Genesis 3:14
12 And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
15 And 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.”
16 To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
- KJV
- And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
- WEB
- The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go on your belly and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
- ASV
- And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
- DARBY
- And Jehovah Elohim said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this, be thou cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. On thy belly shalt thou go, and eat dust all the days of thy life.
- BLB
- And YHWH God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed [are] you above all the livestock and above every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat, all the days of your life.
- ÅB
- Da sa Gud Herren til slangen: Fordi du gjorde dette, så skal du være forbannet blant alt feet og blant alle de ville dyr. På din buk skal du krype, og støv skal du spise alle ditt livs dager.
- OTB
- Så sa Herren Gud til slangen: «Fordi du har gjort dette, er du forbannet fremfor alt buskap og alle ville dyr! På buken skal du krype, og støv skal du spise alle dine levedager.
- B1930
- Da sa Gud Herren til slangen: Fordi du gjorde dette, så skal du være forbannet blandt alt feet og blandt alle de ville dyr. På din buk skal du krype, og støv skal du ete alle ditt livs dager.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Micah 7:17
They will lick the dust like a snake, like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will crawl from their holes in the presence of the LORD our God; they will tremble in fear of You.
Read in contextIsaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the food of the serpent will be dust. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.
Read in contextPsalms 72:9
May the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
Read in contextIsaiah 29:4
You will be brought low, you will speak from the ground, and out of the dust your words will be muffled. Your voice will be like a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper out of the dust.
Read in contextLeviticus 20:25
You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.
Read in contextGenesis 9:6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 28:15–20
If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Read in contextExodus 21:28–32
If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.
Read in context