Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Parallel translations
- WEB They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
- KJV And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
- NKJV And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
- NASB Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
- NLT When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
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
Hearing God in the garden, the man and woman hide from him. Sin breaks fellowship and drives people away from God's presence.
Overview
When they hear the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden, the couple hide themselves among the trees, afraid to face the God they once enjoyed. Sin has shattered their open fellowship with God, replacing intimacy with fear and concealment. Yet God comes seeking them, a first glimpse of the grace that pursues sinners and culminates in Christ who seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Jer 23:24“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Heb 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- Prov 15:3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
- Job 34:21–22For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.
- Ps 139:1–12For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- Rom 2:15So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
- Jonah 1:9–10“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
- Gen 3:10“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
- Amos 9:2–3Though they dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, from there I will pull them down.
- Job 31:33if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,
- Jonah 1:3Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
- Job 38:1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
- Deut 5:25But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
- Deut 4:33Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?
- Deut 23:14For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.
- Job 22:14Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 3:8 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.