And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
What does Genesis 3:20 mean?
This chapter ends with some account of Nahor's family, who had settled at Haran. This seems to be given for the connexion which it had with the church of God.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 3:17-21 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 3:20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. This verse and the next one record two very significant acts consequent upon the judgment: one on the part of Adam, and another on the part of God. The man here no doubt refers to two expressions in the sentences he had heard pronounced on the serpent and the woman. "He," the seed of the woman, "shall bruise thy head." Here it is the woman who is to bear the seed. And this seed is to bruise the serpent's head; that is, in some way to undo what had been done for the death of man, and so re-invest him with life.
Key words
- called
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And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
- because
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And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
- mother
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And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
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.