Genesis Chapter 3 — The Fall of Humanity
After being deceived by a serpent, Adam and Eve disobey God's command, leading to their realization of shame and exile from the Garden of Eden.
1Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
3but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
5for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
7Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
8They heard the LORD God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9The LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
10The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
11God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
14The LORD God said to the serpent,
15I will put hostility between you and the woman,
16To the woman he said,
17To Adam he said,
18It will yield thorns and thistles to you;
19You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground,
20The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
21The LORD God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
22The LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”
23Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
24So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim*cherubim are powerful angelic creatures, messengers of God with wings. See Ezekiel 10. at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Genesis 3:1
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made.”
This verse introduces the antagonist of the narrative and the theme of deception.
Genesis 3:9
“The LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?””
This verse highlights God's initiative in seeking out humanity even after their act of disobedience.
Chapter Summary
Genesis Chapter 3 describes the entrance of sin and suffering into the world. The narrative begins with the serpent, described as the most subtle of animals, questioning God's command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent persuades the woman that eating the fruit will not lead to death but will make them like God. After the woman and her husband eat the fruit, they immediately feel shame regarding their nakedness and hide from God. When God confronts them, the man blames the woman, and the woman blames the serpent. Consequently, God pronounces judgments: the serpent is cursed, the woman is told she will experience pain in childbirth, and the ground is cursed, making the man's labor difficult. Despite this, God provides garments of animal skins for them. To prevent them from eating from the tree of life and living forever in a fallen state, God expels them from Eden and places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the entrance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The serpent questioned the truth of God's word and suggested that God was withholding knowledge. It promised that eating the fruit would make the couple like God, knowing good and evil.
The man and woman immediately realized they were naked and felt shame, leading them to sew fig leaves for coverings. They also felt fear and tried to hide from the presence of God when He arrived in the garden.
God declared that the ground would be cursed with thorns and thistles, requiring the man to work and sweat for his food until his eventual death and return to the dust.
They were sent out to prevent them from reaching out to the tree of life. Eating from that tree would have allowed them to live forever in their fallen and sinful condition.
Study Note
The Hebrew word for 'subtle' or 'crafty' used for the serpent (arum) creates a literary wordplay with the word for 'naked' (arummim) used for the couple.
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