Genesis 3 Interpretation (Part 1)

Genesis 3 discusses the fall (NIV).

Verse 1 says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals…”

Think about that: the serpent was crafty; it does not call it the devil or talk about possession by the devil. (For some reason, you would have to wait until Revelation 12:9 for the serpent to be called the devil, and by then, it will have somehow “evolved” into a dragon, not my words but the Bible’s).

The verse also suggests that the serpent was more intelligent than man, given the interaction that follows down to verse 5. The serpent enquires about God’s instructions to Adam and Eve and explains from an informed perspective, suggesting that it was indeed more knowledgeable than them. Yes, a snake is wiser than a human being, and we are not told whether this was reversed at some point. Not even in the consequent cursing will the snake be stripped of its wisdom, let alone its ability to talk.

Did the serpent lie?

In verses 4 and 5, the good book says,

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Now, from these verses, did the serpent lie? To be fair enough, both yes and no present substantial arguments. For instance, Adam and Eve did not die after eating the fruit. They lived long enough to establish generations. Even if they eventually died, it could have resulted from something else. Similarly, the serpent did not lie about Adam and Eve becoming more knowledgeable. Verse 7 supports this argument when it states, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked.” Remember that this chapter is overly quoted about the devil being a liar. If indeed it is at the center of everything, why is its argument so weak?

Verse 6 also mentions that Eve was with Adam at this time. This is contrary to a common interpretation, which insinuates that the man was elsewhere while the snake was deceiving the woman. Verse 6 reads, “… she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” The community that wrote the Bible was so much into male chauvinism, and that is why an interpretation placing most of the blame on women dominates.

Verse 8 describes how the duo heard God walking around the garden. Here, an “omnipresent God” is walking. We have talked about personifying God in a different article. Such personification, which gives a figure deemed so powerful human characteristics, ironically downgrades it. At least present a God who does not sound like a fellow human being or, at their best, a superhuman.

Curses against the serpent

The story goes on and gets more interesting when God curses the serpent, the man, and the woman. Remember to this far, the chapter does not talk about the devil, at least not in the NIV. According to verses 14 and 15, the following were the curses against the serpent:

1. Cursed above all livestock and wild animals
2. Crawl on your belly
3. Eat dust all the days of your life
4. Have enmity between you and woman and between your offsprings and hers
5. He (woman) will crush your head and you will strike his (woman) heel.

Now, let’s check if indeed these “curses” took effect. The serpent is the snake we know, right?

1. Cursed above all animals? The snake does not appear to be the most cursed or unfortunate animal. Think about a gazelle that spends its lifetime dodging carnivores and omnivores such as snakes and humans, respectively. I’m not saying that the gazelle is cursed, either.
2. Craw on your belly? It’s an energy-efficient mode of locomotion, even better than walking on twos. Crawling is a form of locomotion, just like walking, flying, or swimming. Even without legs, most snakes can outrun legged animals, including humans. They can swim more swiftly, climb trees, and even jump over branches. Besides, there are numerous other crawling animals. How better is the crawling of a millipede, which has numerous legs, compared to that of a snake, which has none? Crawling is more of a mobility adaptation to environmental demands and quite an efficient one on that note. The snake does not need legs, for the same reason a whale doesn’t, and neither do you need fins or wings, but if they were there, maybe they would be of good use. Dibs on wings.
3. Eat dust? Which snakes eat dust? From where I come from, earthworms eat dust, not the snake. On the contrary, snakes are high on the food chain, feasting on other animals. They are carnivorous. Some, like the black mamba, rarely slither on bare roads because they spend their time on trees and in environments where green vegetation covers the dust quite effectively. In the desert where Bible authors came from, yes, you will find some species that spend their time in the sand, but so do lizards. Even with such exposure to dust, asthma is more of a concern to humans than to snakes or lizards. Humans may be uncomfortable with dust, but it is not the same for snakes. They love it; it warms them up, enables them to hide and catch their prey, and has many other advantages.
4. About enmity, I know I am a woman’s offspring, but I do not hate snakes, and many other people have no enmity against animals. Of course, you do not want it biting you, so you keep a safe distance, but do you play around lions or hyenas either?
5. He (woman) will crush your head? First, I will ignore the grammar. Back in my country, we formulate laws to protect snakes, not crush them. We have snake parks. We do not condone cruelty against animals, be it a snake or a squirrel.

In conclusion, if we apply objective judgment, the “curses” against the snake outlined in Genesis 3, verses 14 and 15 did not take effect. “God” should be angry because the snake does not appear to suffer any more than do other animals. The legless animal blatantly defied the condemnation of being “cursed above all livestock and wild animals.”

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