When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Parallel translations
- WEB When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
- NASB When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
- NLT The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
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 woman takes and eats the fruit and gives some to her husband, who also eats. This is the fall, humanity's first act of disobedience against God.
Overview
Seeing the tree as good, pleasing, and desirable for wisdom, the woman takes the fruit, eats, and gives it to her husband who is with her, and he eats too. This deliberate choice to disobey God is the fall, through which sin and death enter the human race (Romans 5:12). The pattern of desire leading to sin is later echoed by James (James 1:14-15), and the ruin of the first Adam sets the stage for the redemption won by the last Adam, Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Jn 2:16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Jas 1:14–15But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
- 1 Tim 2:14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.
- 2 Sam 11:2One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- Josh 7:21When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
- Rom 5:12–19Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
- Gen 6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
- Ezek 24:16“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
- Ezek 24:25And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well,
- Hos 6:7But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
- Gen 3:12And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
- Gen 3:17And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
- Ezek 24:21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’
- Gen 39:7and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
- Job 31:1“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
- Judg 16:1–2One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
- Matt 5:28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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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 3:6 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
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