« Return to Online Bible

Genesis 3:1

King James Version (KJV)

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Translations

Genesis 3:1 - Amplified Bible

NOW THE serpent was more subtle {and} crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1 - American Standard Version

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1 - Bible in Basic English

Now the snake was wiser than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God truly said that you may not take of the fruit of any tree in the garden?

Genesis 3:1 - Darby Bible

And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1 - English Standard Version

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, "You shall not eat of any tree in the garden"?"

Genesis 3:1 - King James Version

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1 - La Biblia de las Americas

Y la serpiente era más astuta que cualquiera de los animales del campo que el SEÑOR Dios habìa hecho. Y dijo a la mujer: ¿Conque Dios os ha dicho: "No comeréis de ningùn árbol del huerto"?

Genesis 3:1 - The Message

The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"

Genesis 3:1 - New American Standard Bible

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, `You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

Genesis 3:1 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

La serpiente era más astuta que cualquiera de los animales del campo que el SEÑOR Dios habìa hecho. Y dijo a la mujer: "¿Conque Dios les ha dicho: 'No comerán de ningùn árbol del huertò?"

Genesis 3:1 - World English Bible

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Yes, has God said, `You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?`"

Genesis 3:1 - Young's Living Translation

And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, `Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?`

Genesis 3:1 - Additional Comments

At this point the serpent was a beast, not the snake that we now know, because this is before the curse given in verse 14.
The Devil and Satan is the old serpent (Rev. 12:9). He could not destroy man, but he could tempt him, and in effect do the same (as did Balaam - Rev 2:14).
I wonder what Eve thought of the serpent speaking to her -- was she amazed? Or was everything so new that little would amaze her, or all amazed her?
Adam and Eve were not together at this moment. Maybe Adam was tending to the garden (see 2:15), or collecting food.
We often are at our weakest point towards temptation when we are alone. We think we can get away with things without those who hold us accountable knowing. We need to determine that during those times we are to be our strongest. Note that she really wasn't alone, because the One who holds us most accountable was and is ever-present. And neither are you when you feel free from accountability. Do you need God to show Himself physically present before you are concerned with His presence?
To fight temptation, determine ahead of time how you will respond. This way, when tempted, you will not have to make a decision, because it was made long before the temptation.
This is why we need fellowship -- we struggle to hold ourselves accountable. That is also why it is okay to hold others accountable -- don't let them live life without tough questions. You can be the one to make a difference. Best question - "Is there anything going on in your life that shouldn't be? Are you working on changing that?"
The temptation came when she was near the tree. Was she curious? Was she playing with fire, already being tempted? If there is something that tends to tempt you, avoid it, do not pass by it it, don't get anywhere near it, run away from it! (Prov 4:14-15)
Note how Satan twists the command of God to make it sound absurd -- he asks if she cannot eat from every tree, not just the forbidden tree. He starts planting the seed that the commands are absurd or unreasonable. He also does this by his tone, mocking the command. He also gets her to question if what she heard from God is legitimate, or if she misunderstood it.

Comments are closed.