Genesis 3:1–6 Adam remains speechless, while Eve and the serpent engage in the first-ever theological discussion.
About Eve . . .
Asked what they know about Eve, most people would say she was the first human being to be deceived, or that she caused “the Fall.” But the only two references to Eve by name in the Old Testament are positive: she is called the “mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20) and becomes the mother of the first human offspring, Cain (Genesis 4:1). In contrast, the only two references to the name Eve in the New Testament are negative: she is the one deceived by the serpent
(2 Corinthians 11:3) and the first transgressor
(1 Timothy 2:13–14).
The New Testament also refers to the serpent in negative ways: it “deceived Eve” (2 Corinthians 11:3) and “is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9; cf. 20:2). But in Genesis 3 there is no talk of deception until verse 13, when God interrogates Eve after Adam blames her for giving him the fruit. There is also no mention of “sin,” let alone “original sin.” Nor is there any mention of Satan or the Devil.
The narrative begins by describing the serpent as “more crafty” than other creatures. But the Hebrew word for crafty can also be translated prudent (as in Proverbs 12:16), and clever (as in Proverbs 13:16; 14:8; 22:3; 27:12)—both positive attributes. And remember that Jesus told his disciples to be as “wise as serpents” (Matthew 10:16).
A wise serpent
The serpent in Genesis 3 appears wise when his prediction about the effects of eating from the tree of knowledge proves correct. God warned that Adam and Eve would die (2:17; 3:3), but the serpent says, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5). Indeed, their eyes do open (3:7), and God recognizes that they have “become like one of us, knowing good and evil” (3:22). Lest they “take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” God banishes them from Eden (22–24).
If anyone was deceiving anyone about the consequences of eating the fruit, it seems to have been God. Far from being blasphemous, this observation liberates us to become as free as the Bible itself is to question God and God’s ways. It also frees us from assumptions about evil and sin, for which the serpent and Eve have been blamed. Genesis 3:1–6 says nothing to support such assumptions; but it does tell us interesting things about the very first conversation in the Bible, between the serpent and Eve.
After being informed by the serpent, the woman embarks on the first scientific investigation. Her conclusion—“that the tree was good for food”—echoes the words used repeatedly in Genesis 1 to describe God’s response following each act of creation (e.g., Genesis 1:4: “God saw that the light was good”). Thus the woman displays divine attributes.
She also becomes the first decision maker. See is a synonym for know, and the seeing indicates some sort of divine activity of assessment between God’s prohibition and the serpent’s claims. Concluding that the tree “was a delight to the eyes, and … to be desired to make one wise,” she takes action and eats the forbidden fruit. In this passage the first woman appears on the scene as an observing, thinking, deliberating and deciding moral agent.
In striking contrast is the first man. He remains speechless, as if incapable of conversation about divine matters (theology), and barely in the background of the narrative.
Created in God’s image
These details have always been present in Genesis 3:1–6, but years of familiarity have formed blind spots in our Biblical vision. Instead of reinforcing traditional assumptions about the origin of evil or sin, this ancient text wants to talk about how knowledge was gained. We see a serpent that knows things—a truth-teller—and an Eve who freely explores the divinely given power to think and choose.
We can’t ignore the verses that follow Genesis 3:1–6. But we can appreciate the positive attributes of the first woman, created to bear the image of God. |
