1
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
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but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
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Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
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For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
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So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
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Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
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And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
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Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
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So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
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And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
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Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
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And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
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So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
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And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
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To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
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Then He said to the man, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
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Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and the plants of the field shall be your food.
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By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
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The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
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And the LORD God made garments of skin for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.
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Then 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—”
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therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to work the ground from which he was taken.
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So He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword that turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
🐍 Summary of Genesis 3
Genesis 3 tells of the fall of humanity into sin. The serpent (a symbol of Satan) tempts Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had previously forbidden. Eve is tempted and eats it, then gives it to Adam, and he also eats. Afterward, they realize they are naked and hide from God because of shame.
God calls them and judges them:
- The serpent is cursed to crawl and become an enemy of humankind.
- The woman is punished with pain in childbirth and desire directed toward her husband.
- The man is punished with hard labor and ground that produces thorns.
Yet God also gives the first promise of redemption (Protoevangelium) in Genesis 3:15: the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head.
Adam and Eve are then driven out of the Garden of Eden so they will not eat from the tree of life and live forever in a sinful condition.
📖 Main Teaching
- Sin entered the world through human disobedience – This fall brought great consequences for all humanity.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Sin damages our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves.
- Shame and blaming others are signs of the brokenness of the human heart.
- Even after the fall, God did not leave humanity.
He promised redemption even in the midst of judgment. - The need for a Redeemer begins here.
