Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband is thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.'

17And to the man He said, 'Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed is the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life,

18and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field;

19by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust thou turnest back.'

20And the man calleth his wife's name Eve: for she hath been mother of all living.

The Expulsion from Paradise

21And Jehovah God doth make to the man and to his wife coats of skin, and doth clothe them.

22And Jehovah God saith, 'Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,' -- 23Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken; 24yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.

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The F.O.G Commentary

When Paradise Got Complicated

What’s Genesis 3 about?

This is the chapter where everything changes. It’s the story of humanity’s first moral choice and how that choice shattered the perfect relationship between God, humanity, and creation itself. It’s not just ancient history—it’s the explanation for why the world feels broken and why we all struggle with doing what we know is right.

The Full Context

Genesis 3 sits at the hinge of human history, following immediately after the creation of Adam and Eve in a perfect garden paradise. Written by Moses around 1400 BCE as part of the foundational narrative for the newly freed Israelites, this chapter addresses the fundamental question every human asks: “Why is life so hard?” The Israelites, having just escaped slavery in Egypt and facing the challenges of forming a new nation, needed to understand not just who God was, but why the world they inhabited was filled with suffering, conflict, and death.

This passage serves as the theological foundation for understanding human nature and our relationship with the divine. Within the broader structure of Genesis, chapter 3 marks the transition from creation to the human story—from “very good” to the beginning of God’s redemptive plan. The literary form is narrative, but it’s narrative with profound theological weight, addressing themes of moral responsibility, the consequences of rebellion, and the nature of good and evil. Understanding the ancient Near Eastern context—where other cultures had competing stories about gods, humans, and the origin of evil—helps us see how radically different the biblical account really is.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew text is absolutely loaded with wordplay and meaning that gets lost in translation. When the serpent approaches Eve, the word used for “cunning” is ‘arum, which sounds almost identical to ‘arummim (naked) from the previous chapter. It’s like the author is saying, “They were naked and unashamed, but now here comes something crafty.”

The serpent’s question to Eve is masterful manipulation: “Did God really say…?” In Hebrew, it’s ‘af ki-‘amar ‘Elohim, and that little word ‘af carries the force of “What? Surely not!” It’s the tone of incredulous doubt, like someone saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me—God actually said that?”

Grammar Geeks

The Hebrew verb for “desired” when Eve looks at the fruit is ta’avah—the same root used later for coveting in the Ten Commandments. This isn’t casual wanting; it’s intense, consuming desire that overrides wisdom.

When Adam and Eve realize they’re naked, the text says their “eyes were opened” (vatippaqah’na ‘eineihem). But here’s the tragic irony—their eyes were opened to see something that brought shame and fear, not the godlike knowledge they expected. They got knowledge alright, but it was the experiential knowledge of moral failure.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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Picture the Israelites around the campfire, hearing this story after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They knew Egyptian creation myths where gods were capricious and humans were afterthoughts. But Moses tells them something revolutionary: humans were created in God’s image with real moral agency and genuine relationship with the Creator.

The original audience would have immediately grasped what we often miss—this isn’t primarily about fruit and trees. It’s about authority and trust. The tree wasn’t magical; it was a test. Would humans trust God’s wisdom about what was good for them, or would they decide for themselves?

Did You Know?

In ancient Near Eastern literature, serpents often represented chaos and opposition to divine order. But unlike other cultures where serpents were gods themselves, Genesis presents the serpent as a created being—powerful but not ultimate.

The cursing that follows would have resonated deeply with people who knew hard labor, difficult childbirth, and the constant struggle for survival. Moses is essentially saying, “That pain you feel? That struggle that defines human existence? It traces back to this moment when humanity chose independence from God.”

But Wait… Why Did They…?

Here’s something that puzzles many readers: Why didn’t Adam speak up when Eve was being tempted? The text says he was “with her” (‘immah) during the conversation with the serpent. He wasn’t off pruning roses somewhere—he was right there, listening to the whole exchange.

Some scholars suggest Adam’s silence represents humanity’s first failure of moral courage. He watched his wife get deceived and did nothing. Then, when confronted by God, his response is telling: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit.” Notice how he manages to blame both Eve and God in one sentence while taking zero responsibility himself.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Why does God ask “Where are you?” when speaking to Adam? Does the all-knowing Creator really not know where they’re hiding? The Hebrew suggests this isn’t a request for information but an invitation to confession—like a parent asking a child with chocolate on their face, “What have you been doing?”

And here’s another puzzle: Why does God make clothing for them? After pronouncing judgment, there’s this unexpected act of tender care. The Hebrew word kuttoneth refers to a long, fitted garment—not just fig leaves thrown together, but carefully crafted protection. It’s the first hint that judgment isn’t the end of the story.

Wrestling with the Text

The theological weight of this chapter is staggering. Here we see the origin of what theologians call “original sin”—not just Adam and Eve’s disobedience, but the fundamental brokenness that now characterizes human existence. The Hebrew concept of sin (chata’) literally means “missing the mark,” like an archer whose arrow falls short of the target.

But notice what doesn’t happen: God doesn’t abandon them. Even in judgment, there’s promise. The mysterious prophecy in verse 15 about the serpent’s head being crushed has been called the “first gospel”—the earliest hint that this catastrophe won’t be permanent.

The expulsion from Eden isn’t just punishment; it’s protection. If humans ate from the Tree of Life in their fallen state, they’d be locked into brokenness forever. Sometimes God’s “no” is actually mercy.

“The story of the Fall isn’t just about what went wrong—it’s about a God who refuses to let wrong be the final word.”

How This Changes Everything

Understanding Genesis 3 reshapes how we see everything that follows in Scripture. Every story of redemption, every promise of restoration, every act of divine mercy traces back to this moment when God refused to abandon his image-bearers despite their rebellion.

This chapter explains why we all have this internal sense that something’s not right with the world. The philosophers call it “alienation”—we feel disconnected from nature, from each other, from ourselves, and from God. Genesis 3 says this feeling is accurate. Things really aren’t the way they’re supposed to be.

But here’s the hope embedded in this dark chapter: the same God who held Adam and Eve accountable also clothed them with care. The same voice that pronounced judgment also promised eventual victory over evil. The expulsion from Eden wasn’t the end of the relationship—it was the beginning of the long journey home.

Key Takeaway

The story of paradise lost is ultimately a story about paradise being reclaimed. Our deepest brokenness isn’t too broken for God’s deepest love.

Genesis Chapter 3

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