Genesis 3:8-18

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because 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.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 3

In this chapter an account is given of the temptation of our first parents, of the instrument of it, and of their fall into it, and of the effect of it, Ge 3:1-7 their summons upon it to appear before God, against whom they had sinned, Ge 3:8-10 their examination by him, and the excuses they made, Ge 3:11-13 the various sentences passed of the serpent, the woman, and the man, Ge 3:14-19 some incidental things recorded, expressive of faith and hope in man, and of favour to him, Ge 3:20,21 and his expulsion from the garden of Eden, Ge 3:22-24.

Cross References 23

  • 1. Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 23:14
  • 2. Job 13:16; Job 23:7; Job 31:33; Job 34:22,23; Psalms 5:5; Psalms 139:7-12; Isaiah 29:15; Jeremiah 16:17; Jeremiah 23:24; Jeremiah 49:10; Revelation 6:15-16
  • 3. Genesis 4:9; Genesis 16:8; Genesis 18:9; 1 Kings 19:9,13
  • 4. Exodus 19:16; Exodus 20:18; Deuteronomy 5:5; 1 Samuel 12:18
  • 5. Genesis 2:25
  • 6. Genesis 2:25
  • 7. S Genesis 2:17
  • 8. Genesis 2:22
  • 9. Romans 7:11; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14
  • 10. Deuteronomy 28:15-20
  • 11. Psalms 72:9; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 65:25; Micah 7:17
  • 12. John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8
  • 13. Genesis 16:11; Judges 13:5; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 8:3; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31; Galatians 4:4; Revelation 12:17
  • 14. Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14
  • 15. Psalms 48:5-6; Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3; Isaiah 26:17; Jeremiah 4:31; Jeremiah 6:24; Micah 4:9; 1 Timothy 2:15
  • 16. 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22
  • 17. S Genesis 2:17
  • 18. Genesis 5:29; Numbers 35:33; Psalms 106:39; Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 3:1; Romans 8:20-22
  • 19. Genesis 6:13; Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 54:9
  • 20. Genesis 29:32; Genesis 31:42; Exodus 3:7; Psalms 66:11; Psalms 127:2; Ecclesiastes 1:13
  • 21. Genesis 47:9; Job 5:7; Job 7:1; Job 14:1; Ecclesiastes 2:23; Jeremiah 20:18
  • 22. Job 31:40; Isaiah 5:6; Hebrews 6:8
  • 23. Psalms 104:14

Footnotes 2

Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.