Genesis 3:11

11 To whom the Lord said, Who showed to thee that thou were naked, no but for thou hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded to thee that thou shouldest not eat? (To whom the Lord said, Who told thee that thou were naked? hast thou eaten of the tree which I commanded to thee that thou shouldest not eat?)

Genesis 3:11 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 3:11

And he said
The Lord God, or the Word of the Lord; who told thee that thou [wast] naked?
or showed it to thee; by what means hast thou got knowledge of it? what hast thou done that thou perceivest it, so as to cause shame and fear? man was made naked, and so he continued, and he must be sensible of it, but it gave him no uneasiness, because he was without shame on account of it; so that it was as if it was not, and he was regardless of it, as if he was not naked; but now, having sinned, he could not look upon his nakedness without blushing, and sin being what had produced this sensation, he was afraid to appear before God, against whom he had sinned; though he did not choose to acknowledge it, only alleges his outward nakedness, without confessing the inward nakedness of his soul, and being humbled for that as he ought to have been; and in order to bring him to this, is this question and the following put unto him; hast thou eaten of the tree, wherever I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?
The Lord knew he had; but he puts this question to bring him to a confession of it, as well as to aggravate his crime; that it was a violation of a precept of his, who had been so kind and bountiful to him, who had crowned him with glory and honour, and set him over the works of his hands, and had put all creatures under his feet, and had allowed him to eat of every tree in the garden but one; there was but one tree restrained from him, but one command he gave him, and this he broke; sin is a transgression of the law, ( 1 John 3:4 ) . And in this light it is here put to bring Adam under a conviction, and to a confession of it; though he made it in a very lame manner, having covered it as long as he could; being found he excuses it, as loath to bear the blame and scandal of it. See ( Job 31:33 ) .

Genesis 3:11 In-Context

9 And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him, Where art thou?
10 And Adam said, I heard thy voice in paradise, and I dreaded, for I was naked, and I hid me. (And the man said, I heard the sound of you walking in the garden, and I was afraid, for I was naked, and so I hid myself.)
11 To whom the Lord said, Who showed to thee that thou were naked, no but for thou hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded to thee that thou shouldest not eat? (To whom the Lord said, Who told thee that thou were naked? hast thou eaten of the tree which I commanded to thee that thou shouldest not eat?)
12 And Adam said, The woman which thou gavest (for) fellow(ship) to me, gave me of the tree, and I ate. (And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to me for fellowship, gave to me of the tree, and so I ate.)
13 And the Lord said to the woman, Why didest thou this thing? The which answered, The serpent deceived me, and (so) I ate.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.