Genesis 3:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,

NIV: The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

NASB: The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

CSB: The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.

NLT: Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,' the woman replied.

KJV: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

NKJV: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

In the previous verse, the crafty serpent—most likely Satan in control of an animal, or taking on an animal form—began his temptation of the first woman. This conversation is his attempt to convince her to disobey God. He starts with a question he knows the answer to, one apparently intended to draw her into judging God's character. This begins by encouraging her to consider, or even to doubt, God's command: Did God really say you can't eat from any tree in the garden?

Verses 2 and 3 describe the woman's response. She immediately corrects the serpent: "We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden." This part of the response is all well and good. Her answer is correct, but getting her to talk is part of the Devil's trap. The end of her response, in the following verse, shows the woman doesn't have a clear understanding of God's command.

Genesis 3:1–7 tells the story of Satan's temptation of mankind, the first human sin and the immediate consequences which followed. Created sinless, ''very good,'' and placed into a perfect environment by a fair and loving Creator, Adam and Eve choose to sin anyway. They earn spiritual death and separation from God, as well as lives punctuated by pain, conflict, and frustration, ending in physical death. This is followed by God's response to human sin, tailored to each of the parties involved. The following chapter will tell the story of the beginning of human life apart from God and the garden.

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.

Accessed 7/4/2024 2:20:50 PM