Genesis 3:6 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Genesis 3:6
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.
a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
saw
וַתֵּ֣רֶאva.Te.re'
H7200
to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
tree
הָעֵ֨ץha.'Etz
H6086
a tree (from its firmness) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
good
טוֹב֩tOv
H2896
good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
food
לְמַאֲכָ֜לle.ma.'a.Khal
H3978
an eatable (includ. provender · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
it
ה֣וּאhu'
H1931
he (she or it) · personal pronoun, 3rd person masculine singular
pleasant
תַֽאֲוָהta.'a.vah-
H8378
a longing · noun, common feminine singular absolute
eyes
לָעֵינַ֗יִםla.'ei.Na.yim
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine dual absolute
tree
הָעֵץ֙ha.'Etz
H6086
a tree (from its firmness) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
desired
וְנֶחְמָ֤דve.nech.Mad
H2530
to delight in · conjunction + verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular absolute
wise
לְהַשְׂכִּ֔ילle.has.Kil
H7919
to be (causatively · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct
took
וַתִּקַּ֥חva.ti.Kach
H3947
to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
thereof
מִפִּרְי֖וֹmi.pir.Yo
H6529
fruit (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
eat
וַתֹּאכַ֑לva.to.Khal
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
gave
וַתִּתֵּ֧ןva.ti.Ten
H5414
to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
also
גַּםgam-
H1571
properly · adverb
husband
לְאִישָׁ֛הּle.'i.Shah
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
eat
וַיֹּאכַֽלvai.yo.Khal
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the wo…
James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
1 Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
2 Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he…
Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, the…
Romans 5:12-19 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Ezekiel 24:16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy t…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 3:6-8
Here we see what Eve's parley with the tempter ended in. Satan, at length, gains his point, and the strong-hold is taken by his wiles. God tried the obedience of our first parents by forbidding them the tree of knowledge, and Satan does, as it were, join issue with God, and in that very thing undertakes to seduce them into a transgression; and here we find how he prevailed, God permitting it for wise and holy ends.
I. We have here the inducements that moved them to transgress. The woman, being deceived by the tempter's artful management, was ringleader in the transgression, Ti1 2:14. She was first in the fault; and it was the result of her consideration, or rather her inconsideration. 1. She…
THE FALL. (Gen 3:6-9)
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food--Her imagination and feelings were completely won; and the fall of Eve was soon followed by that of Adam. The history of every temptation, and of every sin, is the same; the outward object of attraction, the inward commotion of mind, the increase and triumph of passionate desire; ending in the degradation, slavery, and ruin of the soul (Jam 1:15; Jo1 2:16).
Adam Clarke on Genesis 3:6
The tree was good for food -
1. The fruit appeared to be wholesome and nutritive. And that it was pleasant to the eyes.
2. The beauty of the fruit tended to whet and increase appetite. And a tree to be desired to make one wise, which was,
3. An additional motive to please the palate.
From these three sources all natural and moral evil sprang: they are exactly what the apostle calls the desire of the flesh; the tree was good for food: the desire of the eye; it was pleasant to the sight: and the pride of life; it was a tree to be desired to make one wise. God had undoubtedly created our first parents not only very wise and intelligent, but also with a great capacity and suitable propensity to…
She hastened to eat before her husband that she might become head over her head, that she might become the one to give command to that one by whom she was to be commanded and that she might be older in divinity than that one who was older than she in humanity.
In paradise, rebellion certainly began in the soul. There began the process of giving consent to breaking the commandment. This is why the serpent said, "You shall be as gods." But the whole man committed the sin. It was then that the flesh was made sinful flesh, whose faults could be healed only by the One who came in the likeness of sinful flesh.
Temperance, therefore, is what cuts off desires. God commanded that this be held by the first humans, saying: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, you shall not eat; and you shall not touch it, lest you die. And because it was not retained, therefore the transgressors of excellent virtue became exiles from paradise, and devoid of immortality. This Law teaches it, and infuses it into the affections of all.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Adam — Red, a Babylonian word, the generic name for man, having the same meaning in the Hebrew and the Assyrian languages. It was the name given to the first man, whose creation, fall, and subsequent…
Devil — (Gr. diabolos), a slanderer, the arch-enemy of man’s spiritual interest (Job 1:6; Rev. 2:10; Zech. 3:1). He is called also “the accuser of the brethen” (Rev. 12:10). In Lev. 17:7 the word “devil” is…
Serpent — (Heb. nahash; Gr. ophis), frequently noticed in Scripture. More than forty species are found in Syria and Arabia. The poisonous character of the serpent is alluded to in Jacob’s blessing on Dan (Gen.…
Sin — Is “any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God” (1 John 3:4; Rom. 4:15), in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by…
Tree of the knowledge of good and evil — Stood in the midst of the garden of Eden, beside the tree of life (Gen. 2, 3). Adam and Eve were forbidden to take of the fruit which grew upon it. But they disobeyed the divine injunction, and so…
Ambition · .Eve — .Eve
Covetousness · .Eve, in — .Eve, in
Curiosity · .Of Eve — .Of Eve
Devil, The · The author of the fall — The author of the fall
Disobedience To God · .Of Adam and Eve, eating the forbid — .Of Adam and Eve, eating the forbid
Fall Of Man · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Fall Of Man, The
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,.... She being near the tree, and perhaps just at it when the serpent first attacked her; wherefore looking more wishfully at it, she could discern nothing in the fruit of the tree which showed it to be bad, and unfit to be eaten, or why it should be forbidden for food; but, on the contrary, had a most promising aspect to be very delicious, nourishing and salutary, as any other fruit in the garden:
and that it was pleasant to the eyes; of a beautiful colour, and very inviting to the taste:
and a tree to be desired to make one wise; which above all was the most engaging, and was the most prevailing motive to influence her to eat of it,…
And when the woman saw This impure look of Eve, infected with the poison of concupiscence, was both the messenger and the witness of an impure heart. She could previously behold the tree with such sincerity, that no desire to eat of it affected her mind; for the faith she had in the word of God was the best guardian of her heart, and of all her senses. But now, after the heart had declined from faith, and from obedience to the word, she corrupted both herself and all her senses, and depravity was diffused through all parts of her soul as well as her body. It is, therefore, a sign of impious defection, that the woman now judges the tree to be good for food, eagerly delights herself in beholdi…
The illusive hope of being like God excited a longing for the forbidden fruit. "The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure to the eyes, and to be desired to make one wise (השׂכּיל signifies to gain or show discernment or insight); and she took of its fruit and ate, and gave to her husband by her (who was present), and he did eat." As distrust of God's command leads to a disregard of it, so the longing for a false independence excites a desire for the seeming good that has been prohibited; and this desire is fostered by the senses, until it brings forth sin. Doubt, unbelief, and pride were the roots of the sin of our first parents, as they have been of all the s…
She saw . . . she wanted: The woman made two grave errors. (1) She assumed the right to decide what was and was not good, though God alone has this right; and (2) she coveted God’s wisdom (see Deut 5:21). • her husband . . . with her: Although Scripture is clear about the woman’s central role in the Fall (cp. 1 Tim 2:14), the man was clearly present and culpable as well. He comes to center stage in the verses that follow and in biblical theology. The consequence of his sin for the entire human race was immense. The Good News is that in Jesus Christ, the “second Adam,” God has made salvation universally available (Rom 5:12-21).
Man · Disobeyed God by eating part of the forbidden fruit — Disobeyed God by eating part of the forbidden fruit
Serpent · Satan appears to Eve in the form of — Satan appears to Eve in the form of
Sin · Entered into the world by Adam — Entered into the world by Adam
Temptation · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Tree · Of knowledge — Of knowledge
Unbelief · .Eve — .Eve
Woman · Deceived by Satan — Deceived by Satan
Women · Fall of, and curse upon — Fall of, and curse upon
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
