MANNAFEST

The Seed Promise · stop 1 of 13

The protoevangelium

Genesis 3:15

זֶרַע (zeraʿ, H2233) is a collective singular — offspring, or one offspring. The pronoun is singular: הוּא, 'HE shall bruise thy head.' The Greek OT breaks its own grammar to keep it — αὐτός (masculine) against the neuter σπέρμα.

15and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

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The narrative

This stop on the thread

Before God speaks a curse over Adam or Eve, he speaks a promise inside the serpent's curse. Henry calls it 'the dawning of the gospel day' — the wound and the remedy revealed in the same breath. The grammar carries the weight: one seed, masculine, singular — HE shall bruise thy head.

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (public domain)Puritan

A voice from the tradition

Witness

Here was the dawning of the gospel day. No sooner was the wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed.

Matthew Henry· Commentary on Genesis 3Puritan

The workbench

Words in this verse

  1. וְאֵיבָ֣ה׀ve.'ei.Vah — and enmityH342
  2. אָשִׁ֗ית'a.Shit — I will putH7896
  3. בֵּֽינְךָ֙bei.ne.Kha — between youH996
  4. וּבֵ֣יןu.Vein — and betweenH996
  5. הָֽאִשָּׁ֔הha.'i.Shah — the womanH802
  6. וּבֵ֥יןu.Vein — and betweenH996
  7. זַרְעֲךָ֖zar.'a.Kha — offspring yourH2233
  8. וּבֵ֣יןu.Vein — and betweenH996
  9. זַרְעָ֑הּzar.'Ah — offspring herH2233
  10. ה֚וּאhu' — heH1931
  11. יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ye.shu.fe.Kha — he will bruise youH7779
  12. רֹ֔אשׁRosh — headH7218
  13. וְאַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tah — and youH859
  14. תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּte.shu.Fe.nu — you will bruise himH7779
  15. עָקֵֽב׃ ס'a.Kev — heelH6119

The floor

Cross-references

Romans 16:201 John 3:8Revelation 12:17Isaiah 7:14Hebrews 2:14–15Galatians 4:4John 8:44Matthew 1:23

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