Temptation to sin, disobedience brings consequences, curse follows, expulsion occurs, redemption promised.
Genesis Chapter 3 (4004 BCE)
Genesis Chapter 3 is one of the most significant passages in the Bible, as it describes the fall of humanity and the introduction of sin, suffering, and separation from God. The chapter marks a turning point in God’s relationship with mankind, shifting from a state of innocence and harmony to one of brokenness and judgment. However, it also contains the first prophecy of redemption, foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ.
The chapter begins with the introduction of the serpent, which is later identified in the Bible as Satan (Revelation 12:9). The serpent engages Eve in a deceptive conversation, questioning God’s command regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan twists God’s words, planting doubt in Eve’s mind by suggesting that God is withholding wisdom and divinity from them. Eve, enticed by the possibility of becoming like God, takes the fruit and eats it. She then gives it to Adam, who also eats without protest. This single act of disobedience is the moment when sin enters the world, altering the course of human history.
Immediately, Adam and Eve become aware of their nakedness, experiencing shame and fear for the first time. They attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves, symbolizing mankind’s first attempt to deal with sin through human effort. However, their coverings are inadequate, illustrating that sin requires a greater solution than self-made righteousness. When they hear God walking in the garden, they hide, demonstrating how sin separates humanity from God.
God calls out to Adam, asking, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9). This question is not for God’s knowledge, but rather an invitation for Adam to confess and take responsibility. However, instead of admitting guilt, Adam blames Eve, and Eve in turn blames the serpent. This pattern of denial and shifting blame reveals the depth of sin’s corruption, as mankind fails to take responsibility for its actions.
God then pronounces judgments upon all three parties. The serpent is cursed to crawl on its belly, symbolizing Satan’s ultimate defeat. For Eve, childbirth will become painful, and she will have struggles in her relationship with her husband. Adam, who was given dominion over the earth, now finds that the ground is cursed, and he will have to toil and labor for survival. The ultimate consequence of sin is death—both spiritual separation from God and physical mortality.
Despite these judgments, Genesis 3:15 provides a glimmer of hope. Known as the Protoevangelium (First Gospel), God declares that the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head, though the serpent will strike his heel. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who, through His crucifixion and resurrection, defeats sin and Satan.
Before expelling Adam and Eve from Eden, God provides them with garments made of animal skins, signifying the first blood sacrifice for sin. This act foreshadows the sacrificial system later established in the Old Testament and ultimately points to Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross.
Finally, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden, and cherubim with a flaming sword guard the entrance, preventing them from accessing the Tree of Life. Their removal signifies that sin leads to separation from God’s presence, but the promise of redemption remains.
Genesis Chapter 3 teaches profound theological truths about temptation, sin, judgment, and redemption. It explains why the world is filled with suffering, conflict, and death, but it also points to God’s plan to restore humanity through Christ. This chapter lays the foundation for the entire biblical narrative, setting the stage for the unfolding story of salvation and reconciliation.
- 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?
- And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
- But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
- And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
- For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
- And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
- And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
- And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
- And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
- And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
- And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
- And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
- And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
- And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
- And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
- Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
- And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
- Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
- In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
- And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
- Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
- And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
- Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
- So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.