NIV, Faithlife Study Bible | Page 62

12 | Genesis 3:4
the mid dle of the gar den , and you must not touch it , or you will die .’ ”
4
“ You will not cer tain ly die ,” the ser pent said to the wom an . 5 “ For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened , and you will be like God , know ing good and evil .”
6
When the wom an saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleas ing to the eye , and also de sir able for gain ing wis dom , she took some and ate it . She also gave some to her hus band , who was with her , and he ate it . 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened , and they re al ized they were na ked ; so they sewed fig leaves to geth er and made cov er ings for them selves .
8
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walk ing in the gar den in the cool of the day , and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the gar den . 9 But the Lord God called to the man , “ Where are you ?”
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He an swered , “ I heard you in the gar den , and I was afraid be cause I was na ked ; so I hid .”
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And he said , “ Who told you that you were na ked ? Have you eat en from the tree that I command ed you not to eat from ?”
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The man said , “ The wom an you put here with me — ​she gave me some fruit from the tree , and I ate it .”
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Then the Lord God said to the wom an , “ What is this you have done ?”
The wom an said , “ The ser pent de ceived me , and I ate .”
14
So the Lord God said to the ser pent , “ Be cause you have done this ,
“ Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals !
You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life . between Ge 3 and ancient Near Eastern material — ​which also forms the backdrop of passages with similar language ( Isa 14 ; Eze 28 ) — ​suggests that the nachash in Ge 3 could be understood in two ways . The narrative may refer to a shining divine being — ​a member of God ’ s heavenly host or council ( compare note on 1:26 ) — ​in serpentine appearance . In addition , the serpentine imagery may be used to convey the motif of threatening disorder associated with other serpentine figures in the OT ( see Ps 74:13 – 14 ; 104:26 and note ; Job 26:12 and note ; Job 41:1 and note ). Did God really say The serpent ’ s question omits the positive statement made by God in Ge 2:16 . The serpent also distorts the earlier statement by presenting God as saying Adam and Eve could not eat from any tree at all . 3:2 We may eat The woman corrects the serpent ’ s wording , but she does not do so precisely . Instead of echoing 2:16 , where God gave the human couple permission to eat from every tree except one , she generalizes the permission , noting simply that they may eat of the trees in the garden . 3:3 you must not touch it Eve adds to God ’ s original prohibition , which states nothing about touching the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil . or you will die The original threat of 2:17 points to the certainty of death upon disobedience , but it says nothing of an immediate death . The serpent will introduce the idea of an immediate death into the meaning of 2:17 to deceive the woman ( see v . 4 ). 3:5 God The Hebrew word used here , elohim , is plural . Depending on grammar and context , the plural form can be translated as plural or singular — ​God or gods ( divine beings ). It is the most common word used in the OT to refer to the singular God of Israel ( over 2,000 occurrences ). But elohim here may be translated as a plural because of v . 22 , where elohim says ( according to a literal rendering of the Hebrew ): “ they have become as one of us .” Like 1:26 , the plurality refers to God and those with him in his abode and throne room : the heavenly host or council ( compare Dt 32:8 – 9 ; Ps 82 ; note on 82 : title – 8 ; 1Ki 22:19 – 23 ; note on 22:19 ). In the ancient Near East , the knowledge of good and evil was believed to be a divine attribute that humans must earn or receive in some fashion . This possibility has seductive power for the woman in the Genesis account and may indicate why God did not reveal this information earlier . God created the test by issuing the prohibition of Ge 2:16 – 17 , but he did not intend the temptation to be overwhelming . The serpent is the one who makes it seem irresistible . knowing good and evil This does not refer only to the ability to choose between right and wrong . If the man and woman did not already possess this ability , the original command would have been meaningless . Rather , knowing good and evil refers to divine wisdom , which corresponds with the idea of becoming like God or the gods ( elohim in Hebrew ). 3:6 husband , who was with her Since there is no mention of the woman leaving the serpent to find Adam , Adam was most likely present for the entire conversation . 3:7 the eyes of both of them were opened Both Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit ( v . 6 ), so they both experienced the new knowledge of rebellion . 3:8 Lord God as he was walking This signals that the writer wants the reader to picture God as a human being ( an anthropomorphism ) present in the Garden of Eden . This is the first theophany in the OT — ​an appearance of God to human beings in a manner that can be processed by the human senses . See the table “ Old Testament Theophanies ” on p . 924 . in the cool of the day Translating this phrase is difficult . The Hebrew term used here , ruach , is normally translated “ spirit ” or “ wind ” ( see note on 1:2 ), but is often translated here as “ cool .” This may mean that it is intended to evoke the unmistakable power of God ’ s presence . 3:10 I was afraid Adam says he is afraid because he is unclothed , but he really fears the shame of appearing naked in God ’ s presence . His awareness of that shame exposes his guilt . Before their disobedience , Adam and Eve had no reason to be ashamed ( 2:25 ). 3:11 Who told you that you were naked God asks not because he lacks information , but to elicit a confession . 3:12 woman you put Adam tries to pass responsibility to his wife — ​and perhaps even to God . 3:14 Cursed are you It is unclear how the serpent ( nachash in Hebrew ) is more cursed than any other animal . This supports the view that the nachash is not an ordinary member of the animal kingdom and the serpent imagery evokes other ancient Near Eastern parallels . See note on 3:1 . You will crawl on your belly The language and context suggest that this condition was new in some way . Since the Hebrew word used for serpent , nachash ,