Genesis 3:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

NIV: It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

NASB: Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field;

CSB: It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

NLT: It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.

KJV: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

NKJV: Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

This verse continues God's curse on Adam for his sin. Adam disobeyed the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And, he failed to guide and protect His wife according to God's original plan. This remark from God to Adam has to be read along with the previous two verses to be fully understood.

God has pronounced that Adam's lifelong work of getting food from the ground would now bring him great pain and frustration. The ground itself would be cursed. Part of that curse, revealed here, includes thorns and thistles coming up with the crops, making it more difficult to sustain and harvest them. Rather than the earth being a cooperative partner, it would now be an uncontrolled landscape.

However frustrating it becomes, though, Adam and all of his offspring would not be able to quit the work. They would need to eat the plants of the field in order to live, so the painful work must continue.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 3:16:33 PM