Genesis 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 3
Expulsion from Eden. 1 Now the snake was the most cunning[a] of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 (A)it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” 4 But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die!(B) 5 God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know[b] good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.(C) 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
8 When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day,[c] the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.(D) 9 The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” 13 The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”(E)
14 Then the Lord God said to the snake:
Because you have done this,
cursed are you
among all the animals, tame or wild;
On your belly you shall crawl,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.[d](F)
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
They will strike at your head,
while you strike at their heel.[e](G)
16 To the woman he said:
I will intensify your toil in childbearing;
in pain[f] you shall bring forth children.
Yet your urge shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.
17 To the man he said: Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You shall not eat from it,
Cursed is the ground[g] because of you!
In toil you shall eat its yield
all the days of your life.(H)
18 Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you,
and you shall eat the grass of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you shall eat bread,
Until you return to the ground,
from which you were taken;
For you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.(I)
20 The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living.[h]
21 The Lord God made for the man and his wife garments of skin, with which he clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever?(J) 23 The Lord God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. 24 He expelled the man, stationing the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword east of the garden of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Footnotes
- 3:1 Cunning: there is a play on the words for “naked” (2:25) and “cunning/wise” (Heb. ‘arum). The couple seek to be “wise” but end up knowing that they are “naked.”
- 3:5 Like gods, who know: or “like God who knows.”
- 3:8 The breezy time of the day: lit., “the wind of the day.” Probably shortly before sunset.
- 3:14 Each of the three punishments (the snake, the woman, the man) has a double aspect, one affecting the individual and the other affecting a basic relationship. The snake previously stood upright, enjoyed a reputation for being shrewder than other creatures, and could converse with human beings as in vv. 1–5. It must now move on its belly, is more cursed than any creature, and inspires revulsion in human beings (v. 15).
- 3:15 They will strike…at their heel: the antecedent for “they” and “their” is the collective noun “offspring,” i.e., all the descendants of the woman. Christian tradition has seen in this passage, however, more than unending hostility between snakes and human beings. The snake was identified with the devil (Wis 2:24; Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9; 20:2), whose eventual defeat seemed implied in the verse. Because “the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8), the passage was understood as the first promise of a redeemer for fallen humankind, the protoevangelium. Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. A.D. 130–200), in his Against Heresies 5.21.1, followed by several other Fathers of the Church, interpreted the verse as referring to Christ, and cited Gal 3:19 and 4:4 to support the reference. Another interpretive translation is ipsa, “she,” and is reflected in Jerome’s Vulgate. “She” was thought to refer to Mary, the mother of the messiah. In Christian art Mary is sometimes depicted with her foot on the head of the serpent.
- 3:16 Toil…pain: the punishment affects the woman directly by increasing the toil and pain of having children. He shall rule over you: the punishment also affects the woman’s relationship with her husband. A tension is set up in which her urge (either sexual urge or, more generally, dependence for sustenance) is for her husband but he rules over her. But see Sg 7:11.
- 3:17–19 Cursed is the ground: the punishment affects the man’s relationship to the ground (’adam and ’adamah). You are dust: the punishment also affects the man directly insofar as he is now mortal.
- 3:20 The man gives his wife a more specific name than “woman” (2:23). The Hebrew name hawwa (“Eve”) is related to the Hebrew word hay (“living”); “mother of all the living” points forward to the next episode involving her sons Cain and Abel.
1 Mose 3
Schlachter 1951
Versuchung und Sündenfall
3 Aber die Schlange war listiger als alle Tiere des Feldes, die Gott der Herr gemacht hatte; und sie sprach zu der Frau: Hat Gott wirklich gesagt, ihr dürft nicht essen von jedem Baum im Garten? 2 Da sprach die Frau zur Schlange: Wir essen von der Frucht der Bäume im Garten; 3 aber von der Frucht des Baumes mitten im Garten hat Gott gesagt: Esst nicht davon und rührt sie auch nicht an, damit ihr nicht sterbt! 4 Da sprach die Schlange zu der Frau: Ihr werdet sicherlich nicht sterben! 5 Sondern Gott weiß: welchen Tages ihr davon esst, werden eure Augen aufgetan und ihr werdet sein wie Gott und wissen, was gut und böse ist.
6 Als nun die Frau sah, daß von dem Baume gut zu essen wäre und daß er eine Lust für die Augen und ein wertvoller Baum wäre, weil er klug machte, da nahm sie von dessen Frucht und aß und gab zugleich auch ihrem Mann davon, und er aß.
7 Da wurden ihrer beider Augen aufgetan, und sie wurden gewahr, daß sie nackt waren; und sie banden Feigenblätter um und machten sich Schürzen. 8 Und sie hörten die Stimme Gottes, des Herrn, der im Garten wandelte beim Wehen des Abendwindes; und der Mensch und seine Frau versteckten sich vor dem Angesicht Gottes des Herrn hinter die Bäume des Gartens.
9 Da rief Gott der Herr dem Menschen und sprach: Wo bist du? 10 Er sprach: Ich hörte deine Stimme im Garten und fürchtete mich; denn ich bin nackt, darum verbarg ich mich! 11 Da sprach er: Wer hat dir gesagt, daß du nackt bist? Hast du etwa von dem Baum gegessen, davon ich dir gebot, du sollst nicht davon essen? 12 Da sprach der Mensch: Die Frau, die du mir zugesellt hast, die gab mir von dem Baum, und ich aß! 13 Da sprach Gott der Herr zu der Frau: Warum hast du das getan? Die Frau antwortete: Die Schlange verführte mich, daß ich aß!
14 Da sprach Gott der Herr zur Schlange: Weil du solches getan hast, so seist du verflucht vor allem Vieh und vor allen Tieren des Feldes! Auf deinem Bauch sollst du kriechen und Erde essen dein Leben lang! 15 Und ich will Feindschaft setzen zwischen dir und der Frau, zwischen deinem Samen und ihrem Samen; derselbe soll dir den Kopf zertreten, und du wirst ihn in die Ferse stechen. 16 Und zur Frau sprach er: Ich will dir viele Schmerzen durch häufige Empfängnis bereiten; mit Schmerzen sollst du Kinder gebären; und du sollst nach deinem Manne verlangen, er aber soll herrschen über dich! 17 Und zu Adam sprach er: Dieweil du gehorcht hast der Stimme deiner Frau und von dem Baum gegessen, davon ich dir gebot und sprach: “Du sollst nicht davon essen“, verflucht sei der Erdboden um deinetwillen, mit Mühe sollst du dich davon nähren dein Leben lang; 18 Dornen und Disteln soll er dir tragen, und du sollst das Gewächs des Feldes essen. 19 Im Schweiße deines Angesichtes sollst du dein Brot essen, bis daß du wieder zur Erde kehrst, von der du genommen bist; denn du bist Staub und kehrst wieder zum Staub zurück!
20 Und Adam nannte seine Frau Eva[a] denn sie wurde die Mutter aller Lebendigen. 21 Und Gott der Herr machte Adam und seiner Frau Pelzröcke und bekleidete sie. 22 Und Gott der Herr sprach: Siehe, der Mensch ist geworden wie unsereiner, insofern er weiß, was gut und böse ist; nun soll er nicht auch noch seine Hand ausstrecken und vom Baume des Lebens nehmen und essen und ewiglich leben! 23 Deswegen schickte ihn Gott der Herr aus dem Garten Eden, damit er den Erdboden bearbeite, von dem er genommen war. 24 Und er vertrieb den Menschen und ließ östlich vom Garten Eden die Cherubim lagern mit dem gezückten flammenden Schwert, zu bewahren den Weg zum Baume des Lebens.
Footnotes
- 1 Mose 3:20 Eva, w. Lebensspenderin
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright © 1951 by Geneva Bible Society