This story has seven scenes that a change in actors, situations or activities identifies. Moses constructed this section of Genesis in a chiastic (palistrophic, crossing) structure to focus attention on the central scene, the Fall. The preceding scenes lead up to the Fall, and the following scenes describe its consequences.126
AScene 1 (narrative): God is the sole actor, and man is passive (2:4-17).
BScene 2 (narrative): God is the main actor, man plays a minor role, the woman and animals are passive (2:18-25).
CScene 3 (dialogue): The snake and the woman converse (3:1-5).
DScene 4 (narrative): The man and the woman are primary (3:6-8).
C'Scene 5 (dialogue): God converses with the man and the woman (3:9-13).
B'Scene 6 (narrative): God is the main actor, man plays a minor role, the woman and the serpent are passive (3:14-21).
A'Scene 7 (narrative): God is the sole actor, and man is passive (3:22-24).
The story of the garden of Eden begins with a second, more detailed account of the creation of humankind that Moses gave as an introduction to the Fall and its consequences.
"More light is shed on the relationship between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 by a consideration of a literary structure that occurs throughout the entire book of Genesis: First, less important things are dealt with rapidly, and then the things more important to the central theme of the Bible are returned to and developed more fully."127
Note the following contrasts between the accounts of man's creation.
Moses identified Yahweh, the God who called Abraham (12:1) and the God who delivered Israel from Egypt (Exod. 3:15), with Elohim, the God who created the cosmos.128
2:4 Having related the creation of the universe as we know it, God next inspired Moses to explain for his readers what became of it.129Sin entered it and devastated it.
"The destiny of the human creation is to live in God's world, with God's other creatures, on God's terms."130
The Hebrew word toledotoccurs first in 2:4 where it introduces the next section of the book. This Hebrew word often reads "generations,""histories,""descendants,"or, as here (in the NASB and NIV), "account."The word summarizes what follows in the section and introduces what became of something, in this case the universe, or, more often, someone. The person mentioned after toledotis not usually the central figure in the section but the person who originated what follows. The toledotstatements contribute the major structural and conceptual framework for the whole Book of Genesis.131
". . . the material within each tol'dotis a microcosm of the development of the Book of Genesis itself, with the motifs of blessing and cursing playing a dominant role. Within each of the first several tol'dotis a deterioration to cursing until 12:1-12, where the message moves to the promise of blessing. From this point on there is a constant striving for the place of blessing, but still with each successive narrative there is deterioration, for Isaac and Jacob did not measure up to Abraham. Consequently at the end of Genesis the family is not in the land of blessing but in Egypt."132
2:5-6 These verses describe global conditions before man's creation in terms that stress God's gracious preparation of the world for him. They are a flashback to conditions before 1:26. Moses chose terms that contrast with conditions that existed after the Fall.133"Shrubs"were evidently not edible whereas "plants"were. Thus Moses distinguished two types of land: arable and non-arable.134
The absence of "rain"and the presence of the "mist"have led some writers to postulate a "canopy theory."135According to this theory, a canopy of water vapor that watered the earth covered the earth initially. It reduced the destructive rays of the sun so that antediluvian man lived much longer, and it distributed heat more evenly over the surface of this planet. Such a water canopy covers Venus. This canopy supposedly broke up when God sent the Flood (7:11).136
2:7 "Formed"(Heb. yasar) means to shape or mold and implies that God did this with tender loving care. It describes the work of an artist.
"Dust"(Heb. haadama) reflects man's lowly origin. Even though he was in God's image, man was a creature like other creatures God had made. This rules out the view that man descended from the gods, which was popular in the ancient Near East and was foundational in Egyptian cosmology.137In Creation God raised man out of the dust to reign.138However in the Fall man returned to the dust by his own work (3:19).139
The "breath of life"(Heb. nesama) was God's breath that gave Adam life, spiritual understanding (Job 32:8), and a functioning conscience (Prov. 20:27). Adam's life came from God's breath.140His uniqueness consisted in his having been made in God's image. God's breath may be a synonym for His word (cf. Ps. 33:6).141Man, therefore, is a combination of dust and divinity.
2:8-15 The modern equivalent of the Pishon River is unknown for certain. Commentators have suggested that it was the Indus, the Ganges, a river of Arabia, or a river of Mesopotamia. The land of Havilah seems to have been in southwestern Arabia (cf. 25:18). The Gihon may be the preflood Nile since Cush in the Old Testament usually describes modern Ethiopia (cf. 10:6-8; Num. 12:1; 2 Sam. 18:19-33; 2 Kings 19:9; 2 Chron. 14:9-15; Isa. 37:9; Jer. 13:23; 38-39).142The Tigris and Euphrates are now in Babylonia. Eden (meaning delight, pleasure, or perhaps place of abundant waters) therefore appears to have lain in the general area of the Promised Land (vv. 11-14; cf. Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35; Joel 2:3; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 22:1-2). The garden of (sometimes "in") Eden seems to have been in the eastern part of Eden. This rather extensive description sets the stage for Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden in 3:24. It probably also encouraged the Israelites to anticipate the Promised Land.
"It can hardly be a coincidence that these rivers, along with the River of Egypt,' again play a role in marking boundaries of the land promised to Abraham (Ge 15:18)."143
The trees in the garden were beautiful and edible, an orchard for man to enjoy (v. 9). The tree of life appears to have been a means whereby God sustained Adam and Eve's lives. Again God's desire to bless man comes through. The knowledge of good and evil (vv. 9, 17) probably refers to man's ability to decide for himself what is best for him and what is not (i.e., wisdom).144"Good"and "evil"may be a merism for the things that protect and destroy life.
Similarities between the descriptions of the garden and the tabernacle are also interesting (cf. Exod. 25-27). Both places reflected the glory of God's presence in their beautiful surroundings (cf. Hag. 2:7-8; Rev. 21:18).145
The Hebrew word translated "put"in verse 15 (wayyannihehu) is not the same one rendered "put"in verse 8 (wayyasem). The latter term is the normal one for putting something somewhere. However the former one connotes rest and safety (cf. 19:16; Deut. 3:20; 12:10; 25:19) as well as dedication in God's presence (cf. Exod. 16:33-34; Lev. 16:23; Num. 17:4; Deut. 26:4, 10). God put man in the garden where he could be safe and rest and where he could have fellowship with God (cf. 3:8). His primary responsibility there was to worship and obey God rather than to cultivate and keep the garden, as many English versions state.146Adam served and thereby worshipped God by tending the garden.
2:16-17 God gave Adam great freedom of choice. He only forbade one of all the trees. God's command also implies that He alone knows what is good and not good for man.147Adam would die because of disobedience, not because of the fruit of the tree.148
"On the whole it seems probable that we should understand death' to mean a spiritual state, but a state aptly symbolized by physical death. When man sinned he passed into a new state, one dominated by, and at the same time symbolized by death. It is likely that spiritual death and physical death are not being thought of as separate, so that the one involves the other."149
Why did Adam and Eve not die immediately? The phrase "in the day"in Hebrew is an idiom meaning "for certain"(cf. Exod. 10:28; 1 Kings 2:37, 42).
"Before Adam and Eve fell into sin, God made a proposition to them that some have regarded as a covenant, as stated in Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:16-17. God gave Adam authority over the creatures of the world, commanded him to be fruitful, and gave him permission to eat from every green plant. The only restriction was that Adam and Eve not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if they did so they would surely die (2:16-17). Basically, the covenant was conditional, requiring obedience; but it also declared God's purpose to elevate humanity to a place of authority and prominence, ultimately fulfilled by Christ."150
2:18 Adam's creation was not complete because he lacked a "helper"who corresponded to him. This deficiency led God to pronounce Adam's condition "not good."151God not only evaluated Adam's condition, He also rectified it.152
"In Judaism, from the very moment of origins of the Jewish people, marriage was considered to be the ideal state."153
God's provision of a wife for Adam is a concrete example of God's knowing what is good for man.154Companionship replaced isolation. For companionship to be satisfying, however, there must be oneness in the marriage (cf. 1:26-27). Self-centered living destroys oneness and companionship.
The term "helper"does not mean a servant. Jesus Christ used the same word (the Greek equivalent) to describe the Holy Spirit who would help believers following the Lord's ascension (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). It means one who supports us in our task of doing the will of God (cf. Deut. 33:7; Ps. 33:20; 115:9-11; 146:5; Hos. 13:9). It is not a demeaning term since Scripture often uses it to describe God Himself (e.g., Ps. 33:20; 70:5; 115:9). "Suitable to him"or "corresponding to him"means that what was true of Adam (cf. v. 7) was also true of Eve. They both had the same nature.
"Since Adam and Eve were a spiritual unity, living in integrity without sin, there was no need for instruction here on headship."155
2:19-20 The text does not mean that Adam named every individual animal. He apparently gave names to the different kinds God brought before him. This exercise demonstrated Adam's authority over the animals and the dissimilarity between humans and animals. He became aware of his own need for a companion as he named the animals.
"Adam"comes from the Hebrew word for "earth"(adamah). "Adam"means "one that is red"like the earth.156Likewise the names of the animals probably expressed the nature of each animal. Names of humans in Old Testament times usually reflected the nature of the persons who bore them. This indicates that Adam must have had great intelligence and wisdom to be able to identify and label the various types of animals according to their natures.
Man is not like the other animals. Adam could find no suitable partner among them. God graciously provided for his need by creating Eve.
2:21-22 More than once when God initiated a new relationship for someone He first put that person to sleep (cf. 15:12; 28:11). He evidently did so to assure the recipient that his own works had no part in his receiving it.157It was totally a gift of God's grace.
God took Eve from Adam's side (Heb. sela') to be his companion, not from his head so she would dominate him or from his foot so Adam could tread on her. He fashioned her to be a suitable companion for Adam. Then He presented her to him as a gift.
"That woman was taken from man no more implies the inferiority of woman to man than the taking of man from the ground (adamfrom adamah) implies the inferiority of man to the ground."158
". . . the whole account of woman's creation has a poetic flavor: it is certainly mistaken to read it as an account of a clinical operation or as an attempt to explain some feature of man's anatomy . . . Rather, it brilliantly depicts the relation of man and wife. . . . Here the ideal of marriage as it was understood in ancient Israel is being portrayed, a relationship characterized by harmony and intimacy between the partners."159
2:23 The word "woman"(Heb. ishah) sounds similar to the Hebrew word translated "man"(ish). This similarity reflects the close union between the two.160
"Gen. 2 is unique among the creation myths of the whole of the Ancient Near East in its appreciation of the meaning of woman, i.e., that human existence is a partnership of man and woman."161
"Though they are equal in nature, that man names woman (cf. 3:20) indicates that she is expected to be subordinate to him, an important presupposition of the ensuing narrative (3:17)."162
When Adam discovered that God had provided him with a partner like himself, not like one of the other animals, he rejoiced greatly. He received his mate as God's good gift to him because he trusted in God's wisdom, goodness, and integrity. Likewise it is essential for every husband and wife to thankfully receive the mate God has given us as His best provision for us. To do so we must know and trust God's goodness. Our mate's differences are good things God brings to us that He will use as tools to shape us into the people He wants us to be. Failure to accept one's mate as a good gift from a loving God leads to many problems in marriage and frustrates God's purpose and plan for marriage. It expresses rejection of God and His provision for one's life. It also demonstrates unbelief, disobedience, and displeasure with God's character. Your mate needs your unconditional acceptance. Adam was now beside himself! (Pardon the pun.)
2:24 This verse clarifies God's purpose in marriage. It involves leaving parents and cleaving to one's spouse.163
". . . Israelite marriage was usually patrilocal, that is, the man continued to live in or near his parents' home. It was the wife who left home to join her husband."164
This probably means both psychological and physical separation and union under normal conditions. A newly married couple is wise to establish relative independence from both sets of parents emotionally, physically, financially, and in other ways. The couple also needs to establish commitment to one another. Cleaving resembles weaving two threads into one new piece of cloth. The word suggests the ideas of passion and permanence. In marriage a man's priorities change. Before they were primarily to his parents, but now they are primarily to his wife. Marriage also involves physical consummation that unites two individuals as "one flesh.""One flesh"is not the same as marriage (1 Cor. 6:16). For there to be a marriage there must also be a commitment to "leave"parents and "cleave"to one's spouse from then on (cf. Matt. 19:5; et al.).
2:25 The naked condition of Adam and Eve does not just describe their unclothed physical appearance. It also refers to the physical and psychological oneness and transparency that existed in their relationship. Physically they were naked; they shared their bodies with each other openly. Psychologically they were not ashamed; they hid nothing from each other. They were at ease with one another without any fear of exploitation for evil. Transparency should increase with trust, commitment, and friendship. It involves communicating what we know, think, feel, and are with the person or persons we choose. We should not be transparent with everyone, however, only with people who commit themselves to us. A transparent person is an open and vulnerable person.
This is a hinge verse. It looks backward into chapter 2 and forward into chapter 3. The similarity of the Hebrew words for naked (arom) and "crafty"(3:1, arum) points to a word play. This word for nakedness means unclothed whereas the one in 3:7 (erom) and elsewhere describes those under God's judgment (cf. Deut. 28:48; Ezek. 16:39; 23:29).165
Verses 18-25 teach us much about marriage.
1. God instituted it.
2. God intended it to be monogamous (not monotonous). One woman completed Adam (cf. Matt. 19:8).
3. God intended it to be heterosexual.
4. It involves both a physical and a spiritual union (2:24; cf. Matt. 9:4-5).
5. The husband was to be the head of the wife. God created Adam before Eve, and He created Eve for Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 11:8-9; 1 Tim. 2:13).
6. A woman can be a complete person without bearing children. Her basic function in marriage is to complement her husband, not to bear children.
7. Normally, a couple, following the lead of their representatives, Adam and Eve, should "be fruitful and multiply"(1:28). God did not specify how early in the marriage and to what extent. He left this up to the couple. Couples may choose when and how many children they plan to have, though God may sovereignly overrule their plans.
The Family Ministry organization has summarized these purposes as five. Marriage should mirror God's image, multiply a godly heritage, manage God's realm, mutually complete one another, and model Christ's relationship to the church.166
The Bible writers made use of the creation account in many different ways, and we too can use it in these ways for our own personal profit. These purposes include glorifying the God of creation, stimulating praise and worship, and fortifying faith in God's promises. They also include learning about God's attributes, expressing wonder at man's position in God's universe, dispelling fear, and exalting the Lord Jesus.167
However a main point of this unit (2:4-25) seems clearly to be that God made human beings male and female with a spiritual capacity and mutually dependent. He did so that they might serve and obey Him and so enjoy His creation. As Adam and Eve, God later placed Israel in a place of blessing. The nation could enjoy His blessing by being obedient and trusting with the assistance He had provided for them in marriage. Even today serving and obeying God is man's greatest privilege, and we find help to do this in the marriage relationship.
"Two primary themes dominate the Creation account [1:1-2:25]: the land and the blessing."168
The theme of descendants (seed) is also present, though perhaps not as prominent (1:28).
As in chapters 1 and 2, the word of the Lord is very important in chapter 3. Here Adam and Eve doubted God's integrity. This pericope also has something to teach about the acquisition of wisdom. Chapter 2 anticipated God's gift of the Promised Land to the original readers, and chapter 3 anticipates their exile from it.169
3:1 Who was the tempter? Among evangelicals there are two major views regarding the identity of the serpent.
1. It was a literal snake.
a. Moses called it a beast of the field (v. 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.
c. God judged a snake in this case (v. 14).170
2. It was Satan himself described here as a snake.
a. God called Satan a serpent elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Rev. 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 (vv. 1-3). The key phrase is "from any"(v. 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 often tempts women in particular to believe that God's role for them is primarily for His benefit rather than for their welfare.171
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.172She wanted to glorify self, not God.
3:2-3 Eve was vulnerable to this suggestion because she distorted the word of God. She added to it "or touch it"(v. 3).
"In her reply to [Satan's] question, she perverted and misquoted three timesthe divine law to which she and Adam were subject: (1) She disparaged her privileges by misquoting the terms of the Divine permissionas to the other trees. (2) She overstated the restrictions by misquoting the Divine prohibition. (3) She underrated her obligations by misquoting the Divine penalty."173
God reveals His character through His word. When we do not retain His word precisely, a distorted concept of God is the result. This led Eve to doubtGod's goodness.
Satan's claim directly contradicted the main point of chapters 1 and 2, namely, that God would provide what is good for man.174
"It is because Yahweh Elohim' expresses so strongly the basic OT convictions about God's being both creator and Israel's covenant partner that the serpent and the woman avoid the term in their discussion. The god they are talking about is malevolent, secretive, and concerned to restrict man: his character is so different from that of Yahweh Elohim that the narrative pointedly avoids the name in the dialogue of 3:1-5."175
One natural tendency that we have when we do not understand or recall God's word precisely is to make it more restrictive than He does. This is what Eve did. This is a form of legalism.
3:4-5 The second step in Satan's temptation was to denyGod's word. In denying it he imputed motives to God that were not consistent with God's character. God's true motive was the welfare of man, but Satan implied it was God's welfare at man's expense.
This added suggestion seemed consistent with what Satan had already implied about God's motives in verse 1. Having entertained a doubt concerning God's word, Eve was ready to accept a denial of His word.
What Satan said about Eve's being as God was a half-truth. Ironically she was already as God having been made in His image (1:26). She did become like God in that she obtained a greater knowledge of good and evil by eating of the tree. However, she became less like God because she was no longer innocent of sin. Her relationship with God suffered. Though she remained like God she could no longer be with Him. The consequent separation from God is the essence of death (2:17).
The first doctrine Satan denied in Scripture was that sin results in death (separation from God), or we could say the doctrine that God will not punish sin. This is still the truth he tries hardest to get people to disbelieve.
In this section the relationship that God had established with man, which is the focus of the creation story, is broken. We can gain a great insight into human nature from this story. Adam and Eve's behavior as recorded here has been repeated by every one of their descendants.
"It is hardly too much to say that this chapter is the pivot of the Bible . . . . With the exception of the fact of Creation, we have here the record of the most important and far-reaching event in the world's history--the entrance of sin."176
". . . Genesis does not explain the origins of evil; rather, the biblical account, if anything, says where evil does nothave its source. Evil was not inherent in man nor can it be said that sin was the consequence of divine entrapment. The tempter stands outside the human pair and stands opposed to God's word."177
3:6 Having succumbed to temptation Eve disobeyedGod's will. Whereas Satan initiated the first two steps, he let Eve's natural desires (her flesh) carry her into his trap.
All three avenues of fleshly temptation are present in verse 6.
1. She saw that the tree was "good for food"(the lust of the flesh: the desire to dosomething contrary to God's will, i.e., eat the tasty fruit).
2. It was a "delight to the eyes"(the lust of the eyes: the desire to havesomething apart from God's will, i.e., possess the beautiful fruit).
3. It was "desirable to make one wise"(the pride of life: the desire to besomething apart from God's will, i.e., as wise as God). It was the quest for wisdom that led Eve to disobey God.178
Eve saw, coveted, and took the fruit (cf. Josh. 7:21; 2 Sam. 11:2-4). We think, then lust, then act.
"We have already noted . . . how the scenes themselves are arranged in a concentric palistrophic pattern (ABCDCBA). Within this central scene, the same device is used; the midpoint and he ate' employs the key verb of this tale--'eat.' On either side we have the woman's hopes of eating, good to eat,' delight to the eyes,' giving insight,' balanced by its effects, eyes opened,' knowing they were nude,' hiding in the trees.' These contrasts are deliberately drawn."179
"The proposition that an adult can gaze at anything is ludicrous and naive, for gazing is too often followed by desiring and sinning."180
In view of Jesus' statement that a lustful look is as sinful as an overt act of sin (Matt. 5:27-28), did Eve commit the first sin when she desired the forbidden fruit? Sinful desires are sinful, but temptations are not sins until we respond by giving in to them. Eve did this when she ate the fruit. Until she did that, she was only experiencing temptation.
Dr. Harry Ironside used to quote a man from Wales. He answered in response to a question about how to avoid temptation, "I can't keep the birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from nesting in my hair."
"Here is the essence of covetousness. It is the attitude that says I need something I do not now have in order to be happy."181
Ignorance or disregard of God's word makes one very vulnerable to temptation (Ps. 119:11). These conditions produce distrust, dissatisfaction, and finally disobedience. Failure to appreciate God's goodness leads to distrust of His goodness. God's prohibitions as well as His provisions are for our good.
"The root of sin should be understood. The foundation of all sin lies in man's desire of self-assertion and his determination to be independent of God. Adam and Eve chafed under the restriction laid upon them by the command of God, and it was in opposition to this that they asserted themselves, and thereby fell. Man does not like to be dependent upon another, and subject to commands upon another, and subject to commands from without. He desires to go his own way, to be his own master; and as a consequence he sins, and becomes lord of himself, that heritage of woe.'"182
God has always asked people to believe and trust His word that His will for us will result in our blessing. However, Satan has always urged us to have experiences that will convince us that we can obtain even greater blessings. He says, "Try it; you'll like it!"But God says, "Trust me, and you'll live."Satan's appeal to get us to experience something to assure ourselves of its goodness directly contradicts God's will for us. It is the way of sight rather than the way of faith.
3:7-8 The separation that sin produces in man's relationship with God stands out clearly in these verses. Their new knowledge that the serpent promised would make them as God actually taught them that they were no longer even like each other. They were ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together to hide their differences from each other (v. 7).183Perhaps they chose fig leaves because fig leaves are large.
The "cool"of the day is literally the "wind"of the day. God came to Adam and Eve in this wind. He came in a wind earlier in Creation (1:2) and later to Job (Job 38:1), Israel (Exod. 20:18-21; cf. Deut. 5:25), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:11).184
"A more complete transformation could not be imagined. The trust of innocence is replaced by the fear of guilt. The trees that God created for man to look at (2:9) are now his hiding place to prevent God seeing him."185
Eve did not die at once physically, but she did die at once spiritually. She experienced alienation in her relationship with God. Death means separation in the Bible, never annihilation. Sin always results in alienation: theologically (between God and man), sociologically (between man and man), psychologically (between man and himself), and ecologically (between man and nature).186
Three kinds of death appear in Scripture: physical--separation of the body and soul (material and immaterial parts of the person), spiritual--separation of the person and God, and eternal--permanent separation of the person and God.
The Apostle Paul wrote that Eve was deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). This does not indicate that women are by nature more easily subject to deception than men.
"There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that the woman was inferior to the man in any way or more susceptible to temptation than he was."187
"The tempter addresses himself to the woman, probably not because she is more open to temptation and prone to sin, for that is hardly the conception of the Old Testament elsewhere. The reason may have lain in this, that the woman had not personally received the prohibition from God, as Adam had."188
Eve may have been deceived because God had given the prohibition to Adam (2:16); she may have received God's word through Adam. Perhaps Satan appealed to Eve because she was not only under God's authority but also under her husband's authority and, therefore, more inclined to think God was withholding something from her.
"It is interesting to observe that when this sin is referred to throughout Scripture, it is not referred to as the sin of Eve--but rather as the sin of Adam! The phrase in verse 6, with her,' seems to suggest that Adam was at Eve's side when she was tempted by Satan. As God's theocratic administrator, and as the appointed head of the family, it was Adam's responsibility to safeguard Eve and to assure that she remained in submission to the command of God. But Adam failed in his God-given responsibility and permitted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit."189
Adam, however, was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). He sinned with his eyes wide open (v. 6b). Eve's was a sin of initiative whereas Adam's was one of acquiescence.190Too much aggressiveness by a woman and too much passivity by a man still are sinful tendencies of the respective sexes. Death "passed unto all men"(Rom. 2:14) when Adam sinned because Adam, not Eve, was the head of the human race under God's administration.191
Some commentators have interpreted eating the forbidden fruit as a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.192They say that the original sin was a sexual sin. However the text makes such an interpretation impossible.
1. Eve sinned first (v. 6).
2. Eve sinned alone (v. 6).
3. God had previously approved sex (1:28).
The timeless lesson of these verses is that victory over temptation to violate God's good will depends on a thorough knowledge of God's word and unwavering confidence in God's goodness. As Israel faced temptations to depart from God's revealed will from the pagans she encountered, this record would have provided a resource for remaining faithful, as it does for us today. Often these temptations attract because they promise superior knowledge, even divinity. Knowing God's word is extremely important (cf. Deut. 6:5-9, 13-25; Ps. 119:9-16). Satan tempted Jesus similarly to the way he tempted Eve. However, Jesus overcame victoriously by accurately using the word of God to remain faithful to the will of God. True wisdom comes by obeying, not disobeying, God's word.
This section begins to relate the effects of the Fall. We now see the God who was creator and benefactor in chapters 1 and 2 as judge (cf. 1:3-4). He first interrogated the offenders to obtain a confession, then announced new conditions for life, and finally provided for the sinners graciously. The sinners' responsibility was to confess their sins and to accept and trust in God's provision for them (cf. 1 John 1:9).
Note that God took the initiative in seeking out the sinners to re-establish a relationship with them. His approach was tender as well as gracious (vv. 9, 11, 13).
"In . . . spite of the apparent similarity in expression to pagan religions the anthropomorphisms of the Old Testament reveal all the more remarkably a sharply contrasting concept of deity."193
The text records several effects of the Fall on Adam and Eve.
1. They felt guilt and shame (v. 7)
2. They tried to change these conditions by their own efforts (v. 7).
3. They fled from God's presence out of fear of Him (vv. 8, 10).
4. They tried to blame their sin on another rather than confessing personal responsibility (vv. 12, 13).
The fact that Adam viewed God's good gift to him, Eve, as the source of his trouble shows how far he fell (v. 12).194He virtually accused God of causing him to fall by giving him what he now regarded as a bad gift.
As the result of man's disobedience to God, the creation suffered a curse and began to deteriorate.195Having been thrice blessed by God (1:22, 28; 2:3) the creation now experienced a triple curse (3:14, 17; 4:11).
"In the Bible, to curse means to invoke God's judgment on someone, usually for some particular offense."196
Nevertheless God also began recreation with the promise of the seed, the land, the dominion, and the rest for trust in His powerful word.
Verse 22 shows that man's happiness (good) does not consist in his being likeGod as much as it depends on his being withGod (cf. Ps. 16:11).221"Like one of us"may mean like heavenly beings (God and the angels; cf. 1:26).222
Cherubim in the Old Testament symbolize God's presence. They are similar to God's bodyguards. Ancient oriental iconography pictured them as human-headed winged lions guarding holy places. Moses pictured them here defending the tree of life with a flaming sword. They guarded the ark of the covenant later as they earlier guarded the tree of life in the garden (v. 24). The laws contained in the ark were a source of life for the Israelites. The golden lampstand in the tabernacle represented a tree of life and the presence of God.223
As people moved east from the garden they settled in Shinar and built Babel (Babylon, 11:2). When Lot departed from Abraham he moved east to Sodom (13:11). When Abraham came back from the East he returned to the Promised Land and the city of Salem (peace, 14:17-20).224Thus God's presence continued to reside in the garden (Promised Land?) in a localized sense and movement to the east from there typically involved departing from Him.
"No matter how hard people try to do away with male dominion, agonizing labor, painful childbearing, and death, these evils will continue because sin is present. They are the fruits of sin."225
Rebellion against God results in suffering and death, but confession secures His gracious provisions. This section explains why human beings toil and agonize all their lives and finally die. Sin is responsible, and only the removal of sin will end this condition. God is a savior as well as a judge in this pericope. Moses introduced the way of covering sin, namely, through the death of an innocent substitute. Consequently there is hope in the midst of tragedy.226
"The chapter simply does not support the concept that one finds fulfillment and bliss in liberating oneself from subordination to God's word, his permissions and his denials. Man is not suddenly metamorphosed from a puppet to a free and independent thinker. In fact, he never was an automaton. If man had lacked the ability to choose, the prohibition from God not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would have been superfluous. One is not told to abstain from something unless he has the capacity not to abstain."227
Thus Genesis 3 introduces us to the fact of human freedom as well as reminding us of divine sovereignty.
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