Gen 3:1
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made: It's likely that all the animals talked, as Eve wasn't surprised and had a conversation with the serpent. It's interesting that Satan is called The Serpent, or The Dragon. In any case, this was likely a real serpent. There's no reason to think this is some type of ficticious story.
And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?": This is the first recorded rhetorical question. Satan knew the answer.
How long had Adam and Eve been in the garden at this point? Was this the first day? The millionth? We don't know. We do know that since the tree of life was in the garden, Man was supposed to live forever. We weren't stopped from eating it's fruit.
This is also the start of the war. Satan had already been at war with God, but here we see Satan dragging humanity in with him. I'm not sure what Satan's goal was here, but for some reason, he wanted to involve us in his evil plotting. And by Adam and Eve choosing to listen to Satan over God, this somehow involved us.
Gen 3:2
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden: When God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from all trees but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God meant that they could eat to their heart's content. They were meant to be enjoyed. When Eve answers Satan, she excludes the enjoyment part. Surely, this was Satan's tactic. I don't know how, but Satan knows our desires and uses them against us, just as he did here.
Gen 3:3
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.': Notice the way she describes this fruit, as if it's on the same level as the rest of the fruit. She also adds to the prohibition by saying that they can't touch it. God didn't say that Gen 2:16.
How much did Eve know about death? Did she fully understand it? They were made to be eternal beings, but they spoke about it. This is one of those things we'll never know.
What death was God talking about? Do we ever truly die? I know our bodies stop functioning, but is that really death? Our souls continue on in some fashion, and will continue through eternity. God must have been talking at least in part about the physical death, but there has to be more to it than that because God said that the day they ate, they'd die: Gen 2:17. I think it has something to do with our access to the dimension where the Garden of Eden exists. Yes, there is the death of our physical bodies which comes later, but the life of leasure died.
Gen 3:4
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die: Satan here just straight up lies. When you read this, put the emphasis on surely. You will not surely die. He's calling God a liar. But we all know that God was telling the truth, and death does enter the world through this sin of denying the truth of God and believing Satan instead. The penalty of sin is death.
Gen 3:5
For God knows that in the day you eat of it: Satan knew that the tree wasn't physically fatal. The tree wasn't poisonous. Satan is twisting the words of God, because he knows that God didn't mean the same day that the fruit was eaten they'd die. The day that they ate the fruit would start a death process because the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). And even worse, the death God was talking about was the separation of man from God. We are immortal beings, with our souls living forever, and our bodies dying. Yes, since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, mankind now suffers a physical death, but the physical death doesn't really mean anything. The death we should be concerned about is being tossed in the lake of fire, the second death (Rev 20:14).
your eyes will be opened: You will be smarter, be able to understand more, expand your knowledge. Satan paints this expansion of knowledge as being withheld by God from Adam and Eve.
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil: Satan twists this Godly instruction into something that God is withholding from them. The tree was named The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because the mere existence of the tree was meant to be instructive of good and evil. To go against God is evil. It's THE evil. Satan twists this self-instructive creation of the tree into something that isn't real. The fruit didn't contain hidden knowledge, but was meant for instruction of what good and evil are, simply by choosing to not eat the fruit. The tree was the instruction. It's very existence was meant to teach this knowledge. Unfortunately, Satan convinced Eve that the physical fruit contained the knowledge instead.
Gen 3:6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise: These things that Eve saw are all focused on the flesh. She succumbed to her nature, simply by Satan bringing doubt to her mind. Satan only had to tell her that the fruit will make her wise, and just as Eve did with God's command to not eat the fruit, Eve embelishes on Satan's statement and adds two more reasons why she would eat the fruit. It looked like it would taste good, and would satisfy her hunger, and it would make her wise. Three reasonings, while Satan only presented the one. We do the same thing today. Nothing has changed.
she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate: After pumping herself up, she eats the fruit. Notice that Adam didn't need any convincing. He willingly ate and defied God.
Gen 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked: It seems that our human nature is uncontrollable. Once the fruit was eaten, notice that only their eyes were opened. This likely means that the behaviors man was engaging in were suddenly known to them as either good or evil. Before the fruit, man just was, and did whatever they wanted without the weight of knowing they were doing was either good or evil. After, knowing what good and evil are, and being unable to control ourselves, guilt and shame were introduced. This is truly what it means that innocence was lost. This is THE example of acting in innocence, and there being no guilt associated. Add to the innocent act some knowledge that it's evil and you end up with guilt.
And think about this: Even though man's behavior didn't change, God still hung out with His creation. The only difference in the relationship was that man knew the things they were doing were evil. It really seems as though God was okay with us, and the thing that makes our behavior bad in the eyes of God is that we know what we're doing is wrong, and then still do it. I know there's more to it than this, because this opening of our eyes also lead to unnatural acts, but I'm not sure how this all fits together. More than likely it's because we rationalize behaviors.
and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings: The sewing of the fig leaves is still hard to understand. Why do we cover ourselves? What is nakedness? My guess is that it's to control lust of others.
Gen 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: This is a Christophany. This is Jesus walking around in the garden. Apparently, this is something He did a lot. God liked hanging out with His creation.
and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden: Have you ever seen videos of dogs that hide their face in a corner after they've torn up a couch? That's how I imagine this went down. I can't imagine why they suddenly knew they were naked, or how they knew they should cover themselves. Why would covering themselves help? And why do we cover ourselves today? Maybe with the opening of their eyes, the ways they were looking at each other changed, and the purity was lost. Maybe this is how selfishness reveals itself, and how lust became introduced into the marriage relationship. Maybe the clothes are meant to control lust, and there is now a give and take in the removal of them. We can't be sure of what exactly happened, or what the relationship between man and woman was like before the fall, but they were naked before and clothed after, meaning that the very nature of the relationship changed somehow.
Gen 3:9
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?": Why would God need to ask where Adam was? Well, God is omnipotent, so this had to be rhetorical. This is God seeking out the lost. This is how He deals with us. We go astray and God says, "Where are you?" The account here shows the grace of God. As John Wesley said, "If God had not called to him to reduce him, his condition had been as desperate as that of fallen angels."
Gen 3:10
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.": Adam heard God calling out to him. Just like a bad dog that hides their face in a wall, Adam tried to hide from God. Not going to work, buddy! The biggest question here is why was Adam afraid because he was naked? Where is the connection between eating the fruit and their nakedness? I've read many commentaries on this and they all say it's the result of shame. While this is true, it's a bit obvious. There has to be more of a connection here. There is something missing in that explanation. I continue to ask, "Why nakedness?" The best I can come up with is that with the knowledge of good and evil came the realization of their lust. I believe that it has to do with the different natures of a man and a woman. The man desires his woman, and the woman desires that the man desires her. Somehow, when the knowledge of good and evil entered the picture, this natural order was perverted. Perhaps there was some type of realization of this, and lust was understood. Think how clothes are used today. They are used by a person to present themselves how they want to be seen. Got a bit of a gut? Wear a girdle. The clothes are used as a tool, and this all has to do with their nakedness. With no clothes, we are who we are, and there's no covering it. When we want to attact a mate, we present ourselves in an attactive manner, exposing certain features we think people will like, and when we want to be left alone, we put on shapeless jogging pants. The knowledge of lust, coupled with our selfish natures produce this effect of covering ourselves, and it's used as a tool. This is my best guess because I can't see how else eating something results in us realizing we are naked.
Gen 3:11
And He said, "Who told you that you were naked?: In other words, "How did you come to know that being naked is shameful?" This first question doesn't get an answer from Adam right away.
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?": God's second question is pushing Adam for an answer. God already knows what Adam did, but He requires that we make an admission for our sins.
Gen 3:12
Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.": Of course. It's not Adam's fault. It's God's fault. You know, God gave Adam the woman, and the woman gave the fruit to Adam, so it's God's fault! This is the lame excuse that Adam answers with. I like how Chuck Smith says, "This is the beginning of buck passing." Also note that Adam was not deceived, and chose to go against God's command willingly. If we wonder how Satan could directly challenge God, we only need to look in a mirror. We're not that much different.
Gen 3:13
And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?": God received the confession from Adam, so now He presses Eve.
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.": This response is from being thrown under the bus by Adam. There's so much wrong with this interaction. Buck passing, blaming others, deflection, deception, selfisness, and there doesn't seem to be any remorse. We also need to note that Eve was deceived, and that's why she ate the fruit. Adam did it willingly.
Gen 3:14
So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field: The disobedience of Adam and Eve brings the curse over the whole of creation, including the cattle, and every beast of the field. But the serpent has the biggest curse on it. God doesn't even ask the serpent anything. Satan possessed the serpent, just as Satan possessed Judas. And somehow, when Satan possesses, the thing he possesses is held accountable, just as Judas was held accountable.
On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life: Does this mean that serpents didn't move on its belly like they do now? Did they have the ability to speak? It seems entirely possible that as part of the curse, they lost both abilities, although most scholars disagree. I personally believe that we have lost so much with the fall that we'll be surprised when the world is returned to its original state during the millennial kingdom. https://www.gotquestions.org/millennium.html
Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed: This is the single most important verse in the Bible when it comes to understanding the war that Satan is waging against God. A good video on this is with Gary Stearman and LA Marzulli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igCCXtrChNc. Understanding this seed war is necessary to understand the reasons for why God wiped out the Earth and only saved Noah and his family, or why God told Israel to kill everyone in certain tribes when they came into the land. We know this particular portion can't mean that there's an enmity between snakes and man, as there's no animosity apparent in encounters with these creatures. We certainly fear snakes, and they behave as snakes do, but that's nature. God is saying that the enmity is between Satan and Man. And he doesn't stop there, he says the enmity will also be between Satan's seed and Man's seed. The seed is the offspring. So there will be enmity between Satan's offspring, and Man's offspring, meaning that this enmity will continue. It's not just between Adam, Eve, and Satan.
He shall bruise your head: The He here is the seed of the woman, meaning Jesus. This prophecy was fulfilled in the cross, when Jesus died for our sins. By Jesus dying on the cross, He reconciled us to God, and returned the lordship of Earth back to the Heavenly Father.
And you shall bruise His heel: This prophecy was fulfilled when Satan possessed Judas, betrayed Jesus and had Jesus crucified. Satan actually believed that he would win the war by having Jesus crucified. However, God always uses evil for good, and Satan, thinking he was doing evil, accomplished the goals of God unwittingly. Satan did not know that Jesus would be resurrected. He didn't know that death would be conquered through the sacrifice on the cross, and the resurrection.
Gen 3:16
To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.": God's curse seems to explain why women are more emotional than men. It's part of the curse. Also, pain during child birth was increased. As terrible as that part of the curse is, the mental curse seems worse to me. Most women I know like to be in control. Ask a married guy and he'll tell you who wears the pants in the family. It can't be easy for a woman to be subject to her husband, yet that is part of the curse. But the flip side of this is that most men are goal oriented and work to provide for the family. So it seems that even through the curse, we see the grace of God, designing a new way for husband and wife to work together. This new way of interacting complements each other's weaknesses and makes the pair stronger together.
Gen 3:17
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life: Here is the plain reason for Adam eating the fruit. Adam heeded the voice of his wife. He listened to her over God. And for this, God makes it hard to provide for the family. In order to provide, man has to work extra hard.
Gen 3:18
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field: The extra labor it would take to provide for the family comes partly from the introduction of thorns, and on top of that, man would need to cultivate the earth. So man would culitvate the ground, and deal with thorns and prickly things.
Gen 3:19
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread: Man could no longer just harvest food easily. They'd need to cultivate, deal with weeds and thorns, deal with weather, protect the crop from wildlife, etc. This is in direct contrast to life in the garden, where God planted it. Since man wants to be like God, they can do the cultivation like God did in the garden.
Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return: Here is the pronouncement of death. Man was not supposed to die. We were to be immortal, as long as we chose to follow God. While this may not be a direct word against reincarnation (reincarnation is the belief that our souls go to a new physical body, over and over, until we've learned enough to earn our way into heaven), we can use this as part of a well padded apollogetic library. The bible says we're dust and will return to dust, and it also says that we only die once (Heb 9:27).
Gen 3:20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living:
חַוָּה
chavvâh
khav-vaw'
Causative from H2331; lifegiver; Chavvah (or Eve), the first woman: - Eve.
Eve literally means lifegiver. Adam names her, showing his dominion over her, and Eve doesn't protest.
Gen 3:21
Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them: We see in God creating clothing out of animal skin the first picture of sacrifice covering sin. We also see that God killed the animals and provided that covering for Adam and Eve Himself, a picture of Jesus who would later be sacrificed on the cross to cover the sins of all mankind. The New Testament also says, "For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" (Heb 9:22).
Gen 3:22
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"—: God doesn't want us to live forever in a fallen state. This is fascinating in that the tree of life is meant to sustain the physical body. We are all going to live forever in the sense that we all have souls, and those are eternal, but if Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life, they'd be able to live in their physical bodies forever.
This brings up another important topic: The only requirement for the Earth to be there forever is that people are there forever. God didn't say that Adam and Eve would live past the age of the planet and solar system, He said they'd live forever, and they can't exist in outer space or without a planet.
We see the tree of life in one other place in the Bible: Rev 22:1-2. And just like in the garden, the tree is for healing the physical body.
Gen 3:23
therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken: Notice that driving out Adam and Eve wasn't simply a punishment. God had to protect us from ourselves. So it was part punishment, and part salvation. And, we see what God meant when He told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The meaning is that they'd be separated from the tree of life and their physical bodies would die.
Gen 3:24
So He drove out the man: How God drove us out of the garden isn't explained. I believe that the garden was in a different dimension, so it'd be impossible to explain how.
and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way: The translation notes from the NET bible say that the sword is "whirling." The sword is whirling like swirling clouds, so it's like a spinning blade that will "cut to shreds anyone who tries to pass." As LA Marzulli says, it's some kind of technology that we don't understand.
to guard the way to the tree of life: And this is the real reason for the expulsion. Our bodies can't be allowed to live forever in this fallen state. It was for our own protection.
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