The Meaning of Genesis 3:1 Explained

Genesis 3:1

KJV: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

YLT: And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, 'Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?'

Darby: And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

ASV: Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now the serpent  was  more subtil  than any beast  of the field  which the LORD  God  had made.  And he said  unto the woman,  Yea,  hath God  said,  Ye shall not eat  of every tree  of the garden? 

What does Genesis 3:1 Mean?

Study Notes

The serpent
The serpent, in his Edenic form, is not to be thought of as a writhing reptile. That is the effect of the curse Genesis 3:14 . The creature which lent itself to Satan may well have been the most beautiful as was the most "subtle" of creatures less than man. Traces of that beauty remain despite the curse. Every movement of a serpent is graceful, and many species are beautifully coloured. In the serpent, Satan first appeared as "an angel of light" 2 Corinthians 11:14 .

Verse Meaning

Who was the tempter? Among evangelicals there are two major views regarding the identity of the serpent.
It was a literal snake.
a.Moses called it a beast of the field ( Genesis 3:1).b.Though snakes do not speak, Satan could have spoken through a snake. He did this through demoniacs in Jesus" day. Also, a spirit being spoke through Balaam"s donkey ( Numbers 22:21-30).c.God judged a snake in this case ( Genesis 3:14). [1]
2. It was Satan himself described here as a snake.
a.God called Satan a serpent elsewhere in Scripture (e.g, Revelation 20:2).b.Satan can and does speak as recorded elsewhere in Scripture (e.g, Job 1).c.What he said here is in character for Satan who is the "father of lies" ( John 8:44).
Probably the tempter was Satan who possessed and controlled a literal snake. Temptation came to Eve disguised, unexpectedly, and from a subordinate, as is still often true.
The pattern of temptation observable here is one Satan has used often and still uses (cf. the temptations of Achan, David, and Jesus Christ).
Satan"s first step was to plant a seed of doubt in Eve"s mind concerning God"s ways ( Genesis 3:1-3). The key phrase is "from any" ( Genesis 3:1). Satan focused Eve"s attention on God"s one prohibition. He suggested that God did not really want what was best for Adam and Eve but rather was withholding something from them that was essentially good. He hinted that God"s line of protection was actually a line that He drew because He was selfish. Satan still tempts women to believe that God"s role for them is primarily for His benefit rather than for their welfare. [2]
The Hebrew word translated "crafty" ("arum) does not mean wicked as much as wise. Eve"s sin was not so much an act of great wickedness as it was an act of great folly. She already had all the good she needed, but she wanted more. She wanted to glorify self, not God.

Context Summary

Genesis 3:1-8 - Man And Woman, Temptation
Human love is God's best gift to man. Without it even Eden would not be Paradise. That Adam was able to name the animals, affixing a title suggested by some peculiarity or characteristic, indicated his royal supremacy, and, in so far as we live in God, that supremacy is restored. See Daniel 6:22; Mark 1:13. But what is power without love, or a throne without a consort? Eve was, therefore, given to crown his bliss; taken from his side, as afterward the Church from the opened side of Christ. See John 19:34, and Ephesians 5:25. Still God brings Eve to Adam; and such a marriage is truly blessed.
The order of temptation is always the same. The Tempter without, and within the strong desire for sensual gratification, with the secret hope that somehow the consequences may be avoided. The eye inflames passion; passion masters the resistance of the will; the body obeys its impulse; the act of gratification is followed immediately by remorse and guilt. Then we need the second Adam! [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 3

1  The serpent deceives Eve
6  Both she and Adam transgress the divine command, and fall into sin
8  God arraigns them
14  The serpent is cursed
15  The promised seed
16  The punishment of mankind
21  Their first clothing
22  Their expulsion from paradise

What do the individual words in Genesis 3:1 mean?

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which had made Yahweh God And he said to the woman - indeed Has said God not you shall eat of every tree of the garden
וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙ חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־ הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה אַ֚ף כִּֽי־ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּ֖ל עֵ֥ץ ؟ הַגָּֽן

וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙  Now  the  serpent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָחָשׁ  
Sense: serpent, snake.
עָר֔וּם  more  cunning 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָרוּם  
Sense: subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly, sensible.
מִכֹּל֙  than  any 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חַיַּ֣ת  beast 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה  of  the  field 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
עָשָׂ֖ה  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהִ֑ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אַ֚ף  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אַף  
Sense: also, yea, though, so much the more adv.
כִּֽי־  indeed 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אָמַ֣ר  Has  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱלֹהִ֔ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
תֹֽאכְל֔וּ  you  shall  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
מִכֹּ֖ל  of  every 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֵ֥ץ  tree 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
؟ הַגָּֽן  of  the  garden 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: גַּן 
Sense: garden, enclosure.