Genesis 3:18
What does Genesis 3:18 mean?
A plain-English look at Genesis 3:18 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Genesis 3:18 means
The cursed ground will no longer yield its bounty effortlessly. Instead, it will produce "thorns also and thistles," symbols of persistent struggle and frustrating labor. Adam will now have to toil diligently, eating the "herb of the field," signifying a sustained effort to extract sustenance from a reluctant earth. This illustrates the pervasive impact of sin, transforming an abundant garden into a challenging wilderness requiring constant effort.
Genesis 3:18 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 · 2000thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Thorns and waste plants will come up, and the plants of the field will be your food;
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890and thorns and thistles shall it yield thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.
Context
This verse elaborates on the curse pronounced upon the ground in the previous verse, giving specific examples of its impact. It details the practical consequences of the cursed ground, leading directly into the description of Adam's arduous labor and his ultimate mortality. This further illustrates the drastic change in humanity's existence outside of God's perfect provision.
v.17And 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;
v.18This passage
v.19in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 90:3
Thou turnest man to destruction, And sayest, Return, ye children of men.
- Jeremiah 12:13
They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain, and profit nothing: and ye shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the fierce anger of Jehovah.
- Proverbs 24:31
And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
- Psalms 104:2
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;
- Proverbs 22:5
Thornsandsnares are in the way of the perverse: He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.
- Psalms 104:14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth,
Sermon ideas from Genesis 3:18
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Genesis 3:18 teaches us about temptation
What Genesis 3:18 teaches us about sin and shame
What Genesis 3:18 teaches us about the protoevangelium
What Genesis 3:18 teaches us about god's mercy in judgment
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