Now 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?
What does Genesis 3:1 mean?
Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them to sin, and the temptation proved fatal to them. The tempter was the devil, in the shape and likeness of a serpent.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 3:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 3:1
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? - Section III-- The Fall - The Fall 1. nachash "serpent; related: hiss," Gesenius; "sting," Mey. 'arum "subtle, crafty, using craft for defence." 7. tapar "sew, stitch, tack together." chagorah "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 ( 'elohym) alone is used. It is natural for the tempter to use only the more distant and abstract name of God. It narrates in simple terms the fall of man.
Key words
- that serpent
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that serpent.
- that serpent
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that serpent.
Context in Genesis 3
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Genesis 3 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.