Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking The First Meal - Genesis 3:6

“And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” (Genesis 3:13, KJV).

The Serpent Made Me Forget

“And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me,”

Back to mind-numbing humans, when she ate the fruit and nothing happened, the serpent was correct. When God asked her what she had done, she mirrored Adam’s behavior, shifted His attention from herself, and blamed the serpent using the Hebrew word hishshi’ani (הִשִּׁיאַנִי). HERE’s an interesting blog where Daniel Kennemer explains the word’s history and translates this word to mean “cause me to forget…” He also links to other Hebrew use of this root word and for “Woman” in Hebrew (נשים). 

Glossing over the situation as the Woman’s memory relapses as the cause of the fall would undermine the serpent’s intentions, and Adam’s excuse of “She gave it to me, so I ate.” without accountability. However, this becomes the narrative of the human race. Talk to any spiritually immature manchild and add sad violin music to replay this scene for dramatic effect.

I’m inviting you into the Woman’s perspective just for an instant to view this moment from where she stands. She understands from what Adam told her that the tree is poisonous. Touching it or eating it causes death. How is she to reconcile these two conflicting pieces of information?

The serpent tells her: 1. She won’t die (Genesis 3:4) 2. God knows something she doesn’t know 3. She will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5). Adam tells her one thing, and the snake tells her another. She’s caught in the middle. 

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking The First Meal: Genesis 3:6

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

How about we cut this verse into small pieces and slow it down with some dramatic music to look at the scene carefully as the human condition lingers in this verse?

(Opening scene) 

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,”

Action: The Woman looked and studied the tree. 

(Pause the scene) 

Commentator: Woman looked at the tree physically and noted its appearance. She analyzes its appearance and notices: 1. The fruit was good for food. 2. The tree looks pretty, which is always crucial to a woman. She also did something new here. The tree pulls something from inside of her that was beyond its physical appearance. It could draw from her a desire (Note.. The root word for this desire (וְנֶחְמָ֤ד) is a verb and does not have the same root as the desire that will be discussed later in Genesis 3:16). This desire is making her wise an action verb and not wisdom itself which is an object or a noun. Very important in the Hebrew language, where sentences begin with a verb, not a noun (See Appendix I).

(Unpause the scene in slow motion and insert suspenseful music) 

“she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,”

Action: She takes fruit from the tree and eats.

(Pause the scene) 

Commentator: What happens? Absolutely nothing… Nothing changed for her! At this point, a woman with the power of discernment would question the serpent because his promise of the tree making her wise is over-delivered and under-promised. She ate the fruit, and nothing happened. Where’s the serpent’s manager? She would like to talk with its supervisor. Or realize it deceived her and is dangerous. She should kill him to protect herself and her husband.

(Back to the scene in slow motion with suspenseful music)

“and gave also unto her husband with her;”

Action: She gave the fruit to Adam, who was with her.

Commentator: Wait a minute. Adam’s right there with her! Growing up, I’ve always imagined Adam in some faraway place working and leaving his Woman to roam around freely unnoticed. The serpent snuck in when he wasn’t looking and started heckling her. That’s not the case! He’s right there. Allowing it to talk to his Woman without inquiring about the situation. Ask any man in a bar how he feels when another man comes up to his girl and starts chatting with her.

(Back to the scene in slow motion with suspenseful music)

“and he did eat.”

Action: Adam takes the fruit from the Woman’s hand bringing it to his lips and took a bite.

Commentator: He ate it! Everytime I read this verse, there’s a glimpse of hope in me that he wouldn’t. Hopeful that the fall of man was avoided and that I can rewrite the story can change the course of history. 

(End Scene)

The remainder of the scene unfolds in Genesis 3:7, where their eyes are simultaneously opened. They made clothes from leaves, God showed up on the scene, and they tried to hide. God calls Adam out and questions him, and he practically says, “I don’t know… Ask her!” 

Image: Courtois, Gustave. Adam et Eve. 1890, Oil on Canvas.