Genesis 3:17
What does Genesis 3:17 mean?
A plain-English look at Genesis 3:17 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Genesis 3:17 means
God's judgment on Adam directly links his disobedience to his heeding his wife's voice over God's command. As a result, the ground itself is cursed "for thy sake," meaning because of his sin. This introduces toil and struggle into humanity's relationship with the earth, transforming labor from joyous stewardship into burdensome work. Adam's actions had cosmic consequences, impacting the very environment in which he lived.
Genesis 3:17 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 · 2000And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
KJV
King James Version · 1611And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And to Adam he said, Because you gave ear to the voice of your wife and took of the fruit of the tree which I said you were not to take, the earth is cursed on your account; in pain you will get your food from it all your life.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And to the man He said, `Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed <FI>is<Fi> the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed be the ground on thy account; with toil shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;
Context
This verse immediately follows the judgment upon the woman. God now turns to Adam, addressing his specific transgression of eating the fruit. This pronouncement shifts the consequences from personal relationships (woman) to humanity's interaction with the natural world, setting the stage for the specific expressions of this cursed ground, like thorns and thistles, in the subsequent verse.
v.16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
v.17This passage
v.18thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
- Matthew 25:26
But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter;
- Ecclesiastes 1:2
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
- Isaiah 24:5
The earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
- Jeremiah 7:23
but this thing I commanded them, saying, Hearken unto my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.
- Romans 3:19
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
Sermon ideas from Genesis 3:17
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Genesis 3:17 teaches us about temptation
What Genesis 3:17 teaches us about sin and shame
What Genesis 3:17 teaches us about the protoevangelium
What Genesis 3:17 teaches us about god's mercy in judgment
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