This chapter continues the second creation account that began in Gen. 2:4. But a new section of this account begins in 3:1. The ULB reads, "Now the serpent was more shrewd than any other beast of the field which Yahweh God had made," because this is how the Scriptures introduce the serpent into the account. However, many languages prefer different ways to introduce new characters or things into stories, for example, "One of the wild animals made by God was the serpent" or "This is about the serpent, one of the wild animals that God had made."
Scholars typically refer to the events of this chapter as "the fall" or "the fall of man" because sin is introduced into creation. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#sin)
In this chapter, God curses the man, the woman, and the serpent for their sins. In general, cursing is calling down God's punishment on someone or something. In this chapter, however, it is God himself who is doing the cursing. Of course, he does not call down punishment on the man, the woman, and the serpent from someone else. Instead, he is promising that he himself will punish them. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#curse)
Most scholars believe that the serpent is Satan, even though his name is not used in this chapter. There are other places in Scripture where the serpent is used as an image for Satan. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#satan and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit))
The writer is beginning a new part of the story.
"more cunning" or "smarter at getting what he wanted by telling lies"
The snake is pretending to be surprised that God has made this rule. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "I am surprised that God said, 'You ... garden.'" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)
The word "you" is plural and refers to the man and the woman. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-you)
"We are allowed to eat" or "We have permission to eat"
The word "you" is plural and refers to the man and the woman. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-you)
"Do not eat it, and do not touch it" or "You must not eat it or touch it"
This tells what would happen if they ate or touched the fruit of that tree. Alternate translation: "If you eat it or touch it, you will die"
These words refer to the man and the woman and so are dual or plural. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-you)
These words refer to the man and the woman and so are dual or plural. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-you)
"your eyes will open." This idiom means "you will become aware of things" or "you will understand new things." This meaning can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: "It will be as though your eyes were opened" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)
Here "good and evil" is a figure of speech that refers to both extremes and everything in between. See how you translated "knowledge of good and evil" in Genesis 2:9. Alternate translation: "knowing everything, including both good and evil" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-merism)
"the tree was delightful to look at" or "it was nice to look at" or "it was very beautiful"
"she wanted the tree's fruit because it could make a person wise" or "she wanted its fruit because it could make her understand what was right and wrong just as God does"
"Then their eyes opened" or "They became aware" or "They understood." See how you translated "your eyes will be opened" in Genesis 3:5.
put together, probably using vines as thread
If people do not know what fig leaves are like, this can be translated as "large leaves from a fig tree" or simply "large leaves."
They did this because they were ashamed. This implicit information can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "clothed themselves with them because they were ashamed" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)
"at the time of day when a cool breeze blows"
"from Yahweh God's sight" or "so that Yahweh God would not see them" or "from Yahweh God"
"Why are you trying to hide from me?" God knew where the man was. When the man answered, he did not say where he was but why he was hiding.
In verses 9 and 11, God was speaking to the man. Languages that have a singular form of "you" would use that here. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-you)
"I heard the sound you were making"
God knew the answer to this question. He asked it in order to help Adam to confess that he had disobeyed God. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)
Again, God knew that Adam had eaten from that tree. Translate this question in a form that shows that God was speaking about Adam's disobedience. The sentence can be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "You must have eaten from ... from." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)
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God already knew what the woman had done. When he asked this question, he was giving her the opportunity to tell him about it, and he was expressing his disappointment with what she had done. Many languages use rhetorical questions for scolding or rebuking. If possible, use a form that expresses this disappointment. It can also be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "You have done a terrible thing." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)
"you alone are cursed." The word "curse" is first in Hebrew in order to emphasize the contrast between God's blessing on the animals and this curse on the serpent. This is a "curse formula," or the way that curses were expressed. By saying this curse, God made it happen.
"all domestic animals and all wild animals"
"You will move along the ground on your stomach." The words "it is upon your stomach" comes first to emphasize the contrast between the way other animals would move along using their legs and the way the serpent would slither along on its stomach. This is also part of the curse formula.
"you will eat dust." The words "it is dust" comes first to emphasize the contrast between the plants above the ground that other animals would eat and the dirty food on the ground that the serpent would eat. This is part of the curse formula.
This means that the serpent and the woman would become enemies.
The word "seed" refers to what a man puts into a woman to cause a baby to grow inside the woman. Like the word "offspring," it can refer to more than one person. Try to find a word that is singular but can refer to more than one person.
The words "he" and "his" refer to the woman's descendant. If "seed" was translated as plural, this can be translated as "they will bruise ... their heel"; in this case, consider inserting footnotes to say that the "they" and "their" are used to translate a singular pronoun. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-pronouns)
"crush" or "strike" or "attack"
"I will make your pain increase much" or "I will make your pain to be very severe"
"in giving birth to children" or "when you give birth to children"
"You will have a strong desire for your husband." Possible meanings are 1) "You will want very much to be with your husband" or 2) "You will want to control your husband"
"he will be your master" or "he will control you"
The name Adam is the same as the Hebrew word for "man." Some translations say "Adam" and some say "the man." You may use either form as it refers to the same person.
This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "you have obeyed what your wife said" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)
You can say what it was that they ate. Alternate translation: "have eaten the fruit of the tree" or "have eaten some of the fruit of the tree" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)
"You must not eat from it" or "Do not eat its fruit"
The word "curse" comes first in the sentence to emphasize that the ground, which had been "good" (Genesis 1:10), was now under God's curse. This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "I am cursing the ground" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
"by doing hard work"
The word "it" refers to the ground and is a metonym for the parts of the plants, which grow in the ground, that people eat. Alternate translation: "you will eat what grows from it" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)
Possible meanings are 1) "the plants that you take care of in your fields" or 2) "the wild plants that grow in the open fields."
"By doing hard work that makes your face sweat"
Here the word "bread" is a synecdoche for food in general. Alternate translation: "you will eat food" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-synecdoche)
"until you die and your body is put in the ground." In some cultures, they put the bodies of people who have died in a hole in the ground. Man's hard work does not end until the time of his death and burial.
"I made you from soil, so your body will become soil again." Translate both occurrences of "dust" with the same word in order to show that man begins and ends in the same condition.
Some translations say "Adam."
"gave his wife the name Eve" or "named his wife Eve"
Translators may write a footnote saying "The name Eve sounds like the Hebrew word that means 'living.'"
The word "living" refers to people. Alternate translation: "all people" or "all living people" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-nominaladj)
"clothing made out of animal skins"
Possible meanings are 1) God was referring to one human, the man, or 2) God was referring to humans in general, so this would mean the man and his wife. Even if God was speaking about one person, what he said applied to both of them.
"like us." The pronoun "us" is plural. See how you translated "Let us make" in Genesis 1:26.
Here "good and evil" is a figure of speech that refers to both extremes and everything in between. See how you translated "knowledge of good and evil" in Genesis 2:9. Alternate translation: "knowing everything, including both good and evil" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-merism)
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "I will not allow him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)
"the tree that gives people life." See how you translated this in Genesis 2:9.
"dirt because he had been taken from dirt." This does not refer to the particular place on the land that the God took man from.
This means to what is needed so that plants grow well. See how you translated this in Genesis 2:5.
"God forced the man to leave the garden." This refers to the event in Genesis 3:23, where it says "Yahweh God sent him out of the garden of Eden." God did not send the man out a second time.
"in order to stop people from going to the tree of life"
Possible meanings are 1) a sword that had flames coming from it or 2) a fire that was shaped like a sword. Languages that do not have swords could use another weapon such as a spear or arrow.