Genesis 3:2

2 En de vrouw zeide tot de slang: Van de vrucht der bomen dezes hofs zullen wij eten;

Genesis 3:2 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 3:2

And the woman said unto the serpent
Or to him that spoke in the serpent, which she might take to be a messenger from heaven, a holy angel: had she known who it was, she might be chargeable with imprudence in giving an answer, and carrying on a conversation with him; and yet even supposing this, she might have a good design in her answer; partly to set the matter in a true light, and assert what was truth; and partly to set forth the goodness and liberality of God, in the large provision he had made, and the generous grant he had given them: from this discourse of Eve and the serpent, no doubt Plato F7 had his notion of the first men discoursing with beasts: we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
of all and every one of them, which is to be understood, excepting the one after mentioned; so far are we from being debarred from eating of any, which the speech of the Serpent might imply, that they were allowed to eat of what they pleased, but one.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 In Politico, ut supra, (apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 12.) c. 14.

Genesis 3:2 In-Context

1 De slang nu was listiger dan al het gedierte des velds, hetwelk de HEERE God gemaakt had; en zij zeide tot de vrouw: Is het ook, dat God gezegd heeft: Gijlieden zult niet eten van allen boom dezes hofs?
2 En de vrouw zeide tot de slang: Van de vrucht der bomen dezes hofs zullen wij eten;
3 Maar van de vrucht des booms, die in het midden des hofs is, heeft God gezegd: Gij zult van die niet eten, noch die aanroeren, opdat gij niet sterft.
4 Toen zeide de slang tot de vrouw: Gijlieden zult den dood niet sterven;
5 Maar God weet, dat, ten dage als gij daarvan eet, zo zullen uw ogen geopend worden, en gij zult als God wezen, kennende het goed en het kwaad.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.