Gen. 3 The serpent’s subtlety, and insnaring question, Gen. 3:1. The woman’s answer, Gen. 3:2. The serpent denies the certianty of the threatening, Gen. 3:4; suggests a benefit by eating, Gen. 3:5. The woman looks on the fruit, takes, eats, gives to the man, who also eats of it, Gen. 3:6.

The serpent; or rather, this or that serpent; for here is an emphatical article, of which more by and by. The serpent’s eminent subtlety is noted both in sacred Scripture, Gen. 49:17, Ps. 58:5, Matt. 10:16, 2 Cor.

To wit, in order to the eating of it. Or the touch might be simply forbidden, or she might reasonably understand it to be forbidden in and by the prohibition of eating, because it was an occasion of sin, and therefore to be avoided.

It is not so certain as you imagine, that you shall die. God did say so indeed for your terror, and to keep you in awe; or, he had some mystical meaning in those words; but do not entertain such hard and unworthy thoughts of that God who is infinitely kind and gracious, that he will, for such a…

If you would have the whole truth of the matter, and God’s design in that prohibition, it is only this, He knoweth that you shall be so far from dying, that ye shall certainly be entered into a new and more noble kind of life; and the eyes of your minds, which are now shut as to the knowledge of a…

The woman saw; by curious and accurate observation, and gazing upon it, or perceiving it by the serpent’s discourse, as was observed on Gen. 3:3. Pleasant to the eyes, to wit, in an eminent degree; for otherwise so were all the rest.

The eyes of them both. The eyes of their minds and conscience, which hitherto had been closed and blinded by the arts of the devil, were opened, as the devil had promised them, though in a far differing and sadder sense. They knew that they were naked.

The voice of the Lord God, mentioned Gen. 3:9, or rather the sound, as the word voice is often taken in Scripture, as Ps. 93:3, Rev. 10:3, Rev. 19:6. Either God the Father, or rather God the Son, appeared in the shape of a man, as afterwards he frequently did, to give a foretaste of his…

The Lord God called with a loud voice: Thou whom I have so highly obliged, whither and wherefore dost thou run away from me, thy Friend and Father, whose presence was lately so sweet and acceptable to thee? In what place, or rather in what condition, art thou? What is the cause of this sudden and…

He confesseth his nakedness, which was evident, but saith nothing of his sin; which, if possible, he would have hid: see Job 31:33. And is grieved for the shameful effects of his sin, but not yet sincerely penitent for his sin. I hid myself, out of reverence to thy glorious majesty.

That thou wast naked; or, that thy nakedness, which lately was thy glory, was now become matter of shame. Whereof I commanded thee; concerning which I gave thee so severe a charge upon pain of death.

I have eaten, not by my own choice and inclination, but by the persuasion of this woman, whom thou gavest to be with me, as a meet help, a faithful friend, and constant companion, supposing that it was not good for me to be alone, which the event shows would have been much better for me.

How heinous a crime hast thou committed! What a world of mischief hast thou by this one act brought upon thyself and all thy posterity? Or, why hast thou done this? What causes or motives couldst thou have for so wicked an action? What need hadst thou of meddling with this forbidden fruit, when I…

Unto the serpent; or rather, this or that serpent, which, as was said before on Gen. 3:1, was no ordinary serpent, but a serpent acted and assisted by the devil; and therefore this sentence or curse is pronounced against both of them: 1.

Vers. 15. Though now ye be sworn friends, leagued together against me, I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and the man too, but the woman alone is mentioned, for the devil’s greater confusion. 1.

I will greatly multiply, or certainly, as the repetition of the same word implies. And thy conception, in diverse pains and infirmities peculiar to thy sex; i.e.

Hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, i.e. obeyed the word and counsel, contrary to my express command. Cursed is the ground, which shall now yield both fewer and worse fruits, and those too with more trouble of men’s minds, and labour of their bodies; for thy sake, i.e.

Thorns also and thistles, and other unuseful and hurtful plants, synecdochically contained under these, shall it bring forth to thee, of its own accord, not to thy benefit, but to thy grief and punishment; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field, instead of those generous and delicious fruits of…

In the sweat of thy face, i.e. of thy body: he mentions the face, because there the sweat appears first and most. Or, with labour of body or brain, Eccles. 1:13, and vexation of mind, shalt thou get thy food and livelihood: bread being put for all nourishment, as Gen. 18:5, Gen. 28:20.

The word signifies either a living, or, the giver or preserver of life. Though for her sin justly sentenced to a present death, yet by God’s infinite mercy, and by virtue of the promised Seed, she was both continued in life herself, and was made the mother of all living men and women that should be…

The Lord God, either by his own word, or by the ministry of angels, made coats of skins, of beasts slain either for sacrifice to God, or for the use of man, their lord and owner; and clothed them, partly to defend them from excessive heats and colds, or other injuries of the air, to which they were…

The Lord God said, either within himself, or to the other persons of the Godhead, Adam and Eve both are become such according to the devil’s promise, and their own expectation. This is a holy irony, or sarcasm, like those, 1 Kings 18:27, Eccles. 11:9; q.d.

For prevention thereof, the Lord God sent him forth, or expelled him with shame and violence, and so as never to restore him thither; for it is the same word which is used concerning divorced wives. To till, to wit, with toil and sweat, as was threatened, Gen.

The east of the garden, where the entrance into it was, the other sides of it being enclosed or secured by God to preserve it from the entrance and annoyance of wild beasts. Or, before the garden, i.e. near to the garden; before any man could come at the garden any way. Cherubims, i.e.