Genesis 3:24

Genesis 3:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So 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.

Context of Genesis 3:24

22The Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us because he understands good and evil. So we must not let him take fruit from the tree that gives life. If he eats that fruit, he will live for ever.’ 23So the Lord God sent Adam out of the Garden of Eden. To get his food, Adam had to dig the ground that God had used to make him. Then God put cherubs to be guards for the garden. God put them on the east side of the garden. There was also a sword of fire that moved quickly from side to side. As a result, nobody could go near to the tree that gives life.

Genesis 3:24 word by word

וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙ הַמִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת לִשְׁמֹ֕ר אֶת־דֶּ֖רֶךְ עֵ֥ץ הַֽחַיִּֽים׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So he drove outגָּרַשׁgârash · to drive out: drive outH1644
• the manאָדָם'âdâm · the man (Adam)H120
• and he placedשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
• at the eastקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: eastH6924
• of the gardenגַּןgan · gardenH1588
• of Edenעֵ֫דֶן‛êden · EdenH5731
• Cherubimsכְּרוּבkerûb · cherubH3742
• and a flamingלַ֫הַטlahaţ · flameH3858
• swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• which turned every wayהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• to keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• of the treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• of lifeחַיִּיםchay · lifeH2416

Cross-references for Genesis 3:24

• Genesis 2:8The Lord God planted a garden. It was in the east, in a place called Eden. God took the man that he had made and he put him in the garden.
• Exodus 25:2‘Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. Every person who wants to give can make a gift to me. You must receive their gifts.
• 1 Samuel 4:4So the people sent men to Shiloh and they brought back the Lord's Covenant Box. That is where the Lord Almighty sits between the cherubs. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also came with God's Covenant Box.
• 1 Kings 6:25The second cherub was also 4.4 metres across its wings. The two cherubs were the same size and the same shape.
• Psalms 80:1Shepherd of Israel, listen to us! You lead us, Joseph's family, as your sheep. God, you sit on your throne as king, above the cherubs. Show everyone your bright glory!
• Psalms 99:1The Lord rules as king! People on earth should shake with fear! The Lord sits on his throne as king above the cherubs! The earth itself should shake!
• Psalms 104:4You use the winds to carry your messages. Flames of fire are your servants.
• Ezekiel 10:2The Lord said to the man who was wearing linen clothes, ‘Go between the wheels that are under the cherubs. Pick up some of the hot coals that are burning among the cherubs. Fill your hands with them. Then throw them everywhere over the city.’ Then the man did this, as I watched him.
• Hebrews 1:7God speaks about the angels like this: ‘God makes his angels like winds. They serve him like fires that burn brightly.’
• Numbers 22:23The angel of the Lord was holding a sword. When the donkey saw the angel, it tried to leave the road and go into a field. Balaam hit the donkey to make it go back to the road.
• Joshua 5:13While Joshua was near Jericho, a man appeared to him. Joshua looked up and there he was! He stood in front of Joshua with a sword in his hand. Joshua went towards him. He asked the man, ‘Are you here to help us, or to help our enemies?’
• 1 Chronicles 21:16David looked up and he saw the Lord's angel. The angel was standing between the earth and the sky. He had his sword in his hand and it was pointing towards Jerusalem. David and the leaders fell down with their faces towards the ground. They were wearing clothes that were made of rough sackcloth.
• John 14:6Jesus answered, ‘I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me.
• Hebrews 10:18So that is the way that God forgives our sins. When God has done that, we do not need to have any other sacrifice to take away our sins.

Commentaries on Genesis 3:24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24So he drove out the man - Three things are noted here: God's displeasure against sinful man, evidenced by his expelling him from this place of blessedness; Man's unfitness for the place, of which he had rendered himself unworthy by his ingratitude and transgression; and, His reluctance to leave this place of happiness. He was, as we may naturally conclude, unwilling to depart, and God drove him out. He placed at the east - מכדם mikkedem , or before the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22-24Verses 22-24 - XVII. The Execution 24. כרוּב kerûb ברך in Aramaic: “carve, plow”; Persian: “grip, grasp.” This word occurs about eighty-seven times in the Hebrew scriptures; in sixty of which it refers to carved or embroidered figures; in twenty-two to the living being in the vision of Ezekiel Ezekiel 28:14, Ezekiel 28:16; in two to a being on which the Lord is poetically described as riding 2 Samuel 22:11; Psalm 18:11; and in the present passage…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-24Verses 22-24 God bid man go out; told him he should no longer occupy and enjoy that garden: but man liked the place, and was unwilling to leave it, therefore God made him go out. This signified the shutting out of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God, which was the bliss and glory of paradise. But man was only sent to till the ground out of which he was taken. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. Our first…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24Cherubim are a type of angel that guard access to God's presence (Exodus 26:31; Ezekiel 28:14). east … of Eden: In Genesis, moving east often means leaving God's presence or blessing. This can happen because of: judgment (Genesis 4:16), human pride or independence (Genesis 11:2; Genesis 13:11), or separation from the family (Genesis 25:6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. placed ... cherbim--The passage should be rendered thus: "And he dwelt between the cherubim at the East of the Garden of Eden and a fierce fire, or Shekinah, unfolding itself to preserve the way of the tree of life." This was the mode of worship now established to show God's anger at sin and teach the mediation of a promised Saviour as the way of life, as well as of access to God. They were the same figures as were afterwards in the tabernacle and…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 3:24

• Adam
• Angel (a Spirit)
• Banishment
• Cherubim
• Eden
• Life
• Sin
• Sword
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Tree

In the dictionaries

• Eden
• Eden, garden of Eden
• Tree of life
• Above
• Adam
• Beguile
• Bread
• Cherub
• Clothe
• Coat

Commentaries on Genesis 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings