Genesis Chapter Three Verses 4-7

Genesis 3 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Without it, we can’t even begin to understand the darkness that blankets the earth. With it, we can catch a glimpse of the light, which shines in the darkness. Have you seen the light?

The serpent’s response was to flatly deny God’s Word, quoting God’s statement verbatim (in the Hebrew text) and then negating it—which exposes the intent of the serpent’s initial question. His question was a ploy rather than mere curiosity. 

Then the serpent offered an alternative interpretation of God’s motives. If they would partake, he claimed, then they would possess God-like ethical awareness. The serpent implied first that God is less than He is and that man is more than he is. (In other words, he implied that God felt threatened by the wonderful beings that they would become, so He restricted their full humanity.) The serpent was calling into question God’s character and trustworthiness.

Although Adam and Eve had depended on God to explain reality for them, the serpent suggested that they could now become autonomous and decide what is true for themselves. In other words, the serpent reduced God’s Word to the level of a mere viewpoint, while man became the measure of what is “true for me.”

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