Now the snake was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” 4 But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! 5 God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” 13 The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”'
The serpent, described as “cunning,” was a sinister creature of exceptional intelligence who embodied a force of temptation, later identified in Revelation 12:9 as Satan, "the ancient serpent." The serpent’s deceitful question was designed to distort God’s command (Gen. 2:16-17) and plant doubt about God's goodness and intentions. Eve’s response demonstrated that she understood God’s command. God’s prohibition of eating from this tree was not arbitrary; it symbolized humanity’s dependence on God’s divine wisdom (Deut. 30:19-20) and the limits of human freedom. By eating from the tree, Adam and Eve attempted to define good and evil apart from God. The serpent is understood as a symbolic representation of Satan, who operates through deceit and temptation.
The serpent contradicted God, suggesting that God was not being truthful. The promise of becoming “like gods” reflects the temptation to usurp God’s divine authority and redefine good and evil on human terms (Is. 14:13-14). Eve succumbed to the temptations of the flesh (“good for food”), the eyes (“pleasing to the eyes”), and pride (“desirable for gaining wisdom”) which aligns with the warning in 1 John 2:16. The “opening of eyes” led to the loss of innocence and, instead of divine wisdom, they experience shame and alienation. In their desire to be like God, Adam and Eve freely and deliberately committed a grave sin by disobeying God with full assent of their will. Nakedness symbolizes vulnerability and the loss of original innocence (Gen. 2:25). The attempt to cover themselves signifies humanity’s instinctive but futile efforts to hide from God’s judgment.
Out of fear, Adam and Eve hid from God’s presence. Their relationship with God was broken and spiritual death ensued (Gen. 2:17). Humanity became alienated from God as a result of sin (Is. 59:2). God’s question to Adam and Eve is not for information but an invitation to repentance, in the same way that throughout salvation history, God continually invites humanity back into a right relationship with Him. Now aware of his guilt and fear of divine justice, Adam admitted his shame and vulnerability. Sin cannot remain hidden before God (Num. 32:23) and God, as the just judge, addresses Adam and Eve’s new awareness of their nakedness: their loss of innocence and original holiness where they lived in harmony with God, themselves, and creation. God is omniscient (Psalm 139:1-4) so His question does not assume ignorance but is an invitation for Adam and Eve to take responsibility, repent, and confess their guilt.
Adam’s response shifts the blame onto Eve and indirectly accuses God (“whom you put here with me”), indicating discord and the refusal to take responsibility for his sin. In contrast, Christ, the new Adam, takes responsibility for humanity’s sins (Rom. 5:14-19). Eve also shifts blame, attributing her actions to the serpent’s deception. Both Adam and Eve fail to repent fully.
Almighty God, teach us to trust in Your wisdom, resist temptation, and turn to You in repentance when we fall. May the grace of Your Son, the new Adam, restore us to the harmony we lost, and lead us to eternal life with You. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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