# Genesis 3:15 Question



## JohnStevenson (Feb 27, 2006)

Genesis 3:15 begins with the Lord saying to the serpent, " I will put enmity Between you and the woman..." The verse goes on to speak of the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, a passage I take to be Messianic. But my question regards THIS particular phrase. To what does this enmity between the serpent versus the woman refer?

Is it the snake and Eve?
Is is the snake and women in general?
Is it Satan and Israel?
Is it all of the above?


[Edited on 2-28-2006 by JohnStevenson]


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## bookslover (Oct 9, 2006)

*Genesis 3:15*

John:

I think there's an extrapolation in this verse. You're right that it's messianic; that's part of the extrapolation.

First, God says He will put enmity between Satan and the woman; then, by expansion or extrapolation, the enmity expands to "your offspring" = Satan's offspring, meaning the world of unbelievers, and "her offspring", meaning the world of believers.

God is telling her, proleptically, that the enmity which begins in Genesis 3:15 (which is the true dividing point of the Bible, not the white space between the two Testaments, as dispensationalists would have it) marks the starting point between the great, worldwide division between believers and unbelievers (with the latter constantly attacking the former, at Satan's instigation) which continues to the end of history. By reading Genesis attentively, one can see the division into these two camps begin with the murder of Abel by Cain (Genesis 4) with, at the end of that chapter, the difference between the descendants of Cain (Genesis 4:17-24) and those of Adam and Eve, beginning again with Seth (Genesis 4:25-26).

So, to answer your question shortly, the enmity is, initially, between Satan and the woman. But the same verse shows that the woman represents believers, with her ultimate "offspring" being the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hope this helps.


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## BobVigneault (Oct 9, 2006)

I was preaching on this very idea a few weeks ago. I broke the message into three parts and put it on my blog site. The message is called "The History of Redemption" and it is more devotional than academic but my arminian listeners sure got a lot out of it. Check it out when you have the time. Richard did a fine job of giving you a short answer. Brevity is next to godliness.

http://theheartbeatofheaven.solideogloria.com/


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 9, 2006)

Matthew Poole:



> Gen 3:15. Though now ye be sworn friends, leagued together against me, I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and the man too, but the woman alone is mentioned, for the devil's greater confusion. 1. The woman, whom, as the weaker vessel, thou didst seduce, shall be the great occasion of thy overthrow. 2. Because the Son of God, who conquered this great dragon and old serpent, Rev 12:9, who came to destroy the works of the devil, 1 John 3:8, was made of a woman, Gal 4:4, without the help of man, Isa 7:14; Luke 1:34-35.
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> Thy seed; literally, this serpent, and, for his sake, the whole seed or race of serpents, which of all creatures are most loathsome and terrible to mankind, and especially to women. Mystically, that evil spirit which seduced her, and with him the whole society of devils, (who are generally hated and dreaded by all men, even by those that serve and obey them, but much more by good men), and all wicked men; who, with regard to this text, are called devils, and the children or seed of the devil, John 6:70; John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8.
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Matthew Henry:



> I. The sentence passed upon the tempter may be considered as lighting upon the serpent, the brute-creature which Satan made use of which was, as the rest, made for the service of man, but was now abused to his hurt. Therefore, to testify a displeasure against sin, and a jealousy for the injured honour of Adam and Eve, God fastens a curse and reproach upon the serpent, and makes it to groan, being burdened. See Rom 8:20. The devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishments. Thus the bodies of the wicked, though only instruments of unrighteousness, shall partake of everlasting torments with the soul, the principal agent. Even the ox that killed a man must be stoned, Exod 21:28-29. See here how God hates sin, and especially how much displeased he is with those who entice others into sin. It is a perpetual brand upon Jeroboam's name that he made Israel to sin. Now, 1. The serpent is here laid under the curse of God: Thou art cursed above all cattle. Even the creeping things, when God made them, were blessed of him (Gen 1:22), but sin turned the blessing into a curse. The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field (Gen 3:1), and here, cursed above every beast of the field. Unsanctified subtlety often proves a great curse to a man; and the more crafty men are to do evil the more mischief they do, and, consequently, they shall receive the greater damnation. Subtle tempters are the most accursed creatures under the sun. 2. He is here laid under man's reproach and enmity. (1.) He is to be for ever looked upon as a vile and despicable creature, and a proper object of scorn and contempt: "Upon thy belly thou shalt go, no longer upon feet, or half erect, but thou shalt crawl along, thy belly cleaving to the earth," an expression of a very abject miserable condition, Ps 44:25; "and thou shalt not avoid eating dust with thy meat." His crime was that he tempted Eve to eat that which she should not; his punishment was that he was necessitated to eat that which he would not: Dust thou shalt eat. This denotes not only a base and despicable condition, but a mean and pitiful spirit; it is said of those whose courage has departed from them that they lick the dust like a serpent, Mic 7:17. How sad it is that the serpent's curse should be the covetous worldling's choice, whose character it is that he pants after the dust of the earth! Amos 2:7. These choose their own delusions, and so shall their doom be. (2.) He is to be for ever looked upon as a venomous noxious creature, and a proper object of hatred and detestation: I will put enmity between thee and the woman. The inferior creatures being made for man, it was a curse upon any of them to be turned against man and man against them; and this is part of the serpent's curse. The serpent is hurtful to man, and often bruises his heel, because it can reach no higher; nay, notice is taken of his biting the horses' heels, Gen 49:17. But man is victorious over the serpent, and bruises his head, that is, gives him a mortal wound, aiming to destroy the whole generation of vipers. It is the effect of this curse upon the serpent that, though that creature is subtle and very dangerous, yet it prevails not (as it would if God gave it commission) to the destruction of mankind. This sentence pronounced upon the serpent is much fortified by that promise of God to his people, Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder (Ps 91:13), and that of Christ to his disciples, They shall take up serpents (Mark 16:18), witness Paul, who was unhurt by the viper that fastened upon his hand. Observe here, The serpent and the woman had just now been very familiar and friendly in discourse about the forbidden fruit, and a wonderful agreement there was between them; but here they are irreconcilably set at variance. Note, Sinful friendships justly end in mortal feuds: those that unite in wickedness will not unite long.
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> II. This sentence may be considered as levelled at the devil, who only made use of the serpent as his vehicle in this appearance, but was himself the principal agent. He that spoke through the serpent's mouth is here struck at through the serpent's side, and is principally intended in the sentence, which, like the pillar of cloud and fire, has a dark side towards the devil and a bright side towards our first parents and their seed. Great things are contained in these words.
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John Calvin:



> Gen 3:15. I will put enmity. I interpret this simply to mean that there should always be the hostile strife between the human race and serpents, which is now apparent; for, by a secret feeling of nature, man abhors them. It is regarded, as among prodigies, that some men take pleasure in them; and as often as the sight of a serpent inspires us with horrors the memory of our fall is renewed. With this I combine in one continued discourse what immediately follows: 'It shall wound thy head, and thou shalt wound its heel.' For he declares that there shall be such hatred that on both sides they shall be troublesome to each other; the serpent shall be vexatious towards men, and men shall be intent on the destruction of serpents. Meanwhile, we see that the Lord acts mercifully in chastising man, whom he does not suffer Satan to touch except in the heel; while he subjects the head of the serpent to be wounded by him. For in the terms head and heel there is a distinction between the superior and the inferior. And thus God leaves some remains of dominion to man; because he so places the mutual disposition to injure each other, that yet their condition should not be equal, but man should be superior in the conflict. Jerome, in turning the first member of the sentence, 'Thou shalt bruise the head;'[39] and the second, "Thou shalt be ensnared in the heel",[40] does it without reason, for the same verb is repeated by Moses; the difference is to be noted only in the head and the heel, as I have just now said. Yet the Hebrew verb whether derived from Pe(, (shooph,) or from hp(, (shapha,) some interpret to bruise or to strike, others to bite.[41] I have, however, no doubt that Moses wished to allude to the name of the serpent which is called in Hebrew Nwpyp#, (shipiphon,) from hp#, (shapha,) or Pw# (shooph).[42]
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> We must now make a transition from the serpent to the author of this mischief himself; and that not only in the way of comparison, for there truly is a literal anagogy;[43] because God has not so vented his anger upon the outward instrument as to spare the devil, with whom lay all the blame.
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## BobVigneault (Oct 9, 2006)

...... And there you have the more academic than devotional. Isn't the Puritan Board awesome? Something for everyone.


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## caddy (Mar 6, 2007)

I still want to know where Poole can be found Online. Now that I have his commentaries I love them, but I would like to find him in a cut and paste online version if possible.



VirginiaHuguenot said:


> Matthew Poole:
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