Note: Words are shown in their original Hebrew order, which differs from English translations. This reflects the emphasis and structure of Scripture as originally written. Click any word to see its full lexicon entry.
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
16To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
24So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3 records humanity's first and most consequential act of disobedience—the Fall of Man. Through the cunning deception of the serpent, Adam and Eve transgress God's explicit command, eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This chapter documents not only the nature of temptation and sin, but also God's just judgment and His remarkable grace in promising redemption through the "seed of the woman" (verse 15). The Fall fundamentally altered the human condition, introducing sin, shame, suffering, and death into the world—yet it also inaugurates God's plan of salvation.
The serpent appears as the most cunning creature in God's creation, and he immediately employs deception. His question to Eve—"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree?"—subtly misrepresents God's generous command. God had freely given Adam and Eve nearly every tree; only one was forbidden. The serpent plants doubt about God's character, suggesting that God is withholding something good.
Eve correctly states God's prohibition (verses 2–3), even adding a caution about touching the tree. The serpent's direct contradiction in verse 4—"Ye shall not surely die"—is a brazen denial of God's word. In verse 5, he suggests that God's real motive is selfish: God fears that humans will become divine themselves. This is the essence of the serpentine lie: God is not trustworthy; obedience is not truly necessary; rebellion will not bring death but rather elevation.
Eve's decision to eat is described through three appeals: the tree was "good for food" (appetite), "pleasant to the eyes" (desire), and "desired to make one wise" (pride). This threefold description echoes what John later calls "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Significantly, Adam—standing with her—also eats without recorded resistance. The moment they disobey, their eyes are opened, but not as promised. They do not become as gods; instead, they recognize their nakedness and feel shame. They attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves—a futile, self-made solution that cannot truly address their spiritual condition.
When God walks in the garden, Adam and Eve hide in fear. Their attempt to flee reveals that sin has broken their fellowship with God. God's question, "Where art thou?" is not asked because God is ignorant, but to lead Adam to confession. Instead, Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. While each statement contains truth, they reveal the human tendency to deflect responsibility rather than repent.
God pronounces judgment in three parts. The serpent is cursed to crawl on its belly (verse 14)—a humiliating reversal of its former status. More importantly, verse 15 contains the protoevangelium ("first gospel")—God promises that the woman's seed will bruise the serpent's head, while the serpent will bruise his heel. This is history's first promise of Christ's victory over Satan through His death and resurrection.
The woman's judgment involves multiplied sorrow in childbearing and a troubled relationship with her husband (verse 16). Adam's curse affects the ground itself: his labor will be toilsome, and he will eat bread "in the sweat of thy face" until death (verses 17–19). Death enters human history as the wages of sin.
Even in judgment, grace appears. Adam names his wife Eve ("mother of all living"), expressing hope in God's promise. God Himself provides coats of skin, requiring sacrifice—a foreshadowing of Christ's atoning death. Finally, expelled from Eden, Adam and Eve are barred from the tree of life by a flaming sword, preserving God's justice while leaving room for redemption.
Application for Today
The Fall reminds us that sin enters through doubt, desire, and pride. We must guard our hearts against questioning God's goodness, recognize temptation's threefold appeal, and confess rather than excuse our failures. Yet the promise of verse 15 transforms this dark chapter into hope: Christ has come to crush Satan's head. In Jesus, we find the restoration that Adam could not self-make, and we are invited into renewed fellowship with God.
Study Notes — Genesis 3
6 sectionsGenesis 3 records humanity's first and most consequential act of disobedience—the Fall of Man. Through the cunning deception of the serpent, Adam and Eve transgress God's explicit command, eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This chapter documents not only the nature of temptation and sin, but also God's just judgment and His remarkable grace in promising redemption through the "seed of the woman" (verse 15). The Fall fundamentally altered the human condition, introducing sin, shame, suffering, and death into the world—yet it also inaugurates God's plan of salvation.
The serpent appears as the most cunning creature in God's creation, and he immediately employs deception. His question to Eve—"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree?"—subtly misrepresents God's generous command. God had freely given Adam and Eve nearly every tree; only one was forbidden. The serpent plants doubt about God's character, suggesting that God is withholding something good.
Eve correctly states God's prohibition (verses 2–3), even adding a caution about touching the tree. The serpent's direct contradiction in verse 4—"Ye shall not surely die"—is a brazen denial of God's word. In verse 5, he suggests that God's real motive is selfish: God fears that humans will become divine themselves. This is the essence of the serpentine lie: God is not trustworthy; obedience is not truly necessary; rebellion will not bring death but rather elevation.
Eve's decision to eat is described through three appeals: the tree was "good for food" (appetite), "pleasant to the eyes" (desire), and "desired to make one wise" (pride). This threefold description echoes what John later calls "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Significantly, Adam—standing with her—also eats without recorded resistance. The moment they disobey, their eyes are opened, but not as promised. They do not become as gods; instead, they recognize their nakedness and feel shame. They attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves—a futile, self-made solution that cannot truly address their spiritual condition.
When God walks in the garden, Adam and Eve hide in fear. Their attempt to flee reveals that sin has broken their fellowship with God. God's question, "Where art thou?" is not asked because God is ignorant, but to lead Adam to confession. Instead, Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. While each statement contains truth, they reveal the human tendency to deflect responsibility rather than repent.
God pronounces judgment in three parts. The serpent is cursed to crawl on its belly (verse 14)—a humiliating reversal of its former status. More importantly, verse 15 contains the protoevangelium ("first gospel")—God promises that the woman's seed will bruise the serpent's head, while the serpent will bruise his heel. This is history's first promise of Christ's victory over Satan through His death and resurrection.
The woman's judgment involves multiplied sorrow in childbearing and a troubled relationship with her husband (verse 16). Adam's curse affects the ground itself: his labor will be toilsome, and he will eat bread "in the sweat of thy face" until death (verses 17–19). Death enters human history as the wages of sin.
Even in judgment, grace appears. Adam names his wife Eve ("mother of all living"), expressing hope in God's promise. God Himself provides coats of skin, requiring sacrifice—a foreshadowing of Christ's atoning death. Finally, expelled from Eden, Adam and Eve are barred from the tree of life by a flaming sword, preserving God's justice while leaving room for redemption.
The Fall reminds us that sin enters through doubt, desire, and pride. We must guard our hearts against questioning God's goodness, recognize temptation's threefold appeal, and confess rather than excuse our failures. Yet the promise of verse 15 transforms this dark chapter into hope: Christ has come to crush Satan's head. In Jesus, we find the restoration that Adam could not self-make, and we are invited into renewed fellowship with God.