Devine Scripture

Genesis 3:14

What does Genesis 3:14 mean?

A plain-English look at Genesis 3:14 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Genesis 3:14 means

God pronounces the first curse upon the serpent, holding it fully accountable for its deception. The curse transforms the serpent's physical form, compelling it to crawl on its belly and eat dust, symbolizing its humiliation and degradation. This judgment establishes a clear distinction between the serpent and all other creatures, marking it as uniquely cursed for its role in humanity's fall.

Genesis 3:14 in context

Genesis 3 — The Fall of Man

Into the garden of the previous chapter comes the serpent, more subtle than any beast of the field. He casts doubt on God's word, then on God's goodness, and at last persuades the woman that the way to be like God is to disobey him. Adam, present and silent, eats with her. Innocence collapses into shame; communion with God gives way to hiding; the man blames the woman, the woman blames the serpent, and creation itself is cursed. Yet at the very moment of judgment a promise is given: the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head (3:15). It is the gospel in seed form.

  • Temptation
  • Sin and shame
  • The protoevangelium
  • God's mercy in judgment

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And the Lord God said to the snake, Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and every beast of the field; you will go flat on the earth, and dust will be your food all the days of your life:

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And Jehovah God saith unto the serpent, `Because thou hast done this, cursed <FI>art<Fi> thou above all the cattle, and above every beast of the field: on thy belly dost thou go, and dust thou dost eat, all days of thy life;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And Jehovah Elohim said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this, be thou cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. On thy belly shalt thou go, and eat dust all the days of thy life.

Context

This verse begins the pronouncements of judgment after Adam and Eve's explanations. God addresses the serpent first and directly, holding it primarily responsible for initiating the temptation. This curse upon the serpent precedes the judgments upon the woman and the man, highlighting the source of the evil and setting the stage for the redemptive promise embedded in the very next verse.

v.13And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

v.14This passage

v.15and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Leviticus 20:25

    Ye shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by bird, or by anything wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have separated from you as unclean.

  • Psalms 72:9

    They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.

  • Exodus 21:28

    And if an ox gore a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.

  • Isaiah 29:4

    And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

  • Deuteronomy 28:15

    But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.

  • Micah 7:17

    They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee.

Sermon ideas from Genesis 3:14

Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.

  • What Genesis 3:14 teaches us about temptation

  • What Genesis 3:14 teaches us about sin and shame

  • What Genesis 3:14 teaches us about the protoevangelium

  • What Genesis 3:14 teaches us about god's mercy in judgment

Related questions readers ask

Keep reading

Want to dig deeper? Explore Genesis 3

Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Genesis 3.

Keep exploring

Follow this verse across Scripture

Topics, devotionals, original-language word studies, and figures connected to Genesis 3:14.

Browse every hub

BibleTopicsBible answersDevotionalsFamous passagesWord studiesPeoplePlacesVerses for…Reading plansCommentary