Devine Scripture

Genesis 3:4

What does Genesis 3:4 mean?

A plain-English look at Genesis 3:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Genesis 3:4 means

The serpent directly contradicts God's solemn warning, asserting that they would "not surely die." This bold statement is a direct attack on God's truthfulness and the consequence of disobedience. By denying the penalty, the tempter seeks to remove the fear of divine judgment, painting God as either a liar or an overbearing authority. This outright falsehood is crucial in dismantling the woman's trust in God's word.

Genesis 3:4 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 the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And the snake said, Death will not certainly come to you:

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And the serpent saith unto the woman, `Dying, ye do not die,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not certainly die;

Context

This verse marks a significant escalation in the temptation. It directly follows the woman's articulation of God's command, including her slight embellishment. The serpent's blunt contradiction of God's word is a crucial turning point, moving from subtle questioning to outright denial. This sets the stage for the serpent's subsequent explanation of *why* God supposedly issued the command, further twisting God's motives.

v.3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

v.4This passage

v.5for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Cross references

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

  • 2 Kings 1:6

    And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

  • Deuteronomy 29:19

    and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

  • 2 Kings 1:4

    Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

  • Genesis 3:13

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

  • 1 Timothy 2:14

    and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:

  • John 8:44

    Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.

Sermon ideas from Genesis 3:4

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

  • What Genesis 3:4 teaches us about temptation

  • What Genesis 3:4 teaches us about sin and shame

  • What Genesis 3:4 teaches us about the protoevangelium

  • What Genesis 3:4 teaches us about god's mercy in judgment

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