Genesis 3:1-5 The Serpent
3 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? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made
On its historicity two things should be said. First, the New Testament assumes it and argues from it, making the first Adam as literal as the last
That it was a real serpent is evident from the plain and artless style of the history and from the many allusions made to it in the New Testament.
But the material serpent was the instrument or tool of a higher agent
these reptiles were at first, probably, far superior in beauty as well as in sagacity to what they are in their present state.
that man is there described as exalted far above all the rest of the animal world
created in the image of God
invested with dominion over all the creatures of the earth
God breathed into him the breath of life
no help meet for him was found among the beasts of the field
this superiority was manifest in the gift of speech, which enabled him to give names to all the rest
they, as speechless, were unable to perform
must be at once apparent that it was not from the serpent, as a sagacious and crafty animal, that the temptation proceeded
the serpent was simply the tool of that evil spirit
Satan (the opponent), or the Devil (ὁ διάβολος, the slanderer or accuser
there is a word about his origin—he was made by God
the serpent is explicitly God’s handiwork, subtle as he is
chapter speaks not of evil invading, as though it had its own existence, but of creatures rebelling
It is certain it was the devil that beguiled Eve
The devil and Satan is the old serpent
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
it is a subtle creature; this is here taken notice of
We are directed to be wise as serpents
this serpent, as actuated by the devil, was no doubt more subtle than any other
the devil, though he has lost the sanctity, retains the sagacity of an angel, and is wise to do evil
He knew of more advantage by making use of the serpent than we are aware of
His career is obscure to the author of Genesis 3, who can only speak of the snake’s destiny
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
The Hebrew word translated serpent is nachash.
The most straightforward meaning is the one virtually all translators and interpreters opt for: serpent
When the Hebrew root letters n-ch-sh are a noun, that’s the meaning.
But n-ch-sh are also the consonants of a verb
Hebrew originally had no vowels
. If we changed the vowels to a verbal form
we would have nochesh, which means “the diviner.”
Divination refers to communication with the supernatural world
A diviner in the ancient world was one who foretold omens or gave out divine information
We can see that element in the story
Eve is getting information from this being
The consonants n-ch-sh may also form an alternative noun, nachash, which is at times used descriptively, like an adjective
This term is used in place names outside the Bible and once within the Old Testament
First Chronicles 4:12 refers to “Tehinnah, father of Ir-Nachash
The phrase means “the city of copper/bronze (smiths)
Ir-nachash was a place known for copper and bronze metallurgy
copper and bronze are shiny when polished
there are immediate clues in the story that the serpent is more than a mere snake
he may be a divine adversary
the term nachash is a triple entendre
The serpent (nachash) was an image commonly used in reference to a divine throne guardian
Perhaps it was a flying serpent, which seemed to come from on high as a messenger from the upper world, one of the seraphim
29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder,
and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
Many a dangerous temptation comes to us in gay fine colours that are but skin-deep,
What Eve thought of this serpent speaking to her we are not likely to tell
At first, perhaps, she supposed it might be a good angel,
Given the context of Eden, that helps identify the villain as a divine being
The divine adversary dispenses divine information, using it to goad Eve.
a shining appearance conveys a divine nature
All the meanings telegraph something important
It is remarkable that the Gentile idolaters did many of them worship the devil in the shape and form of a serpent, thereby avowing their adherence to that apostate spirit, and wearing his colours.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”