Genesis 3:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

NIV: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

NASB: And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.'

CSB: I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

NLT: And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.”

In direct response to the serpent's deception and Adam's and Eve's disobedience, God pronounces curses on each of them, as well as on the generations to follow.

In the previous verse, God began his curse on both the serpent and on Satan, who took the serpent's form or body. In this verse, the curse is focused entirely on Satan. God promises to make enemies of Satan and the woman. In fact, their offspring—or "seed"—will remain enemies throughout all generations.

Eve's offspring, of course, includes all of humanity, born one generation after another up to the present day. But who is Satan's offspring? It's unlikely this refers to actual biological children of the Devil. Satan's offspring may include all of the fallen angels, demons, who will follow him. It definitely includes those humans who will come to believe and practice his lies.

Jesus, calling out the Jewish religious leaders in John 8:44, said this: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

God's final curse or oracle to the serpent was that the offspring of the woman will crush, or bruise, Satan's head, and Satan would strike or bruise his heel. Many Bible scholars see this as a reference to Christ, the Son of God, and also the ultimate member of Eve's offspring. Satan would damage Christ, but He would have the ultimate victory on behalf of humanity. Those in Christ will celebrate the victory with Him for eternity.

The bottom line of God's curse on Satan is this: He has been the enemy of humanity since the beginning. He can never be trusted. As Peter wrote, he continues to hunt and seek to devour humans to this very day (1 Peter 5:8), though he won't be allowed to do so forever.

Genesis 3:8–24 describes the consequences of man's rebellion against God. After falling to temptation, humans are ashamed and foolishly attempt to hide from God. When confronted with their sin, the man and woman confess, but also attempt to shift the blame to others. Adam even blames God. In response, God issues three individual ''curses'' which affect humanity to this day. Mankind can no longer stay in the ''very good'' garden, and is banished. Even so, God continues to provide for His creation.

Genesis 3 tells the story of paradise lost by the willfulness of human sin. Humanity was originally given every perfect thing they could need or want, and virtually no restrictions. Despite that, Adam and Eve needed only a bit of prompting from a talking serpent to disobey their good Creator. Immediately overcome by shame and quickly cursed by God, the painful story of human history begins with their exit from the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2 ended with the last glimpse of a sinless world. Adam and Eve are perfect in themselves, in their purpose, and in their relationship as husband and wife. Chapter 3 tells the story of that paradise lost; the result of the first willful human sin. The consequences: immediate shame and lifelong separation from their home with God. Chapter 4 will describe the beginning of their lives together, the beginning of the painful story of human history.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.