VERSE 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made (~yhil{a/ hw"hy> hf'[' rv,a] hd,F'h; tY:x; lKomi ~Wr[' hy"h' vx'N"h;w> [waw w/def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. nachash serpent + Qal perf.3m.s hayah to be + adj.m.s.abs. arum crafty, guile + prep min w/noun m.s.abs kol every, any, all + noun f.s.constr. chayyah living thing; "wild" + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. shadeh field + rel.pro. asher which + Qal perf.3m.s. ashah make + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim]).

He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden' (!G"h; #[e lKomi Wlk.ato al{ ~yhil{a/ rm;a'-yKi @a; hV'aih'-la, rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + part aph also, indeed; "really" + part ki that + Qal perf.3m.s. amar say + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + neg lo + Qal impf.2m.p. akal eat + prep min from + noun m.s.abs. kol any + noun m.s.const. ets tree + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. gan garden])?"

ANALYSIS: VERSE 1

1. Satan is not referred to explicitly in this chapter, only implicitly.
2. The tempter is called a nabash, which is the common Hebrew word for a serpent (e.g. Num. 21:7-9; Deut. 8:15; Prov. 23:32; at total of 31x in the OT).
3. Compare the noun "bronze" in Num. 21:9 where Moses made a "bronze serpent" (nabash nehoset).
4. Later in Israel’s history this very same bronze serpent was worshipped as Nehushtan (see 2Kgs. 18:4).
5. The connection to bronze suggests a shiny and luminous appearance and that would have attracted Eve’s attention.
6. We simply do not know if Eve had any special relationship to this particular "serpent" prior to its possession by the tempter.
7. In this verse we are given two pieces of information about the serpent.
8. First, its character is defined as being "more crafty/cunning (arum) than any beast of the field" (e.g., wild animal).
9. Note the similarity acoustically between arum (sing.adj.) of this verse and arumim (pl. form) "naked" of 2:25 which serves to link the Creation narrative to the Fall narrative (it is translated either "crafty" or "naked").
10. The term "crafty" only occurs here in Genesis, but is frequent in Proverbs, where it has the meaning "shrewd," "prudent," or "clever."
11. The individual possessing this trait is commendable, and he is contrasted with the "fool" (ewil, 12:16), or with the "foolish" one (kesil, 12:23; 13:16; 14:8) or the "stupid" (peti, 14:15,18; 22:3; 27:12).
12. By contrast the two references of arum in Job are pejorative, and the translation "crafty" is preferable (Job 5:12 "He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, so that their hands cannot attain success."; 15:12 "For your guilt teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.").
13. This term is ambivalent and may describe a desirable or undesirable trait.
14. It is best to take "astute, clever" as an appropriate description of the snake, one that aptly describes its use of a strategy of prudence in approaching and engaging the woman in dialogue.
15. The tempter perhaps observed Eve’s attachment to this reptile as a kind of companion/pet.
16. It would not be shrewd to introduce an unfamiliar creature into the woman’s presence and especially a creature that fluently spoke her language!
17. Regarding the serpent’s origin, we are clearly told that he was an animal made by God.
18. The tempter did not move in on the woman without having observed the man and the woman over a period of time to gain insight into their respective personalities and routines.
19. The tempter ruled out the idea of approaching the designated authority, but saw in the woman a natural vulnerability, that he could manipulate much more readily than that of the male of the species.
20. He observed the serpent and Eve’s fondness for this shiny shrewd reptile.
21. It may have followed her around and she cared for it and so it made a perfect agent to conceal the sinister designs of the tempter.
22. Satan often appears in familiar guise to seduce the unwary (2Cor. 11:14).
23. The term "crafty" denotes a strategy of prudence when deceiving the woman.
24. Adam was an unacceptable target for this kind of an approach, so Eve was approached when Adam was absent from the center of the garden.
25. In these verses we have the very first conversation about God that is recorded.
26. The opening words out of Satan’s mouth are not to be construed as a question, much less as a statement of ridicule as this could have spooked the woman.
27. The Hebrew aph ki (two terms not found together elsewhere) should be reflected in the translation as not a question, but as an expression of shock and surprise.
28. A translation of his very first words is: "Indeed, to think, that God said you are not to eat of any tree in the garden."
29. The serpent grossly and purposely exaggerates the divine prohibition, asserting that God did not allow them unfettered access to any of the orchard trees.
30. This unadulterated distortion was designed to plant in the woman’s mind the notion that God may be spiteful and mean.
31. The plural form of the verbs in verses 2-5 does not mean Adam was present; rather it includes him, as Satan is careful to not leave him out of the discussion.
32. That would make her feel more comfortable.
33. He cleverly leaves Eve with an opportunity to defend God and to clarify his position.
34. In one statement God has moved from gracious provider to cruel oppressor.
35. Adam and Eve had spent a reasonable amount of time in the Garden before they were tempted.
36. They became very comfortable in their home and could have spent even seven years in a state of innocence.
37. God knowing the future closed Eve’s womb to avoid a pregnancy.
38. Eve is not sinning by talking to this stranger, even though she might have insisted that Adam be present.
39. There are two examples of spirit possessed animals in the Bible (the other is the herd of pigs in Mk. 5:13).
40. The other example of a speaking animal in Scripture is Balaam’s donkey.

Eve’s Pathetic Defense (vv. 2-3)

VERSE 2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat (lkeanO !G"h;-#[e yrIP.mi vx'N"h;-la, hV'aih' rm,aTow: [waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. amar say + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + prep el to + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. nachash serpent + prep min from w/noun m.s.abs. peri fruit + noun m.s.conste. ets tree + Qal impf.1p. akal eat]);

VERSE 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden (!G"h;-%AtB. rv,a] #[eh' yrIP.miW (waw w/prep min from w/noun m.s.abs. peri fruit + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + rel.pro. asher which + prep beth w/noun m.s.const. tawek middle + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. gan garden], God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die [!WtmuT.-!P, AB W[G>ti al{w> WNM,mi Wlk.ato al{ ~yhil{a/ rm;a' [Qal perf.3m.s. amar say + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + neg lo + Qal impf.2m.p. akal eat + prep min w/3m.s.suff. "from it" + waw w/neg lo + Qal impf.2m.p. naga touch + prep beth w/3m.s.suff. "it" + part pen lest + Qal impf.2m.p. muth die]).'"

ANALYSIS: VERSES 2-3

1. The woman attempts to provide a corrective to the serpent’s gross exaggeration.
2. The serpent’s extreme misrepresentation of Yahweh’s words to Adam in vv. 16 & 17 was planned.
3. By throwing out a red herring (antithesis) he puts the woman on the defensive and she redefines the truth (thesis) as somewhere in the middle (synthesis).
4. Her first statement in defense of the truth is not verbatim what the Lord said to Adam, but adequately reflects the intent.
5. Yahweh said, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely," as compared to her rendition, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat."
6. The woman drops the accent on divine generosity, and so moves a little closer to the serpent’s extreme characterization.
7. It would appear that in v.3 she blurs the distinction between the two super trees by a mischaracterization of their precise location.
8. In v.3a she is talking about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but the words, "in the middle of the garden," strictly speaking, characterizes the exact location of the tree of life.
9. The two super trees were in close proximity to one another, but only one of the two was in the dead center of the garden.
10. The woman is not a stickler for detail.
11. So far she has downplayed an important detail that reflects on the divine character, and interjects confusion where the subject requires extreme care.
12. "The tree which is in the middle of the garden" is the Tree of Life, even though the other tree was close by.
13. But she means "the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil."
14. She saves her worst for last in v.3b.
15. She couples a true statement with an absolutely false statement.
16. By adding, "or touch it" she lies and she is guilty of adding to the words of Elohim.
17. The woman’s embellishment unwittingly plays into the serpent’s hand as it lends credence to his implication that God is harsh and unnecessarily strict.
18. Eve came up with this legalistic distortion on her own to add to the confusion initiated by the serpent.
19. Here is the first example of legalism.
20. Legalism is to advocate works or good deeds that are not divinely sponsored.
21. The woman ends her shoddy defense of the faith by downplaying Yahweh’s threat, "dying you will die" is altered to "you will die."
22. Her part of the dialogue indulges in downplaying, confusion and out and out mischaracterization.
23. Of all the issues confronting the man and the woman in garden this one should have been treated with the utmost deference.
24. Instead, Eve did not treat the words of Yahweh as if it were a life and death matter.
25. So she treated her idyllic life in the garden with extreme carelessness on that fatal day.
26. She is now set up for the kill (v.4)!

The Big Lie (vv. 4-5)

VERSE 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die (!WtmuT. tAm-al{ hV'aih'-la, vx'N"h; rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. nachash serpent + prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + neg lo + Qal infin.abs. muth + Qal impf.2m.p. muth])!

The Promise of Godhood (v. 5)

VERSE 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened (~k,ynEy[e Wxq.p.nIw> WNM,mi ~k,l.k'a] ~AyB. yKi ~yhil{a/ [;deyO yKi [part ki for + Qal part.m.s.abs. yada know + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + part ki for, that + prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. yom day + Qal infin.constr.w/2m.p.suff. akal eat + prep min w/3m.s.suff. "from it’ + waw w/Nipahl perf.3p. paqach open (eyes) + noun f. dual constr.w/2m.p.suff. ayin eye] , and you will be like God, knowing good and evil ([r'w" bAj y[ed>yO ~yhil{aKe ~t,yyIh.wI [waw w/Qal perf.2m.p. hayah be + prep kaph w/noun m.p.abs. Elohim + Qal part.m.p.constr. yada know + noun m.s.abs. tob good + waw w/adj.m.s.abs. ra evil])."

ANALYSIS: VERSES 4-5

1. The guile of the serpent opened with a faked/feigned expression of surprise.
2. Now he moves to a dogmatic assertion.
3. Here we have a frontal assault on God’s original threat back in 2:17.
4. When the serpent quotes God’s original words from 2:17 he employs the full statement "dying you will die" but overturns it by adding the negative.
5. Satan is adept at quoting Scripture if it serves his purpose.
6. After his disclaimer of any truthfulness in Eve’s concerns (v.4), he precedes to buttress his case against God (v.5).
7. In so doing he appeals to God Himself.
8. The serpent articulates God’s inner most thoughts on the matter of eating or not eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
9. Implicit in this is the notion that the serpent knows God better than the woman does.
10. No doubt the voice behind the snake has had much more experience than the woman, whose experience is limited to a relatively short history in a protected environment.
11. Far from bringing life-threatening consequences, so says the serpent, disobedience will bring positive benefits.
12. Consumption of this fruit will make the woman godlike, knowing good and evil.
13. Her eyes (and the man’s eyes) will be opened.
14. The whole mixture of misquotation, denial, and slander fed the woman by the snake is reinforced even by the ambiguity of the passage in the Hebrew.
15. For the phrase good and evil may function in apposition to "God"− "you shall be as God who knows good and evil."
16. More likely it is to be understood as predictive− "you shall be as God, that is, you shall know good and evil."
17. The serpent places before her the possibility of being more than she is and more than God intended her to be.
18. As the latter narrative makes clear eating the fruit was a wrong that brings an advantage, and a gain which brings a disadvantage.
19. By implementing the serpent’s suggestion she will begin her heavenward climb.
20. Deification is a fantasy difficult to repress and a temptation hard to reject.
21. In the woman’s case she would need to shift her commitment from doing God’s will to doing her own will.
22. Satan offers the woman an extension of human existence beyond the limitations placed upon her by the Creator.
23. The new existence offered is one of intellectual enrichment leading to a familiarity with mysteries that lie beyond man.

The Two Sin (vv.6-7)

VERSE 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lk'a]m;l. #[eh' bAj yKi hV'aih' ar,Tew: [waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. ra-ah see + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + part ki that + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs. ma-alkal food] , and that it was a delight to the eyes [~yIn:y[el' aWh-hw"a]t; ykiw> [waw w/part. ki that + noun f.s.abs. ta-awah delight + pro.3m.s. hu it + prep lamedh w/noun f. dual abs. ayin eye], and that the tree was desirable to make one wise [lyKif.h;l. #[eh' dm'x.n<w> [waw w/Niphal part.m.s.abs. chamad desire + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + prep lamedh w/Hiphil infin.constr. shakal be wise], she took from its fruit and ate [lk;aTow: Ayr>Pimi xQ;Tiw: [waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. laqach take + prep min w/noun m.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. peri fruit + waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. akal eat]; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate [lk;aYOw: HM'[i Hv'yail.-~G: !TeTiw: [waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. nathan give + part gam also + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.constr.w/3f.s.suff. ish man; "husband" + prep im with w/3f.s.suff. + waw w/Qal impf.3m.s akal eat]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 6

1. The forbidden tree had three virtues.
2. It possessed culinary appeal (good for food), aesthetically appeal (a delight to the eyes), and sapientially [wisdom/discernment] transforming (desirable in acquiring wisdom).
3. The text does not inform us how the eating of the tree would make one wise.
4. Two were true and one was a ruse.
5. And one of the first two in the list was strictly forbidden.
6. The first item in the listing was the sure way to experience the reality of what it really meant to know good and evil.
7. Of the three virtues the third in the listing in v.7 was the most attractive.
8. The woman is tempted strictly from without as she did not acquire the ISTA until she ate of the forbidden fruit.
9. She correctly ascertained that the fruit of the tree was good for food.
10. How did she know that?
11. Perhaps she witnessed birds eating the fallen fruit.
12. Her experience with the other trees, even the Tree of Life, told her to expect a new culinary treat.
13. Furthermore, the tree was very attractive in appearance.
14. God created it when He created all the plants.
15. He did not create it ugly or giving off some foreboding aura.
16. And then there was the newly introduced doctrine that this tree could lift her into a new realm of intellectual awareness.
17. Indulgence would grant her something she did not, in her warped judgment, presently possess, and that is special wisdom to know as God knows.
18. The literal text reads: "When the woman saw that the tree…was desirable (Niphal part chamadh) to make one wise."
19. The woman was deceived into thinking that she was incomplete and needed something forbidden to be happy.
20. Here we have the first example of covetousness on the part of a human.
21. The Bible’s first recorded sin is limited to eight words in the Hebrew text: wattiqqach mippiryo wattokal wattitten gam-leisha immah wayyo-kal.
22. There is a sonant structure in this verse.
23. The first four words [of which three are waw-consecutive imperfects, contain six double consonants− "and she took," watiqqah; "of it fruit," mippriyo; "and she ate," wattokal; "and she gave," wattitten.
24. Such extremely difficult pronunciation forces a merciless concentration on each word.
25. The woman does not have to tempt the man as he comes to his own conclusion as to what the stakes are.
26. The man neither approves nor rebukes.
27. He is acquiescence.
28. He does not want to lose the woman, so he puts her over God.
29. The NT records that the woman was deceived and the man ate knowing full well that this was wrong (1Tim. 2:14 "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.").
30. Beware of those who offer hidden knowledge of a transforming sort.
31. Eve had in her divine teacher all the information she needed for happiness and prosperity until she allowed herself to be duped by the master deceiver.
32. Be on your guard and stand your ground when one of Satan’s agent tries to woo you away from the truth or tries to drive a wedge between you and your right teacher.

The Actual Effect (vv. 7-8)

VERSE 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked (~he ~Miruy[e yKi W[d>YEw: ~h,ynEv. ynEy[e hn"x.q;P'Tiw: [waw w/Niphal impf.3f.p. paqach open + noun m. dual constr. ayin eye + adj.m. dual constr.w/3m.p.suff. shenayim two; "both" + waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. yada know + part ki that + adj.m.s.abs. erom naked]); and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings [trogOx] ~h,l' Wf[]Y:w: hn"aet. hle[] WrP.t.YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. taphar swe together + noun m.s.constr. aleh leaf + noun f.s.abs. te-enah fig tree, fig + waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. ashah make + prep lamedh w/3m.p.suff. "themselves" + noun f.p.abs. tagorah belt, girdle; "loin coverings"]).

VERSE 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool [breeze] of the day (~AYh; x;Wrl. !G"B; %Leh;t.mi ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> lAq-ta, W[m.v.YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. shama hear + d.o. marker + noun m.s.abs. qol voice + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + Hithpael part.m.s.abs. halak walk + prep beth w/noun both s.abs. gan garden + prep lamedh w/noun s.abs. ruach wind; "cool"; breeze + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. yom day], and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden [!G"h; #[e %AtB ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> ynEP.mi ATv.aiw> ~d'a'h' aBex;t.YIw: [waw w/Hithpael impf.3m.s. chaba hide + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + waw w/noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ishshah woman "his wife" + prep min w/noun both p.constr. paneh face; presence + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep beth w/noun m.s.constr. tawek middle; "among" + noun m.s.constr. ets tree + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. gan garden]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 7-8

1. In vv. 6-8 we have the central scene it which the narrative reaches a climax.
2. With brevity the fatal steps are described in a series of waw-consecutives suggestive of rapid action− "she saw," "she took," "she gave…"
3. The same device is used at the midpoint of this narrative "and he ate" which is the key verb of this story.
4. On either side we have the woman’s hopes of eating, "good to eat," "delight to the eyes," "giving insight," offset by its effects, "eyes opened," "knowing they were nude," and "hiding in the trees."
5. These contrasts are deliberately drawn.
6. The woman’s inflated expectations of the wisdom she will acquire are hinted at in v.6.
7. Then the actual consequences, mentioned in a very matter-of-fact way, are so comic as to be hilarious, were it not for the seriousness of the subject.
8. Notice also the inversions of roles that characterize this narrative: how the man listens to his wife instead of God, the woman to the creature instead of her husband and so on.
9. As an immediate consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the two are rudely introduced to life ruled by the genetically engineered sin nature.
10. The serpent’s prediction ("You surely will not die!")seems to be literally fulfilled, but the vision of specialized insight turns out to be a big letdown.
11. "Eyes…opened" refers to a new perspective, a perspective that involves sin and guilt.
12. Usually, eyes opened is a good thing, but not in this instance.
13. The very first thing that hit them was a new awareness of their nudity.
14. Before the Fall they thought nothing of it, as it was as natural as anything in their surroundings.
15. Now they suddenly feel guilt and the newly acquired sin nature causes disruption in what was previously a guilt-free relationship.
16. They are like a person who is suddenly separated from their clothing and feeling shame frantically searching for a suitable covering.
17. The innocent serenity of 2:25 is suddenly shattered.
18. What was known to them as a healthy relationship is now unpleasant and filled with shame.
19. In their fallen state they did not rise above what the STA (programmed with respect to good and evil) was telling them, and so rest in the fact that God had placed this on the earth naked and so it must not be an occasion for shame.
20. We have no direct evidence that the serpent chided them for being naked (he may have).
21. Apparently the possessed serpent retreated from the immediate vicinity of the crime once he achieved his objective.
22. It is truly an amazing thing to witness how quickly their genetics kicked in after the simple act of eating.
23. Now they are filled with shame over something that was natural and healthy.
24. We could say that they are filled with ignorance as they no longer look upon nudity as being the will of God.
25. The newly acquired STA affects in a negative fashion their relationship as husband and wife.
26. They next engage in human good/works by sewing or stitching together fig leaves as coverings for their private parts.
27. Fig leaves are broad and long and functioned as ad hoc coverings.
28. The term "loin coverings" (chagorah) is used elsewhere of a belt (1Kgs. 2:5; 2Kgs 3:21; Isa. 3:24).
29. The usual term for loincloth is ezor meaning waistband (2Kgs. 1:8).
30. The term used here (chagorah) emphasizes the skimpiness of their clothing.
31. Though largely ineffective, their actions suggest urgency and desperation.
32. The innocent serenity of 2:25 is shattered.
33. Rather than waiting on God for answers, they engage in a self-atoning, self-protecting activity sewing together makeshift aprons.
34. A characteristic of the natural man is to set up his own system of morality, that often includes human good activity.
35. We see here and in the narrative that follows man operating under spiritual death.
36. In this state we see maladjustment to one another symbolized by the fig leaf aprons.
37. They abandoned the high ground of the operational and viewpoint will of God for this new knowledge of good and evil which turned out to be worthless.
38. Their success in hiding their nakedness from one another did not free them from the guilt of their sin.
39. The new conscience is corrupted and regards the natural and pure as evil.
40. So human good is their answer to their alienation from one another.
41. Soon after ‘operation fig leaf" the couple hear the "voice" of God "walking in the garden in the cool/breeze of the day."
42. This, of course, was around sunset when Yahweh made His presence heard.
43. It was at this time of day when a slight breeze kicked up that Yahweh came to them for fellowship and spiritual instruction.
44. After all, it was the original design of the Creator that man should be in His likeness.
45. Adam and Eve were from their creation spiritual babies and so they were to make the maturity adjustment.
46. Bible class for them was to receive incrementally BD just as Christians are supposed to do.
47. If Adam and Eve were in the state of innocence for years then they would have had sufficient information to ward off satanic attack.
48. They had to have known that their idyllic niche was subject to attack and that there was a malignant force observing their behavior in paradise.
49. The language of v.8 suggests that it was not unusual for them to hear the approach of the Yahweh Elohim.
50. The term "walking" (hithpael participle) is used of God’s presence in the Tabernacle (Lev. 26:12; Deut. 23:14; 2Sam. 7:6-7), which emphasizes the link between the Garden and the tent constructed in the time of Moses.
51. The Garden corresponds to the Most Holy Place, and Eden corresponds to the Holy Place and Pangea beyond corresponds to the Outer Court.
52. It was not God walking in the Garden that was strange, but the reaction of "the man and his wife."
53. This same phrase, "the man and his wife," is previously noted in 2:25: "The two of them, man and his wife, were nude, but they were not ashamed."
54. A more complete transformation could not be imagined.
55. The trust of innocence is replaced by fear and guilt.
56. The trees that were planted by the divine Gardner designed for culinary and visual delight are now a hiding place to prevent God from seeing them.
57. Yet another sin makes it appearance in their lives, the sin of fear.
58. One other thing about v.8 is that the full designation "LORD God" is used after vv. 1-5 where just Elohim was used in the dialogue between the serpent and the woman.
59. Yahweh is a covenant name suggesting the God is still interested in them for their good, even though they of their own volition placed themselves in a state of alienation.
60. Man in his ignorance imagines that he can hide himself from God.
61. The immediate consequence to the man and the woman upon partaking of the forbidden fruit was spiritual death (the warning from Yahweh was literally, "dying you will die").
62. Two deaths were the result of the original sin.
63. The first is spiritual death which is the absence of the human spirit rendering them dichotomous (body and soul = the natural or psychukios man of 1Cor. 2:14).
64. The natural man is absent the human spirit (cf. Jude 1:19 no def. art. with "spirit").
65. Man at birth is judged with spiritual death placing the individual under condemnation.
66. "You will die" refers to physical death which came many years later for Adam (930).
67. Loss of physical immortality was the result of acquiring the aging or death gene.
68. The death gene and the sin nature gene was the result of something in the chemistry of the fruit they ate.
69. God’s part was to withdraw the human spirit and place the couple under spiritual death.
70. Spiritual death perpetuated past death results in eternal death or separation from God in all eternity.
71. The only way spiritual death and its consequences can be negated is for a person to believe in Christ.
72. Adam can produce nothing better than himself.
73. So all his posterity is born physically alive having been given the living soul minus a human spirit.
74. Adam’s original sin is charged to the newborn as the newborn is a carrier of the ISTA.
75. God judges that sinful condition by imputing AOS to its target/home the ISTA.
76. Adam’s sin resulted in what Paul calls the reign of death in Rom. 5:14 (see vv. 14-21).
77. Also see Jn. 3:14-18, 36; Eph. 2:1-9).
78. Simple faith in Christ cancels spiritual death for the believer for all time (Rom. 8:1; Rev. 2:11).

The Divine Inquest (vv. 9-13)

VERSE 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you (hK'Y<a; Al rm,aYOw: ~d'a'h'-la, ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> ar'q.YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. qara call + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep el to + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + prep lamedh w/3m.s.suff. "to him" + interrog w/2m.s.suff. ey where])?"

VERSE 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself (abex'aew" ykinOa' ~roy[e-yKi ar'yaiw" !G"B; yTi[.m;v' ^l.qo-ta, rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + d.o. marker + noun m.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. qol voice + Qal perf.1s. shama hear + prep beth w/noun both s.abs. gan garden + waw w/Qal impf.1s. yare fear + prep ki for, because + adj.m.s.abs. erom naked + pro.1s. anoki I + waw w/Nipahl impf.1s. chaba hide])."

VERSE 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked (~roy[e yKi ^l. dyGIhi ymi rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + interrog mi who + Hiphil perf.3m.s. naghadh make known + prep lamedh w/2m.s.suff. "you" + part ki that + adj.m.s.abs. erom naked])?

Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat (T'l.k'a' WNM,mi-lk'a] yTil.bil. ^ytiyWIci rv,a] #[eh'-!mih] hT'a' [pro.2m.s. attah you + def.art. w/prep min from + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + rel.pro. asher which + Piel perf.1s.w/2m.s.suff. tswah command + prep lamedh w/prep beletti not + Qal infin.constr. akal eat + prep min w/3m.s.suff. + Qal perf.2m.s. akal eat])?"

ANALYSIS: VERSES 9-11

1. "The LORD God called" indicates that the Judge of the universe is calling man to give an account of his actions for the day.
2. The brusque "Where are you?" indicates that the couple were not where they usually were this time of day.
3. They were not waiting under the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden for Bible class.
4. God directs His query to the human authority, Adam.
5. Adam’s instant response in v.10 shows that the LORD knew exactly where the man was, and therefore the question "Where are you? is rhetorical in nature.
6. Note the close parallel at 4:9, where, "Where is Abel your brother" is followed by "Listen, your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground," demonstrating that God knows full well what has transpired.
7. The poetic aspect of this part of the narrative is that of a man looking for a friend.
8. But this is no ordinary friend!
9. So the rhetorical language here is like that of a parent who knows where the child is hiding and what the child has done.
10. The couple appears from the trees shamefaced dressed in their ridiculous attire.
11. Adam’s response in v.10 suggests that he understood the question as in invitation to come out and explain his behavior.
12. The man’s response does not answer the question God asks.
13. Instead, it answers the question, "Why are you hiding?"
14. To be driven into hiding is abnormal and calls for an explanation.
15. It was not because of his nakedness and his assumption that such a state was somehow inappropriate that made the man hide.
16. After all, he has taken fig leaves and made an apron to cover himself.
17. Nothing is hidden from divine scrutiny (Jer. 16:17; Ps. 38:9; 69:5; Eccl.12:14; Jon. 1:3; Matt. 10:26).
18. Only the stupid think their actions are hidden from God (Ps. 10:11).
19. It is impossible to get somewhere God is not (Ps. 139:7-12).
20. The man’s response is followed by two further questions by God.
21. "Who told you that you were naked?" seems at first strange to the reader’s ear.
22. Nakedness is not a condition of which one would be oblivious!
23. Was it the serpent who told you? Was it the woman who told you? Was it your own eyes that told you?
24. In other words, what is the source for the man’s guilt and shame?
25. These questions are not designed to solicit information; rather they are designed to produce a confession of guilt.
26. Rather than pause for an answer, God follows immediately with a second question.
27. In v.11b God shifts from peripheral information to that of prosecutor.
28. Rather than charging man with transgression, God allows the man himself to acknowledge his sin.

Adam Shifts the Blame (v.12)

VERSE 12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate (lkeaow" #[eh'-!mi yLi-hn"t.n" awhi ydIM'[i hT't;n" rv,a] hV'aih' ~d'a'h' rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + rel.pro. asher which + Qal perf.2m.s. nathan give + prep im with w/1s.suff. "with me" + pro.3f.s. hi she + Qal perf.3f.s. nathan + prep lamedh w/2m.s.suff. "me" + prep min from + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + waw w/Qal impf.1s. akal eat])."

VERSE 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done (tyfi[' taZO-hm; hV'ail' ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> rm,aYOw: (waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep lamedh w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + interrog mah what? + adj.f.s.abs. zoth this + Qal perf.2f.s. ashah do])?"

And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate (lkeaow" ynIa;yVihi vx'N"h; hV'aih' rm,aTow: [waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. amar say + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. nachash serpent + Hiphil perf.3m.s.w/1s.suff. nasha beguile, deceive + waw w/Qal impf.1s. akal eat])."

ANALYSIS: VERSES 12-13

1. A simple yes on the part of the man would have gotten the matter out in the open.
2. Rather, man becomes defensive and devious.
3. He points the finger of blame at the woman− "she…gave me"−and at God− "the woman you gave me."
4. Through rationalization the criminal becomes the victim, and it is God and the woman who emerge as the real culprits in this affair.
5. Adam attempts to minimize his part in this sin, and only until the last word does he acknowledge his part.
6. Adam sets himself against his dearest companion and against his Creator.
7. This action on the part of Adam is characteristic of human behavior: people are inclined to justify their conduct by pointing to the circumstances and fate and that God has allotted them in life.
8. To the woman God said, "What is this you have done?"
9. Her response: "The serpent fooled me, and I ate."
10. Perhaps she hoped that God would understand, if she sinned as a result of being tricked.
11. The wily serpent is her out.
12. Of course this defense will not fly, as she sinned, even though the circumstances surrounding her fall was different than that of her husband.
13. That she was tricked, in contrast to the man who sinned and knew full well what he was doing was a sin, still placed her in violation and subject to punishment (1Tim. 2:14 "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.").
14. Like the man, she too confesses that she ate.
15. Adam’s original sin was nothing more or nothing less than eating the forbidden fruit.
16. All other theories as to what transpired in the Garden are bogus and are not supported by the narrative or the balance of Scripture (like the one where Eve has sex with the snake producing Cain!).

Judgment Pronounced on the Guilty Parties (vv. 14-19)

Satan’s Instrument Judged (v. 14)

VERSE 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this (taZO t'yfi[' yKi vx'N"h;-la, ~yhil{a/ hA'hy> rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep el to + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. nachash serpent + part ki because + Qal perf.2m.s. ashah do + adj.f.s.ab.s zoth this]),

Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field (hd,F'h; tY:x; lKomiW hm'heB.h;-lK'mi hT'a; rWra' [Qal pass.part.m.s.abs. arar curse + pro.2m.s. attah you + prep min w/noun m.s.constr. kol all + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah animal + waw w/prep min w/noun m.s.abs. kol all + noun f.s.constr. chayyah living thing + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. shadeh field]);

On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life (^yY<x; ymey>-lK' lk;aTo rp'['w> %lete [Qal impf.2m.s. halak walk, go + waw w/noun m.s.abs. aphar dust + Qal impf.2m.s. akal eat + noun m.s.conste. kol all + noun m.p.constr. yom day + noun m.p.constr.w/2m.s.suff. chayyim life]);

Judgment Prophesied Against Satan (v.15)

VERSE 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman (hV'aih' !ybeW ^n>yBe tyvia' hb'yaew> [waw w/noun f.s.abs. ebah enmity, hatred + Qal impf.1s. shith put + prep bayin between w/2m.s.suff. + waw w/prep bayin between + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman],

And between your seed and her seed (H['r>z: !ybeW ^[]r>z: !ybeW [waw w/prep bayin between + noun m.s.constr.w/2m.s.suff. zera seed, offspring + waw w/prep bayin between + noun m.s.constr.w/3f.s.suff. zera seed, offspring]);

He shall bruise you on the head (varo ^p.Wvy> aWh [pro.3m.s. hu he + Qal impf.3m.s.w/2m.s.suff. shuph bruise, crush + noun m.s.abs. rosh head]),

And you shall bruise him on the heel (bqe[' WNp,WvT. hT'a;w> [waw w/pro.2m.s. attah you + Qal impf.2m.s.w/3m.s.suff. shuph bruise + noun m.s.abs. aqebh heel])."

ANALYSIS: VERSES 14-16

1. Satan the instigator of all this is not questioned or given opportunity to explain.
2. Satan’s doom from his fall is determined (Matt. 25:41).
3. The judgment upon "the serpent" is presented by Yahweh in two distinct verses.
4. The judgment upon the actual animal that Satan commandeered is the subject of v.14.
5. The creature hijacked by Satan was a reptile that had made the garden its home.
6. It was a reptile that moved about on legs.
7. The form the curse takes is literal and symbolic.
8. The literal part is the complete overhaul of a particular species of reptile that walked on legs producing throughout the animal kingdom snakes.
9. The symbolic part is eating dust, since snakes do not literally have a diet of dust.
10. The subtlety of the reptile was transferred to snakes via divine design (wisdom) and power.
11. An especially good example of subtlety in a snake is seen in the cobra (cf. Eccl. 10:8).
12. All over the earth this transformation took place.
13. That the animal, and not Satan is in view in v.14, is seen in the reference to his comparison to domestic ("all cattle") and wild animals ("every beast of the field"), as well as the fate of having to move about on the belly and eat dust "all the days of your life."
14. Lower creatures do not possess a soul so why the judgment on a helpless creature?
15. The answer is found in the principle of cursing by association, and its opposite, blessing by association.
16. To curse is to invoke divine judgment upon someone or something.
17. The characteristic behavior of snakes, such as crawling along "eating dust" is fulfilled in every species of this land animal.
18. Being low to the ground the snake appears to eat dust, which is a figurative expression for humiliation and subjugation.
19. The one, who bid the woman to eat, eats dust, metaphorically speaking.
20. The instrument of the evil one receives the lesser judgment.
21. In fact, the snake, like all creatures, does what it was designed to do.
22. Only Satan, the woman, and the man are inconvenienced by the curses handed down by God.
23. This reptile’s mode of locomotion denotes humiliation and subjugation (cf. Ps. 72:9; Is. 49:23; Mic. 7:17).
24. Consequentially, the creature known as the serpent has become a title for the master of disguise and craftiness who shielded his real identity behind a particular species of reptile, and that of course is Satan (cf. Job 26:13; Isa. 27:1 (sea snake); 2Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9, 14,15; 20:2).
25. The final doom of the one who possessed the serpent is reserved for v.15.
26. Before Yahweh were four entities and not just three: the reptile, Satan (unseen), the woman, and the man.
27. The unseen entity which enable the reptile to do the impossible, namely speak, was Satan.
28. Again, that is why he is referred to under the designation "the serpent of old" in Rev. 12:9.
29. Satan was not allowed to dispossess the reptile until God had finished administering judgment.
30. What we have in v.15 from the mouth of the LORD God is a prophesy that concerns the future history of the woman, Satan, and the Messiah.
31. It is laid out in motif form, where interaction with snakes by humans is the setting.
32. Women typically do not like snakes even to the point of being irrational.
33. So the motif of enmity/hostility in lines 1 and 2.
34. Snakes, due to their cunning and low profile, can surprise a would-be passerby and strike a person’s heel (line 4).
35. A man could under the right circumstances turn and crush the serpent’s head killing it as noted in line 3.
36. The person bitten may or may not die depending on certain variables.
37. We will now proceed to identify the seven particulars of this prophecy: "you," "the woman," "your seed," "her seed," "He [who] bruise(s)," "your head," and "his heel."
38. The actual reptile/serpent was simply a cover for a malignant spirit who is identified elsewhere in Scripture under the figure of a snake (2Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9, 14 15; 20:2).
39. "You" indicates that Satan was forced to remain the captive of the snake until the inquest with its respective punishments was finished.
40. Yahweh addresses Satan here as "you" which indicates nearness or presence.
41. "The woman" does not refer to Eve but is taken here generically.
42. The reason for this is that it became obvious that one woman out of all the human race would be enabled to produce "seed" apart from the usual male contribution.
43. Normally we think in terms of the seed of the man/male.
44. His seed is implanted in a woman and a offspring results (e.g. seed).
45. It became known from this prophecy forward that one particular woman would generate a child (male) who would deal a fatal blow to the serpent Satan (cf. Dan. 11:37 "for the desire of women" is a cryptic reference to the Messiah in a passage dealing with the rise of the Antichrist the arose out of a prophecy dealing with the rise of the Greek tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes).
46. Only holy women of old held this particular "desire."
47. Satan manipulated the first woman, and so in the course of time, a woman would arise on the scene, that would produce an individual (seed), who would be the serpent’s undoing.
48. The prophet Isaiah in the 8^th century BC prophesied of the actual woman in Isa. 7:14 who would bear a child that would rule the world ("Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.").
49. Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied of the very place this birth would take place (Mic. 5:2).
50. The term "seed" (zera) when used in connection with humans refers to offspring.
51. It is used collectively (as in "seed of Abraham" as in Gen. 22:17; Ps. 105:6) or of a singularity (of Christ in Acts 3:24 quoting Gen. 12:3; see also Gal. 3:16-19).
52. Satan, as of this prophecy, would have a special reason to hate women beyond his general antipathy to all things divine.
53. The hostility factor from Satan’s side is much increased.
54. This hatred (ebah) is mutual.
55. What it is that God places (Qal impf shith) between the two parties is this very prophecy!
56. Of course it is informed and righteous women that would especially understand this "enmity."
57. "Your seed" does not refer to angelic offspring as angels cannot reproduce their race as all angels are male in gender (cf. Matt. 22:30).
58. Satan’s "seed" refers to his spiritual progeny, that is, all who are born into his kingdom.
59. The seed of Satan refers to those who are spiritually dead (cf. Eph. 2:1-3).
60. Jesus characterized the unbelieving Jews as being "of your father the devil" in Jn. 8:44 (cf. vv. 30-59).
61. So Satan’s seed is all who are in an unsaved state.
62. Adam and Eve were briefly Satan’s seed!
63. They made the salvation adjustment sometime during the events the culminate this chapter.
64. When a person believes in Christ that individual is transferred into God’s kingdom (Col. 1:13 "For He rescued us from the domain/power of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,").
65. "Her seed" refers to the coming Messiah.
66. There is great enmity between Christ and Satan.
67. The words "He shall bruise you on the head" refer to Satan’s incarceration in hell and later the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:2, 10).
68. "He" refers to someone who is remote from the scene.
69. The words "you shall bruise His heel" are fulfilled in the sufferings of Christ in connection with His crucifixion.
70. The crucifixion was not the actual cause of Jesus’ physical death (see Jn. 10:17-18 and Lk. 23:46).
71. But the battering He took from the time of His arrest and His death on the cross fulfills the bruising on the heel reference.
72. His persecutors were Satan’s seed doing their best to eliminate Him from the scene.
73. Christ overcame suffering and dying when He took up His life again in fulfillment of Jn. 10:17.
74. This prophecy served as a gospel presentation to the man and the woman as they were both spiritually dead.
75. Satan soon realized that there was to be a line of male descendants between Adam and Christ as so over the course of OT times he made various attempts to wipe out the line of Christ.
76. He, of course, was prohibited from killing individuals, and so he had to rely on moments and certain individuals to do his dirty work.
77. All attempts to neutralize the line of Christ were frustrated.
78. The last of these was Herod’s murder of the infants of Bethlehem, but an angel told the holy family to retire to Egypt.
79. A strange and bizarre attempt to neutralize the line of Christ is found in Genesis 6.
80. The woman is not any single woman but all women, and especially those married to males in the line of Christ.

Judgment of the Woman (v.16)

VERSE 16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain [labor] in childbirth [pregnancy] (bc,[,B. %nEAbC.[i hB,r>a; hB'r>h; rm;a' hV'aih'-la, [prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ishshah woman + Qal perf.3m.s. amar say + Hiphil infin.abs. rabah become much + Hiphil impf.1s. rabah become much + noun m.s.constr.w/2f.s.suff. atstsboth labor,toil, sorrow; "your pain in childbirth" ]),

In pain you will bring forth children (~ynIb' ydIl.Te bc,[,B. (prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. etsebh sorrow; pain + Qal impf.2f.s. yaladh bear, give birth, travail + noun m.p.abs. ben children])

Yet your desire will be for your husband (%teq'WvT. %veyai-la,w [waw w/prep el to + noun m.s.constr.w/2f.s.suff. ish man; husband + noun f.s.constr.w/2f.s.suff. teshuqah longing]),

And he will rule over you (%B'-lv'm.yI aWhw> [waw w/pro.3m.s. hu he + Qal impf.3m.s. mashal rule + prep beth w/2f.s.suff.])."

ANALYSIS: VERSE 16

1. The sentence on the woman for her part in the fall is presented in two parts.
2. One relates to childbearing, the other to subjugation to the man’s authority.
3. It should be observed that neither the man nor the woman is explicitly said to be cursed: only the snake (v.14) and the soil (v.17).
4. The sentences against the two take the form of disruption of their pre-fall roles.
5. The woman’s role was to be the man’s helper and mother of his children (cf. 2:18; 23-24).
6. The first part of the woman’s temporal judgment is greatly increased suffering associated with childbearing.
7. Eve bore no children prior to the Fall, so she did not have a frame of reference for labor in childbirth prior to that event.
8. She became pregnant for the first time after her expulsion from the garden.
9. The words "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth [pregnancy]" refer to a significant increase in the misery associated with childbirth that would have previously not been the case.
10. This is not to say that there would have been no pain in the state of innocence.
11. After all the natural body minus the death gene and the STA still could experience pain as it possessed nerves that would be sensitive to heat and cold (etc.).
12. The noun "pain" (itstsabon) in line 2 is an interesting choice, as it appears to be a pun on ets "tree," as if to say the tree brought trauma.
13. Neither word for "pain" (itstsabon and etseb) in this verse is the usual word for the pangs of childbirth.
14. The usual term is tsir (1Sam. 2:19; Isa. 13:8; 21:3).
15. The noun ‘to be in labor’ is chul (Isa. 23:4, 54:1; 66:1,8).
16. This term for "pain" is repeated in connection with the man’s judgment in the v. 17 ("toil").
17. The woman is not cursed with infertility, only that her maternity will be accompanied by increased suffering.
18. Childbearing is a blessing, and a sign of divine approbation (Ps. 113:9; Ps. 127, 128).
19. Nevertheless, the pain connected with childbirth, unrelieved by modern medicine, was the bitterest known then (cf. Mic. 4:9-10; Isa. 13:8; 21:3).
20. The second item on the list has to do with female subordination to the male within the post-fall setting.
21. Here it is more difficult to grasp the precise meaning.
22. The woman (Eve) was made from the man to be his helper and is twice named by man (2:23; 3:20) which indicates his authority over her.
23. So "and he shall rule over you" refers to a much more harsh exploitative rule, which so often characterizes woman’s lot in all sorts of societies.
24. Now the authority over the woman has a sin nature, one of the results of eating of the forbidden fruit.
25. The word for "desire" or "urge" (teshuqah) occurs only here and in Gen. 4:7 and SOS 7:10.
26. In SOS 7:10 it has a decidedly romantic and positive nuance, describing a mutual attraction of two lovers: "I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me."
27. In Gen. 4:7 it refers to sin’s (ISTA) desire for Cain.
28. So here the desire of the woman for the man is akin to Cain’s sin nature that lies poised ready to leap at Cain.
29. The words "your desire shall be for your husband" expresses not fact, but endeavor.
30. The same is true in the words, "he shall rule over you" (a conative imperfect of ‘rule’).
31. He will attempt to rule over her!
32. The woman will now resist her husband’s authority.
33. Far from being a reign of co-equals over the rest of God’s creation, the two vie for dominance and control.
34. The two who once ruled as one attempt to rule each other.
35. A husband and wife who are in tune with 1Pet. 3:1-7 can achieve much of what was lost at the Fall.

Judgment on Adam (vv. 17-19)

VERSE 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife (^T,v.ai lAql. T'[.m;v'-yKi rm;a' ~d'a'l.W [waw w/prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + Qal perf.3m.s. amar say + part ki because + Qal perf.2m.s. shama hear + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs. qol voice + noun f.s.constr.w/2m.s.suff. ishshah woman, wife], and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it' [WNM,mi lk;ato al{ rmoale ^ytiyWIci rv,a] #[eh'-!mi lk;aTow: [waw w/Qal impf.2m.s. akal eat + prep min from + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. ets tree + rel.pro. asher which + Piel perf.1s.w/2m.s.suff. tsawah command + prep lamedh w/Qal infin.constr. amar say; "saying" + neg lo + Qal impf.2m.s. akal eat + prep min from w/3m.s.suff. "from it"]);

Cursed is the ground because of you (^r,Wb[]B; hm'd'a]h' hr'Wra] [Qal pass.part.f.s.abs. arar curse + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adamah ground + prep w/2m.s.suff. ba-abur "because of you"]);

In toil you will eat of it (hN"l,k]aTo !AbC'[iB. ^r,Wb[]B [prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. itstsabon toil + Qal impf.2m.s.w/3f.s.suff. akal eat])

All the days of your life (^yY<x; ymey> lKo [noun m.s.abs. kol all + noun m.p.constr. yom day + noun m.p.constr.w/2m.s.suff. chayyim life]).

VERSE 18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you (%l' x;ymic.T; rD;r>d;w> #Aqw> [waw w/noun m.s.abs. qots thorn + waw w/noun m.s.abs. dareddar thistles; Hos.8:10 + Hiphil impf.3f.s. tsamach sprout + prep lamedh w/2m.s.suff. "for you"]);

And you will eat the plants of the field (hd,F'h; bf,[e-ta, T'l.k;a'w> [waw w/Qal perf.2m.s. akal eat + d.o. marker + noun m.s.abs. eshebh vegetation, plant + def.art.w/noun m.s.asbs. shadeh field]);

VERSE 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread (~x,l, lk;aTo ^yP,a; t[;zEB. [prep beth w/noun f.s.constr. ze-ah sweat, perspiration + noun m. dual constr.w/2m.s.suff. aph nostril, face + Qal impf.2m.s. akal eat + noun m.s.abs. lechem bread, food]),

Till you return to the ground (hm'd'a]h'-la, ^b.Wv d[; [prep adh until + Qal infin.constr.w/2m.s.suff. shub return + prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adamah ground]),

Because [For] from it you were taken (T'x.Q'lu hN"M,mi yKi [part ki for + prep min w/3f.s.suff. "from it" + Qal pass.perf.2m.s. laqach take]);

For you are dust (hT'a; rp'['-yKi [part ki for + noun m.s.abs. aphar dust + pro.2m.s. attah you]),

And to dust you shall return (bWvT' rp'['-la,w> [waw w/prep el to + noun m.s.abs. aphar dust + Qal impf.2m.s. shub return])."

ANALYSIS: VERSES 17-19

1. The sentence on the man is the longest since he bore the greater responsibility in following his wife’s beck and call instead of steadfastly adhering to the divine instructions given to him personally.
2. Here we have the first instance of "Adam" being used as a personal name.
3. Note that as in v.14 the causal clause precedes the main clause, emphasizing the relative importance of the former.
4. Obeying his wife rather than God was man’s fundamental mistake.
5. "Listened to the voice of your wife" is an idiom meaning "obey" (cf. 16:2; Ex. 18:24; 2Kgs. 10:6).
6. Five times in these three verses eating is mentioned.
7. Man’s offense consisted in eating the forbidden fruit; therefore he is punished in what he eats.
8. The special toil that lies behind the eating of every meal is a reminder of the Fall, and for Adam is made the more painful by the memory of the ready supply of food in the garden (2:9 from J to L ).
9. The ground supports the life of the tree and so God curses the ground man has to work to produce food.
10. The second item explicitly said to be cursed is the soil, the first being the serpent more than all other creatures (v.14).
11. The ground has to be worked (cleared, tilled, cultivated and watered).
12. Adam, the gardener, now must take up the occupation of farmer.
13. He has no choice if he wants to support himself and his family.
14. "In toil" refers to arduous labor, not the kind of fun stuff associated with keeping the garden.
15. "Toil" is the same noun used in connection with childbearing (v. 16).
16. Adam went out from the garden and had to learn new skills by trial and error.
17. The production of food for survival consumed much of his time and energy.
18. All of Adam’s life was devoted to raising crops for his growing family.
19. The curse of the ground automatically extends to humanity.
20. Some soils are unsuitable or marginal, and then there is the issue of moisture.
21. As breadwinner and family provider the man faces many difficult challenges.
22. All this, because he sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit.
23. Agricultural hardship is ironic.
24. Recalcitrant soil is compounded with "thorns and thistles" (v.18).
25. A curse falls on the plant kingdom and the plants affected must be rooted up from the farmlands on a regular basis adding to man’s toil.
26. Another tweaking of the genetics of a subspecies is seen here producing all manner of obnoxious plants (cf. the tweaking of the reptile’s genetics resulting in snakes).
27. Only then can the man "eat the herb of the (cultivated) field.
28. Farming is difficult, challenging, and time consuming work that does not always produce results.
29. Farming is the most basic and necessary occupation if man is to survive on this earth.
30. Every subsequent occupation depends on the farmer and what he produces.
31. Man’s physiology is such that he is designed to sweat.
32. Adam perspired in the garden but it was not a life and death situation.
33. In the garden his sweating was much more enjoyable, now with an much more difficult occupation he face glistens with sweat in the hope planting and harvesting food for survival.
34. Rest comes when he dies and his body returns to the dust from which it was formed.
35. Death of the body based on the aging gene came into the world through original sin.
36. The fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil contained that which produced a gene producing aging and eventual death.
37. Physical death came many years later for Adam while spiritual death came instantly.
38. "Dying you will die" is explained theologically as spiritual death leading to physical death of the organism.
39. Spiritual death is defined as alienation from the life of God leading to the eternal perdition of the soul if not arrested by the regeneration.
40. Physical death takes its toll on believer and unbeliever.
41. In light of Adam’s physiological origins and his subsequent sin, v. 19 is highly ironic.
42. Man is to work the ground to keep from starving until the day he returns to the ground.
43. The human body is dust that needs to be nourished by the things the ground produces.
44. But in the end the biochemical part of man returns to dust via decay.
45. And all this, because one man disobeyed God, obeyed his wife, and partook of a piece of fruit!
46. All subsequent humanity is cursed by association.
47. From birth we as humans are "in Adam" (1Cor. 15:22) which means AOS is imputed to its home, the ISTA (sin nature gene) resulting in spiritual death.
48. The death gene is passed down through the male in procreation along with the STA/OSN.
49. Jesus humanity did not possess a sin nature because Mary’s ovum did not contain this gene (this is true of all women).
50. The virgin birth was necessary so that Jesus would not be born "in Adam."
51. The soul is delivered from the curse of spiritual death and its counterpart the second death when a person is saved.
52. The body is delivered from death and decay in the resurrection of the dead, when soul and body are reunited.
53. The forbidden fruit produced a new dynamic within man’s genetics resulting in an aging gene and a sin nature gene.
54. The death gene’s effects are featured here in v.19.
55. The sin nature gene’s effects are demonstrated in the behavior of the man and the woman in shame, fear, hiding and rationalization of their role in the event.
56. Adam can produce nothing better than himself so he passes this on to his progeny.
57. The direct divine punishment upon the two was to render them spiritually dead by withdrawing the human spirit changing them from trichotomous to dichotomous.
58. The long term punishment upon their bodies is seen in vv. 16-19.
59. Grace intervened to reverse these negatives.

A New Name and a New Covering (vv. 20-21)

VERSE 20 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living (yx'-lK' ~ae ht'y>h' awhi yKi hW"x; ATv.ai ~ve ~d'a'h' ar'q.YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. qara call, name + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + noun m.s.constr. shem name + noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ishshah woman + proper noun Chawah; Eve + part ki because + pro.3f.s. hu she + Qal perf.3f.s. hayah became + noun f.s.abs. em mother + noun m.s.constr. kol all + adj.m.s.abs. chay living]).

VERSE 21 The LORD God made garments [tunics] of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them (~veBil.Y:w: rA[ tAnt.K' ATv.ail.W ~d'a'l. ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> f[;Y:w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. ashah make + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep lamedh w/proper noun Adam + waw w/prep lamedh w/noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ishshah + noun f.p.constr. kuttonet tunic, shirtlike garment + noun m.s.abs. or skin, hide; used of both animal and human skin + waw w/Hiphil impf.3m.s.w/3m.p.suff. labesh clothe]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 20-21

1. Following the indictments handed down by Yahweh on the serpent, satan, the woman, and the man, we have two verses that strike a positive note.
2. Adam (probably self-named) gives his wife a proper name to distinguish her from future females.
3. All their time in the garden he called her "woman" (ishshah; 2:23).
4. His last act toward her before their banishment from the garden was to name her Eve.
5. The text says that this name was given her "because she was the mother of all living."
6. But she has yet to give birth to the second generation.
7. What is especially arresting in the rationale for so naming her is that we have a perfect tense of the ‘to be’ verb hayah.
8. This constitutes a prophetic perfect which reinforces the certainty of a distant fact.
9. Adam’ faith is manifested here, which indicates that he (and the woman) had come to saving faith based on the promise of "the seed of the woman" who would defeat the serpent through ordeal.
10. Also, Adam remember the divine injunction upon them "to multiply and fill the earth" (1:28).
11. This injunction was given to the two of them on the day of their creation.
12. All their time in the garden Eve remained without child, yet this was something they was continually in their thoughts and conversations.
13. And last, but not least, are the words of the woman’s judgment in v.16, which clearly indicate that the woman would become fertile and bear children in pain.
14. "All living" refers to every human being, including the Messiah, that would appear on the earth to the end of the millennial age (7^th day) and forward (innocence revisited on the new earth).
15. Her Hebrew name hawwah reflects a primitive form of the Hebrew verb "to live’ with a medial w instead of y.
16. V. 20 connects "Eve" (hawwah) with "living" (chay).
17. In the Ras Shamra texts the verb there appears with the medial y only in the Qal stem.
18. By contrast, in the Piel stem the verb appears only with the medial w.
19. Furthermore, the Piel stem has a factitive meaning− "to give life, preserve."
20. The same is true of the Phoenician.
21. Thus it is quite possible that Heb. hawwah reflects this feature and as a qattal type noun means "life-giver."
22. Just as Adam renames the spouse so God reclothes the couple.
23. Both actions speak of a future for the individual(s) beyond the miserable moment.
24. V. 21 serves as a contrast with v.7, the covering of fig leaves versus the covering with tunics of animal skins.
25. The first is a make-shift attempt to cover oneself; the second is accepting a covering from another.
26. The first is manmade and the second is God made.
27. Adam and Eve are in need of a covering that comes from without.
28. God provides what they are unable to do for themselves (before this skill was developed).
29. The clothing precedes the expulsion from the garden.
30. God’s act of grace precedes Hi)s act of judgment.
31. The couple is not expelled from the garden nude and totally vulnerable.
32. In the same fashion Cain is marked before his is exiled (4:15), and God announces the post-Flood covenant even before the Flood commences (6:18).
33. It is not reading too much into this verse to see in the "tunics of skin" a harbinger of the use of animals and blood in the sacrificial system of the OT.
34. The word translated "garments" (NAS) and "coats" (KJV) is one used to describe the garment Jacob gave Joseph (37:3).
35. It is correct that the word skin here refers to animal skins, and we do have in the OT the use of animal skins as coverings (Ex. 26:14; 36:19; 40:19).
36. Note also Gen. 27:16 where Rebekah "put," the same as our "clothed" (labesh), "the skins of young goats" on Jacob so that he would feel and smell like Esau to Isaac.
37. But ketonet is more than simply a covering.
38. It is an actual robelike garment worn next to one’s skin.
39. Both men (2Sam. 15:32) and women (2Sam. 13:18,10; SOS 5:3) could wear it.
40. A ketonet was also one of the garments worn by priests, and it was made from linen (Ex. 28:39; 39:27).
41. The clothing fabricated (ashah) by God required the death of an animal(s).
42. The symbolism points to the sacrificial death of Messiah.
43. The clothing, unlike the impractical and pathetic aprons of fig leaves, would serve them well in their new environs.
44. In the garden the man and the woman made the salvation adjustment as they believed the report/prophecy of the seed of the woman in 3:15.
45. This (3:15) is the very first hint at what we call the gospel.

Expulsion From the Garden (vv. 22-24)

VERSE 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us (WNM,mi dx;a;K. hy"h' ~d'a'h' !he ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> rm,aYOw [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. amar say + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.constr. Elohim + interj hen behold + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + Qal perf.3m.s. hayah become + prep kaph w/adj.m.s.abs. echad one + prep min w/1p.suff. "of Us"], knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" [~l'[ol. yx;w" lk;a'w> ~yYIx;h #[eme ~G: xq;l'w> Ady" xl;v.yI-!P, hT'[;w> [r'w" bAj t[;d;l' [prep lamedh w/Qal infin.constr. yada know + noun m.s.abs. tob good + waw w/adj.m.s.abs. ra evil + part pen lest + Qal impf.3m.s. shalach send; "stretch out" + noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. yad hand + waw w/Qal perf.3m.s. laqach take + part gam also + prep min w/noun m.s.constr. ets tree + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. chayyim life + waw w/Qal perf.3m.s. akal eat + waw w/Qal perf.3m.s. chayah live + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs. olam forever])"−

VERSE 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken (~V'mi xQ;lu rv,a] hm'd'a]h'-ta, dbo[]l; !d,[e-!G:mi ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> WhxeL.v;y>w: [waw w/Piel impf.3m.s.w/3m.s.suff. shalach send away + proper noun Yahweh + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + prep min w/noun both s.const. gan garden + proper noun Eden + prep lamedh w/Qal infin.constr. abadh serve, work; "cultivate" + d.o. marker + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adamah ground + rel.pro. asher which + Qal pass.perf.3m.s. laqach take + prep min w/adv sham there]).

VERSE 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life (~yYIx;h #[e %r,D,-ta, rmov.li tk,P,h;t.Mih; br,x,h; jh;l; taew> ~ybiruK.h;-ta, !d,[e-!g:l. ~d,Q,mi !Kev.Y:w: ~d'a'h'-ta, vr,g"y>w: [waw w/Piel impf.3m.s. garash drive out, expel; divorce + d.o. marker + def.art.w/noun m.s. adam man + waw w/Hiphil impf.3m.s. shakan dwell; "He stationed" + prep min w/noun m.s.abs. qedem east + prep lamedh w/noun both s.constr. gan garden + proper noun Eden + d.o. marker + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. kerubh cherub + waw w/d.o. marker + noun m.s.constr. lahat flame + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. chereb sword + def.art.w/Hithpael part.f.s.abs. haphak turn + prep lamedh w/Qal infin.constr. shamar guard + d.o. marker + noun both s.abs. derek way + noun m.s.constr. ets tree + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. chayyim life]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 22-24

1. Here the Lord acknowledges that the serpent’s promise (3:5) has in one sense been partially fulfilled.
2. "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil" refers to the godhead’s knowledge of what good and evil consists of.
3. When man ate of the forbidden fruit he was introduced to the realm of good and evil.
4. This came to him through the changes wrought to his genetic code.
5. Man’s first sin was guilt with respect to nakedness.
6. His solution was to engage in human good/works in ‘operation fig leaf."
7. Possessing the STA, man now has capacity for all manner of evil.
8. Man becomes a slave to that which the members of the godhead have recognized since before the foundation of the world.
9. God has always known about "good and evil."
10. Here we have the second explicit reference to the Trinity (cf. 1:26).
11. All three members of the godhead face the new situation following man’s fall and proceed to shut man off from access to the tree of life.
12. Access to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil resulted in spiritual death, the ISTA and the aging gene.
13. If something in the fruit of that tree resulted in man acquiring an sin nature and a death gene then it is conceivable that there could be an antidote.
14. The antidote for the death gene was to be found in the fruit of the tree of life.
15. The antidote for the STA gene was not available in any of the trees of the garden.
16. Had anyone eaten of the fruit of the tree of life after the fall then that person would have physically reverted to immortality of body such as Adam and Eve possessed in the state of innocence.
17. Had man eaten of the fruit of the tree of life before the fall there would have been no alteration in their ability to live on forever as the genetic code was set from creation to include immortality of body.
18. The human body from the creation of the man and the woman possessed a kind of immortality.
19. That, of course, was lost when man sinned.
20. Had the man and the woman eaten of the fruit of the tree of life immediately after eating of the forbidden fruit then the death gene would have been reset to its pre-fall status quo.
21. Eating of the tree of life would not have healed them of the ISTA.
22. Immortality of the natural and dependent body is a qualified immortality.
23. The body God made for Adam and Eve was subject to death by trauma, but not death by aging.
24. The words of Yahweh, "and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" were uttered just before man was expelled and banished from the garden.
25. The words imply that for the very short time man still had access to the tree of life after the original sin that he did not eat of the super tree he was not forbidden to eat of before his fall.
26. Man possesses immortality of soul in whatever state he is in.
27. The living soul cannot be destroyed and so mimics the divine attribute of eternal life.
28. It is part of the image of God principle.
29. It is nonsensical to think that eating anything could provide positive eternal life to the living soul.
30. No, here the concern is with man living perpetually in the flesh with a sin nature.
31. By immediately sending the couple out of the garden, God forestalls man’s next step toward self-deification by a preemptive first strike (v.23a).
32. Adam and Eve are evicted from their home and Adam has to change occupations.
33. He went from being caretaker of the garden (gardener) to the occupation of farmer (v.23b).
34. His life on earth became much more difficult and precarious.
35. But he is godlike knowing good and evil!
36. Man was barred from being godlike via immortality of flesh.
37. The actual eviction of man from the garden is stated in a much stronger verb than the one in v.23.
38. "He drove out" (piel garish) is often used in the Pentateuch of the expulsion of the inhabitants of Canaan (e.g., Ex. 23:28-31; Ps. 80:8; cp. Job 30:5; Gen. 4:14).
39. The juxtaposition of these two verbs (salach/garish) underscores the idea that man did not leave the garden of his own free will.
40. Nor is he gently escorted to the garden’s edge.
41. In fact, he is physically forced to leave the area by an invisible force.
42. The entrance to Eden is secured by angelic sentries, whose sole duty it was, to keep humanity, after the fall from accessing the tree of life.
43. "Stationed," literally, "caused to camp" refers to a permanent situation.
44. Cherubim, a category of elect angel, guarded Eden’s entrance in the pre-flood era.
45. The garden soon became overgrown but in the middle of the garden was a very special tree that if any person could access its fruit that person would not grow old.
46. God was not about to let that happen, so instead of destroying the tree He place an angelic guard to keep men out.
47. Cherubim are next mentioned in the OT in connection with that Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25:18-22).
48. Images of cherubim were woven into the curtains separating the holy place from the most holy place (Ex. 26:31), and well as being carved in the walls of the temple (1Kgs. 6:29).
49. Solomon constructed two huge cherubim for the temple (1Kgs. 6:23-28).
50. In addition to the cherubim we have "the flaming sword which turned every direction" or "the flame of a revolving sword."
51. The image is that of forked lightning, zigzagging this way and that, wielded by angels.
52. The prize for any foolhardy enough to try to enter the garden to access the tree of life was immortality.
53. God will never allow man to attain biological immortality apart from relationship with the living God.
54. "East of the garden" refers to the position of the garden’s entrance.
55. The tabernacle and the temple were entered from the east.
56. The Garden of Eden was a type of archetypal sanctuary, where God is uniquely present.
57. Man forfeited this, but paradise regained awaits the new heavens and earth with the New Jerusalem.
58. In which place there will be water, gold, trees, precious stones, light, immortals like Adam and Eve, angelic guards at the 12 gates, etc.