Tyndale Open Study NotesGenesis 3

When the man and woman rebelled against God, it disrupted their harmony with the earth, animals, each other, and God.

• Genesis describes the deceiver as a serpent, one of the animals God created (see also 3:14 and study note). Scripture later identifies him as Satan, the great enemy of God’s people (Revelation 12:9; 20:2). He used manipulative language and disguised himself as a serpent. The serpent was the most clever of all creatures. This showed Satan as a master deceiver.

  Satan uses different methods to oppose God’s people (see 1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:1–2). Deception remains one of his main strategies (compare 2 Corinthians 11:3, 14).

  The Hebrew word for crafty is ‘arum. It can have a positive meaning (“prudent,” Proverbs 14:8) or a negative meaning (as here; see Job 5:12). Here it forms a wordplay with “naked” (Hebrew ‘arummim) in Genesis 2:25. Adam and Eve were naked and vulnerable. The serpent was crafty and cunning.

• The serpent probably asked the woman because God gave Adam the rule before he created Eve (see 2:16–17). Adam was probably aware of the serpent’s craftiness, since he had named all the animals before God created Eve (2:19–20, 23).

• Did God really say: The deceiver started by twisting God’s words to make the people doubt God’s goodness. God’s original rule applied to only one tree (2:16–17), not to all of them.

The woman tried to clarify things. But in several ways, she made the privileges God gave her and her husband seem less important:

1. She changed God’s words from “freely eat” (2:16) to may eat.

2. She minimized the importance of having fruit from every tree except one (2:17).

3. She added not touching to God’s rule against eating (2:17).

4. She made the threat of death seem less certain (2:17).

You 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 as God and the angels (for example, Psalms 29:1; 89:7).

• She saw … that it was desirable: The woman made two serious mistakes:

  1. She assumed she could decide what was good or bad. But God is the only one who has the right to decide what is good or bad.

  2. She coveted God's wisdom, meaning she strongly desired something that did not belong to her (see Deuteronomy 5:21).

• her husband who was with her: Scripture highlights the woman's role in humanity's first sin (compare 1 Timothy 2:14). But, the man was also present and responsible. He becomes the focus in the following verses and in biblical teaching. His sin brought serious consequences for all people. The good news is that through Jesus Christ, the “second Adam,” God offers salvation to everyone (Romans 5:12–21).

• Shame is the opposite of the naked innocence Adam and Eve enjoyed before they disobeyed God (2:25). This damaged their relationship with each other and God.

• sewed together fig leaves: These covered their bodies but not their shame. They could not fix their broken relationships (see also 3:21 and study note).

• in the garden in the breeze of the day: Traditionally, the Hebrew text refers to the cool part of the day, probably the evening. Some believe it describes a powerful appearance of God's presence (a theophany; see Exodus 19:16–25; 1 Samuel 7:10) as a storm. If this is true, the man and woman hid from the sound of the Lord appearing in judgment (see 2 Samuel 5:24; Psalm 29).

• God placed the trees of the garden for humans to enjoy fellowship with him. Now, the man and woman used them to hide from God.

• Where are you?: The man's answer shows the real purpose of this question (3:10). The real meaning of the question was, "Why are you hiding?" (compare 4:9–10).

• I was afraid because I was naked: Modesty was not the problem. The shame from their rebellion made Adam and his wife hide. They might have also feared punishment (see study note on 3:8).

The woman whom You gave me: The man avoided admitting his sin. He blamed the woman for giving him the fruit and blamed God for giving him the woman.

• What is this you have done?: This question is not asked to get information. It is an expression of shock and horror (see 4:10).

• The serpent deceived me: The man blamed the woman (3:12), and the woman blamed the serpent. The serpent did play a role and would be punished (3:14). But this did not free the woman or the man from their guilt.

God judged the serpent, woman, and man because of their sin. Each received a punishment specific to their actions. Their important relationships changed. God is fair in judgment, not unpredictable. Each punishment matches the sin.

• to the serpent: Though later revelation identifies the deceiver as Satan, it is the created animal who was cursed, like the ground (3:17).

• On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat: Groveling in the dust shows humiliation and defeat (Psalm 72:9; Micah 7:17).

• enmity: The prophet Isaiah looks ahead to a future when the Messiah's kingdom will restore all creation to peace, like the garden of Eden before humans disobeyed God (see Isaiah 11:8).

• her seed (or offspring): This term can refer to a single descendant or many. In ancient Near Eastern culture, "you and your offspring" (see Genesis 28:14) describes a shared identity. Here, it describes ongoing hostility between humans and snakes.

  The pattern is set using singular terms (He … you). Christian interpreters have traditionally understood this verse to be a prophecy about Christ. He is the seed of Abraham and fulfills the promise of the woman's seed (see Galatians 3:16; 4:4).

• strike: This refers to the suffering of God's servant (see Isaiah 53). Crushing the serpent's head is a more decisive action. The death, resurrection, and final victory of Jesus over Satan fulfill this promise (see 1 Corinthians 15:55–57; Revelation 12:7–9; 20:7–10).

• The judgment affects the woman's special role in childbearing and her relationship with her husband.

• Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you: The marriage relationship now includes conflict instead of only security and happiness. New life in Jesus can restore a man and woman's marriage relationship (Ephesians 5:18–32; compare Matthew 20:25–28).

• God emphasized his first command not to eat the fruit by mentioning eating several times in 3:17–19. The judgment made it harder for humans to get food. This matched their sin of eating what God had forbidden.

• cursed is the ground: The man's relationship with the ground (see study note on 2:7) became hostile as judgment affected his main role (2:5, 15). He must work hard to cultivate the ground, but with less success than before. Human sin impacts all of creation (see 4:12; 6:7; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 11:13–17, 28; Romans 8:22).

Soon after they were judged for their sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden.

The name Eve (Hebrew khawah) sounds like the word khayah, which means "to give life." After God announced Adam's future death (3:19), Adam showed hope by naming Eve with a name related to life. Adam named Eve soon after 3:16. Some understand this to show that Adam’s act of naming the woman reflects his role and responsibility in the relationship after they sinned (see study note on 2:19–20).

God showed mercy and gave Adam and Eve better clothing (compare 3:7) before sending them into the harsh world outside the garden.

• like one of Us: The plural likely shows God speaking with his heavenly court of angels (see study note on 1:26).

• the tree of life … live forever: God showed mercy by preventing the humans from eating from the tree of life and living forever in a sinful condition. But through Jesus Christ, eternal life is available again (see Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19).

Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden: Before humans disobeyed God, the garden was a sanctuary where humans could be in God's holy presence. Now their sin meant God had to expel them from that place. This same idea also influenced Israel's laws. The laws limited the access Israelites had to God in the tabernacle or temple (for example, Leviticus 16:1–2; Numbers 5:3).

• Cherubim 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).