He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Parallel translations
- WEB The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
- KJV And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
- BSB “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
- NKJV So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
- NLT He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The man admits he hid out of fear because he was naked. Sin has produced fear, shame, and alienation from God.
Overview
The man confesses that he hid because he was afraid and aware of his nakedness, revealing the fear and shame that sin has introduced. The relationship once marked by unashamed openness (2:25) is now marked by dread of God's presence. This honest yet incomplete confession shows the damage sin does and the need for a remedy beyond the sinner's own efforts.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Gen 2:25The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.
- Ps 119:120My flesh trembles for fear of you. I am afraid of your judgments. AYIN
- Isa 57:11“Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t fear me?
- Isa 47:3Your nakedness will be uncovered. Yes, your shame will be seen. I will take vengeance, and will spare no one.”
- Job 23:15Therefore I am terrified at his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him.
- Exod 3:6Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.
- 1 Jn 3:20because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
- Isa 33:14The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
- Exod 32:25When Moses saw that the people had broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies),
- Rev 16:15“Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and they see his shame.”
- Gen 3:7Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
- Rev 3:17–18Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 3:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.