Genesis 3:14 and 15

Verses 14 and 15:

^.14And the Lord God said to the snake, “Because you did this: you (are) cursed-upon away-from all the animals and away-from all the wild-animals of the earth, on your breast and belly you will journey and you will eat earth all the days of your life.

^.15And I will put enmity up-among (the) midst of you and up-among (the) midst of the woman; and up-among (the) midst of your seed and up-among (the) midst of her seed; he will keep your head, and you will keep his heel.”

The snake animal and the devil who controlled it (also known as: the great dragon, the old snake, satan) were still in the paradise in the presence of the only true God while God was speaking to Adam and the woman. At that time animals and the devil had the right to be in God’s presence along with mankind.

A ‘curse’ refers to what is spoken against another that would be harmful to the recipient if/when it would come to pass. In this context it is a judgment pronounced by God down against a person, thing, or situation who/which violated what He said.

In verse 14 the Lord God said towards the snake, “Because you did this (performed such an action against mankind):

·         you are cursed-upon (you are caused to be cursed, in the state of being the one upon whom a curse rests, something is spoken against you which is harmful to/for you [the Hebrew text does not include the verb “are” but the word “cursed-upon” is in the verb form with a specific word for “you”])

o   away-from all the animals (as cattle) and away-from all the wild-animals (untamed beasts [the Hebrew text has the word “living-being” instead of “wild-animals”; plus the word “animals” is also in the singular form])

o   of the earth [in Hebrew the word “earth” is “field” as verse 1 above],

·         on your breast and belly (resting on the front of your chest and lower body area; figuratively referring to its personal appetites and desires [this Hebrew word for “belly” only occurs here and in Leviticus 11:42])

o   you will journey (make your journey, proceed, pass, move as walking)

·         and you will eat earth all the days of your life (for as long as you are alive, your lifetime before your death [in Hebrew the word “earth” is “dust” as Genesis 2:7 referring to the dug-out loose earth, soil, clay; also the word “life” is in the plural form agreeing with “days” – your living days).

And I will put enmity (place opposition, hostility)…

·         up-among the midst of you and up-among the midst of the woman (causing an interval or space consisting of enmity between the snake and the woman, at the middle of you and her);

·         and up-among the midst of your seed (the snake’s offspring, posterity) and up-among the midst of her seed (the woman’s offspring, posterity);

o   emphatically he will keep your head (the seed of the woman, he himself will keep an eye on your head, watch over it to limit the effect of your motives and actions),

o   and emphatically you will keep his heel (you will keep an eye on the heel of his foot, watch over it to limit the effect of his foot threading on you, the snake/devil).”

In Hebrew the verb translated from Greek as “keep” is only used in Genesis 3:15 (twice), Job 9:17, and Psalm 139:11. This verb could be translated as “cover” or “bruise” in the sense of being kept within the effects of something, receiving the effects from the subject of the phrase.

As soon as the woman told God that it was the snake that deceived her, God did not ask it any question – but He spoke to the snake pronouncing sentence.

The snake animal received physical consequences so that its movements and activities became limited resulting in its death.

The devil (who controlled the snake animal during this encounter against/with mankind) received consequences so that he would never be able to redeem himself so as to stand upright before God from that time forward resulting in his death.

The devil would be utterly humiliated and constantly disappointed and experience failure, always reminded of what he did against God and against mankind, and never being able to stand and rise above or away-from it (refer to this figure of speech in Psalm 44:25 and 72:9).

In Genesis 3:15, while God was still speaking to the devil, God made it known that He (God Himself) will put enmity (opposition, hostility)...

·         between the devil

o    and the woman;

·         and between the devil's seed

o    and the woman's seed;

·         and the seed of the woman (not the woman herself but the seed) will keep the devil's head (which consequently includes his seed also),

o    and the devil will keep the heel of the seed of the woman.

What or who is God referring to when He talked about "her seed" – the seed of the woman? Usually a woman does not have a seed as sperm, but she has eggs. Naturally it is when a sperm from a man impregnates an egg of a woman that a child, an offspring, is produced. God did not talk about the seed of the man but about the seed of the woman. God is referring to a woman who would bear a child, but a human man would not be this offspring's father.

God is speaking about the coming Christ, the Messiah, the savior, who was to be born of a woman (Mary) but Joseph was not his father. Mary conceived when the Holy Spirit (Who is God Himself) overshadowed her (refer to Luke 1:26-38), and about nine months afterwards she gave birth to Jesus, the son of God, and this Jesus is now both Lord and Christ (refer to Acts 2:36).

Genesis 3:15 is the first mention God made regarding the coming savior (the Christ) and that this seed of the woman (the son of God) would destroy the devil permanently and completely. Christ will put an end to the devil’s plans and his purposes of hindering the only true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God's children, and all the things of God.

God also foretold that the devil would hurt the promised seed, the Christ – not permanently but only temporarily. We know now that the devil had Jesus Christ crucified, but we also know that God raised him up from the dead giving him his new spiritual-body, never to die again. Now the devil is under his feet and at a future time Christ will bruise the devil’s head thereby destroying him and it will be permanent.

In the paradise, God made known His plan of redemption and salvation regarding mankind and overcoming the devil, in the presence of the man and the woman, while addressing the snake (devil, satan).

[Reference: John 3:16 and 17, 8:44, 10:10; II Corinthians 11:3 and 14; I John 3:8; Revelation 12:9; plus the articles Creation; Hope and Resurrection; Summary of Revelation (http://www.truebiblestudy.com/Creation.htm; http://www.truebiblestudy.com/Hope_Resurrection.htm; http://www.truebiblestudy.com/Summary_of_Revelation.htm).]