Genesis 3:15
in Genesis 3And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and 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.
KJV
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
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This verse in Genesis 3
Commentary
19 notes on this verseHe has therefore, in His work of recapitulation, summed up all things, both waging war against our enemy, and crushing him who had at the beginning led us away captives in Adam, and trampled upon his head, as thou canst perceive in Genesis that God said to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall be on the watch for thy head, and thou on the watch for His heel."
This site's exposition
your seed and her seed
Her seed will crush the serpent's head, and the serpent will strike his heel. Spurgeon called this the first gospel sermon ever preached on earth. The word seed is the one Paul presses at Galatians 3:16, where the promise runs to one descendant who is Christ.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
A commentator
Augustine of HippoTWO BOOKS ON GENESIS AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS 2.18.28 · Written before 430.
proposed
Enmities are not set between the serpent and the man but between the serpent and the woman. This is surely not because he fails to deceive and tempt men, is it? On the contrary, it is clear that he does deceive them. Or is it because he did not deceive Adam but his woman? But is the serpent then not the enemy of the man to whom that deception came through his woman, especially since "I will place enmity between you and the woman" is stated in the future? If the reason is that he did not thereafter deceive Adam, it is also true that he did not thereafter deceive Eve. Hence, why does Scripture put it this way? To show clearly that we cannot be tempted by the devil except through that animal part, which reveals, so to speak, the image or exemplification of the woman in the one whole man.
"You are more cursed than all cattle because you deceived those who have authority over all cattle; and instead of being more astute than all other animals you shall be more cursed than all other animals, and you shall go about on your belly because …
(Verse 15) He himself will keep your head, and you will keep his heel. It is better in Hebrew: He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel; for our steps are hindered by the serpent, and the Lord will quickly crush Satan under our feet.
Man of old having sinned when the serpent in Paradise assailed him, it was said to him: He shall lie in wait for thy heel, but thou for his head; that is, Ye shall be divided and at enmity against each other, that man may …
God judged that evil was to be held in check for a time rather than to be destroyed, so that he says to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and the seed of the woman. She shall watch for your head and you for her heel." Where enmities remain, there remains discord and the desire to do harm. Where there is the desire to do harm, there evil is established. Therefore there is discord between the serpent and the woman. Evil is at the base of discord; thus evil has not been taken away. Indeed, it has been reserved for the serpent, that he might watch for the woman's heel and the heel of her seed, so as to do harm and infuse his poison. Therefore let us not walk in earthly things, and the serpent will not be able to harm us. Let us put on sandals of the gospel that shut out the serpent's poison and blunt his bites that we may be provided with covering on our feet by the gospel.
12 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
She will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel. The woman crushes the head of the serpent, when the holy Church detects and scatters the devil's wiles and toxic suggestions from the very start, and as if trampling on him, …
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. The seed of the woman is the entire human race, the seed of the devil are the betrayers, who are depraved with his example of pride and rebellion.
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The blessed Virgin possesses that price, because she is strong and valiant as one valiantly fighting. In Genesis: "The Lord said to the serpent: I will put enmities between you and the woman, and your seed and her seed; she shall crush your head, and …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,....
The Nineteenth Century6 voices
I will put enmity between thee and the woman - This has been generally supposed to apply to a certain enmity subsisting between men and serpents; but this is rather a fancy than a reality. It is yet to be discovered that the serpentine race have any peculiar enmity against mankind, nor is there any proof that men hate serpents more than they do other noxious animals.
THIS IS THE FIRST gospel sermon that was ever delivered upon the surface of this earth. It was memorable discourse indeed, with Jehovah himself for the preacher, and the whole human race and the prince of darkness for the audience. It must be worthy of our heartiest attention. Is it not remarkable that this great gospel promise should have been delivered so soon after the transgression?
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Thus, fatal shall be the stroke which Satan shall receive from Christ, though it is probable he did not at first understand the nature and extent of his doom.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Thus, fatal shall be the stroke which Satan shall receive from Christ, though it is probable he did not at first understand the nature and extent of his doom.
SOME master in Israel who wanted to help the memories of his hearers has said that the three things to be preached above everything else are the three R's—Ruin, Redemption and Regeneration. He spoke wisely and well. How will men seek salvation if they do not feel their ruin? Where is there salvation except in the atoning blood? What is salvation but being created anew unto holiness? It is a noteworthy fact that, in Holy Scripture there are three third chapters which deal with these things in the fullest manner. The third of Genesis reveals Ruin. The third of Romans teaches Redemption. The third of John sets forth Regeneration. Will our young friends be so good as to read those chapters through with care, at home? It is also worthy of mention that not only do each of these chapters teach its own R, but that it also teaches the other two R's. In this third of Genesis we have not only Ruin, but we have the Redeemer in "the Seed of the woman," and we have Regeneration in the expression, "I will put enmity between you and the woman." God's regenerating power creates a hatred of evil in the chosen seed. The same you will find in the other chapters, for the third of Romans contains a fearful description of the sin and ruin of men. And in the third of John, after you have read, "You must be born again," not far from it you find it written, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life." Believe any of these great Truths of God and the rest follow as a necessary consequence. May we be helped this morning to learn something with regard to Ruin, Redemption and Regeneration from the passage now before us! I pray you, never regard that story of the serpent as a fable. It is said, nowadays, that it is a mere allegory.
SOME master in Israel who wanted to help the memories of his hearers has said that the three things to be preached above everything else are the three R's—Ruin, Redemption and Regeneration. He spoke wisely and well. How will men seek salvation if they do not feel their ruin? Where is there salvation except in the atoning blood? What is salvation but being created anew unto holiness? It is a noteworthy fact that, in Holy Scripture there are three third chapters which deal with these things in the fullest manner. The third of Genesis reveals Ruin.
Modern Voices2 voices
fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the …
But there stood up in him still a kind of cold chivalry, a dignity of dead honour that would not forget the small and futile sword in his hand.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
From a study of this verse, Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Chananya derived the fact that a serpent gives birth once in seven years; 394 Bechoroth 8a. See my Hebrew commentary, p. this they investigated and found to be so. 395 See Bereshith Rabbah:7.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֵיבָ֣ה׀ | veeivah | and enmity | H342 → | |
| אָשִׁ֗ית | ʾashit | I will put | H7896 → | 83 times |
| בֵּֽינְךָ֙ | beinekha | between you | H996 → | 407 times |
| וּבֵ֣ין | uvein | and between | H996 → | 407 times |
| הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה | haishah | the woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| וּבֵ֥ין | uvein | and between | H996 → | 407 times |
| זַרְעֲךָ֖ | zarakha | offspring your | H2233 → | 229 times |
| וּבֵ֣ין | uvein | and between | H996 → | 407 times |
| זַרְעָ֑הּ | zarah | offspring her | H2233 → | 229 times |
| ה֚וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ | yeshufekha | he will bruise you | H7779 → | |
| רֹ֔אשׁ | rosh | head | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וְאַתָּ֖ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ | teshufenu | you will bruise him | H7779 → | |
| עָקֵֽב׃ ס | ʾakev | heel | H6119 → | 14 times |
וְאֵיבָ֣ה׀and enmity
veeivahH342 →
אָשִׁ֗יתI will put
ʾashitH7896 →83 times
בֵּֽינְךָ֙between you
beinekhaH996 →407 times
וּבֵ֣יןand between
uveinH996 →407 times
הָֽאִשָּׁ֔הthe woman
haishahH802 →781 times
וּבֵ֥יןand between
uveinH996 →407 times
זַרְעֲךָ֖offspring your
zarakhaH2233 →229 times
וּבֵ֣יןand between
uveinH996 →407 times
זַרְעָ֑הּoffspring her
zarahH2233 →229 times
ה֚וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
יְשׁוּפְךָ֣he will bruise you
yeshufekhaH7779 →
רֹ֔אשׁhead
roshH7218 →599 times
וְאַתָּ֖הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּyou will bruise him
teshufenuH7779 →
עָקֵֽב׃ סheel
ʾakevH6119 →14 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
it leads to
- Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of…
- Luke 1:31
Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
- John 1:1–2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Matthew 1:23
Through
1 John 3:8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the…
it leads to
- Hebrews 2:14
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
- John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him.…
- Hebrews 2:14
Through
Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
it leads to
- Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
- Luke 10:19
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Covenant34 verses
Hope34 verses
Redemption35 verses
Salvation35 verses
On this page
Studies41
On this verse
On this chapter
About Genesis
This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, FLIGHT FROM THE WORLD 7.43; Augustine of Hippo, TWO BOOKS ON GENESIS AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS 2.18.28; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1326: Christ the Conqueror of Satan; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1326: “Christ the Conqueror of Satan” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2165: “The Serpent's Sentence” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 2; Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary (church-history corpus); GK Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles, XVII. The Red Angel (1909); GK Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles, XX. The Giant (1909); Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.21.1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.