New King James Version
Genesis 3:4
4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Genesis 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
- New International Version (NIV)“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
Context of Genesis 3:4
2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For 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.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Read all of Genesis 3Genesis 3:4 word by word
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַנָּחָ֖שׁ אֶל־הָֽאִשָּׁ֑ה לֹֽא־מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 3:4
- John 8:44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
- Genesis 3:13And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
- Deuteronomy 29:19and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.
- 2 Kings 1:4Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah departed.
- 2 Kings 8:10And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord has shown me that he will really die.”
- Psalms 10:11He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:11lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
- 1 Timothy 2:14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
Commentaries on Genesis 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Ye shall not surely die - Here the father of lies at once appears; and appears too in flatly contradicting the assertion of God. The tempter, through the nachash, insinuates the impossibility of her dying, as if he had said, God has created thee immortal, thy death therefore is impossible; and God knows this, for as thou livest by the tree of life, so shalt thou get increase of wisdom by the tree of knowledge.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-7Verses 1-7 - Section III - The Fall - The Fall 1. נחשׁ nachash “serpent; related: hiss,” Gesenius; “sting,” Mey. ערוּם 'ārûm “subtle, crafty, using craft for defence.” 7. תפר tāpar “sew, stitch, tack together.” חגורה chăgôrâh “girdle, not necessarily apron.” This chapter continues the piece commenced at Genesis 2:4. The same combination of divine names is found here, except in the dialogue between the serpent and the woman, where God (אלהים…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5You will not surely die: This directly contradicts God's clear and emphatic words: “you will surely die” (2:17). The serpent takes advantage of the woman's doubt. He denies there will be any penalty and quickly shifts her focus to the supposed reward. He says she will become like God, knowing good and evil. The deceiver falsely implies that this would be totally beneficial for them. The term used for God is Elohim. It can also mean “divine beings,” such…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Ye shall not surely die--He proceeded, not only to assure her of perfect impunity, but to promise great benefits from partaking of it.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 3:4
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries