Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
And I will put enmity
The Hebrew word for "enmity" is "אֵיבָה" (eybah), which signifies hostility or animosity. This enmity is divinely instituted by God Himself, indicating a profound and enduring conflict. Historically, this enmity is seen as the spiritual warfare between good and evil, a theme that runs throughout the Bible. It is not merely a personal animosity but a cosmic struggle that involves all of humanity.

between you and the woman
The "you" refers to the serpent, which in Christian theology is often identified with Satan. The "woman" is Eve, representing humanity. This phrase suggests a perpetual conflict between Satan and humanity. Theologically, it underscores the role of women in God's redemptive plan, as it is through a woman that the Savior would eventually come.

and between your seed and her seed
The term "seed" (Hebrew: "זֶרַע" - zera) can mean offspring or descendants. "Your seed" refers to the followers of Satan, those who align themselves with evil. "Her seed" is a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ, who is born of a woman, Mary, without a human father, emphasizing the virgin birth. This phrase sets the stage for the unfolding narrative of redemption through Christ.

He will crush your head
The "He" is a messianic prophecy pointing to Jesus Christ. The act of crushing the head signifies a decisive and ultimate victory over Satan. In ancient Near Eastern culture, crushing the head of an enemy symbolized total defeat. This prophecy foreshadows Christ's victory over sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection.

and you will strike his heel
The serpent's striking of the heel represents the suffering and crucifixion of Christ. While it is a painful and real wound, it is not a fatal blow. This imagery conveys the idea that while Satan would inflict suffering on Christ, it would not result in ultimate defeat. Instead, it is through this suffering that Christ achieves victory over sin.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The speaker of the verse, pronouncing judgment and prophecy after the fall of man.

2. The Serpent
Represents Satan, who deceived Eve, leading to the fall of humanity.

3. The Woman (Eve)
The first woman, who was deceived by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit.

4. The Seed of the Woman
Often interpreted as a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ, who would ultimately defeat Satan.

5. The Seed of the Serpent
Represents the followers of Satan and evil throughout history.
Teaching Points
The Protoevangelium
Genesis 3:15 is often called the "Protoevangelium," meaning "first gospel," as it is the first promise of redemption and victory over sin and Satan.

The Battle Between Good and Evil
This verse sets the stage for the cosmic struggle between good and evil, which is a central theme throughout the Bible.

The Promise of Redemption
The prophecy of the "seed of the woman" points to Jesus Christ, offering hope and redemption to humanity.

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
Believers are reminded of the ongoing spiritual battle and the ultimate victory promised through Christ.

The Role of Women in God's Plan
The mention of the "seed of the woman" highlights the significant role women play in God's redemptive plan.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Genesis 3:15 provide hope in the midst of the fall of humanity?

2. In what ways do you see the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent playing out in the world today?

3. How does the promise of Genesis 3:15 connect to the life and work of Jesus Christ?

4. What practical steps can you take to engage in spiritual warfare, knowing the ultimate victory is promised in Christ?

5. How can understanding the role of women in God's redemptive plan, as seen in Genesis 3:15, influence your view of gender roles in the church and society?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 7:14
This verse speaks of the virgin birth, connecting to the "seed of the woman" as a miraculous birth.

Romans 16:20
Paul speaks of God crushing Satan under the feet of believers, echoing the promise of Genesis 3:15.

Revelation 12:17
Describes the dragon (Satan) making war against the woman's offspring, reflecting the ongoing enmity.

Galatians 4:4
Refers to Jesus being born of a woman, fulfilling the prophecy of the "seed of the woman."

1 John 3:8
States that the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil, fulfilling the crushing of the serpent's head.
Blessings Through MessiahA. Fuller.Genesis 3:15
Bruising the Head of EvilHomilistGenesis 3:15
Christ the Conqueror of SatanSpurgeon, Charles HaddonGenesis 3:15
First ThingsH. O. Mackey.Genesis 3:15
God's Great Patience, not Withstanding Man's ProvocationsJ. Spencer.Genesis 3:15
LessonsH. Bonar, D. D.Genesis 3:15
Man's Restoration PromisedJ. White, M. A.Genesis 3:15
The Beginning of the GospelJ. M. Gibson, D. D.Genesis 3:15
The Believer's Conflict with SatanR. P. Buddicom, M. A.Genesis 3:15
The Curse of Satan Including a Blessing to ManA. Fuller.Genesis 3:15
The First PromiseW. Arnot, D. D.Genesis 3:15
The First PromiseFlavel, JohnGenesis 3:15
The Gospel Preached in ParadiseManton, ThomasGenesis 3:15
The RemedyW. Adamson.Genesis 3:15
The Word of God in the Moral ChaosR.A. Redford Genesis 3:9-24
Lessons of the FallA. Maclaren, D. D.Genesis 3:13-21
ObservationsJ. White, M. A.Genesis 3:13-21
The First SinDean Vaughan.Genesis 3:13-21
The General Results of the FallJ. S. Exell, M. A.Genesis 3:13-21
The Moral and Penal Results of the FallF. W. Robertson, M. A.Genesis 3:13-21
The Doom of Satan and the Hope of ManW. Roberts Genesis 3:14, 15
People
Adam, Eve
Places
Eden
Topics
Bruise, Crush, Crushed, Enmity, Foot, Heel, Hers, Offspring, Seed, Strike, War, Wounded
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 3:15

     2411   cross, predictions
     4116   angels, opposed to God
     5160   heel
     5282   crushing
     5564   suffering, of Christ
     6708   predestination
     7950   mission, of Christ
     8729   enemies, of Christ
     8795   persecution, nature of

Genesis 3:1-15

     4687   snake

Genesis 3:1-16

     5745   women

Genesis 3:1-24

     6023   sin, universality

Genesis 3:5-19

     5033   knowledge, of good and evil

Genesis 3:6-22

     5290   defeat

Genesis 3:8-19

     6155   fall, of Adam and Eve
     8822   self-justification

Genesis 3:9-19

     1443   revelation, OT

Genesis 3:14-15

     1310   God, as judge
     8738   evil, victory over

Genesis 3:14-17

     5483   punishment

Genesis 3:14-19

     4241   Garden of Eden
     5493   retribution

Genesis 3:15-16

     5663   childbirth

Genesis 3:15-17

     5436   pain

Library
Eden Lost and Restored
'So He drove out the man: and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.' --GENESIS iii. 24. 'Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.' REVELATION xxii. 14. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning.' Eden was fair, but the heavenly city shall be fairer. The Paradise regained is an advance on the Paradise
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How Sin came In
'Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But 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. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know, that
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ignorance of Evil.
"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil."--Gen. iii. 22. It is plain that the temptation under which man fell in paradise was this, an ambitious curiosity after knowledge which was not allowed him: next came the desire of the eyes and the flesh, but the forbidden tree was called the tree of knowledge; the Tempter promised knowledge; and after the fall Almighty God pronounced, as in the text, that man had gained it. "Behold, the man is become as
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

God Willing that all Men Should be Saved.
"Who will have all Men to be saved,--." In verse first, the apostle directs "prayers and thanksgivings to be made for all men;"--which he declares to "be good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved." Had salvation been provided for only a part of the human race, prayer and thanksgivings could have been, consistently made only for a part. Those for whom no provision was made, would be in like state with persons who have committed the sin unto death, for
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

Christ the Conqueror of Satan
Is it not remarkable that this great gospel promise should have been delivered so soon after the transgression? As yet no sentence had been pronounced upon either of the two human offenders, but the promise was given under the form of a sentence pronounced upon the serpent Not yet had the woman been condemned to painful travail, or the man to exhausting labour, or even the soil to the curse of thorn and thistle. Truly "mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Before the Lord had said "dust thou art and
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 22: 1876

On the Fall
(Sexagesima Sunday.) GENESIS iii. 12. And the man said, The woman, whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. This morning we read the history of Adam's fall in the first Lesson. Now does this story seem strange to you, my friends? Do you say to yourselves, If I had been in Adam's place, I should never have been so foolish as Adam was? If you do say so, you cannot have looked at the story carefully enough. For if you do look at it carefully, I believe you will find
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Voice of the Lord God
(Preached also at the Chapel Royal, St. James, Sexagesima Sunday.) GENESIS iii. 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. These words would startle us, if we heard them for the first time. I do not know but that they may startle us now, often as we have heard them, if we think seriously over them. That God should appear to mortal man, and speak with mortal man. It is most wonderful. It is utterly unlike anything that we have ever seen, or that any
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch

The God of Nature (Preached During a Wet Harvest. )
PSALM cxlvii. 7-9. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. There is no reason why those who wrote this Psalm, and the one which follows it, should have looked more cheerfully on the world about them than we have a right to do. The country and climate of Judea is not much superior
Charles Kingsley—The Water of Life and Other Sermons

The Protevangelium.
As the mission of Christ was rendered necessary by the fall of man, so the first dark intimation of Him was given immediately after the fall. It is found in the sentence of punishment which was passed upon the tempter. Gen. iii. 14, 15. A correct understanding of it, however, can be obtained only after we have ascertained who the tempter was. It is, in the first place, unquestionable that a real serpent was engaged in the temptation; so that the opinion of those who maintain that the serpent is only
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

His Past Work.
His past work was accomplished by Him when he became incarnate. It was finished when He died on Calvary's cross. We have therefore to consider first of all these fundamentals of our faith. I. The Work of the Son of God is foreshadowed and predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures. II. The incarnation of the Son of God. III. His Work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. I. Through the Old Testament Scriptures, God announced beforehand the work of His Son. This is a great theme and one
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

Adam's Sin
Q-15: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED? A: That sin was eating the forbidden fruit. 'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband.' Gen 3:3. Here is implied, 1. That our first parents fell from their estate of innocence. 2. The sin by which they fell, was eating the forbidden fruit. I. Our first parents fell from their glorious state of innocence. God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Eccl
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The First Lie.
"Ye shall not surely die."--GENESIS iii. 4. I.--WHO WAS THE FIRST LIAR? The old serpent, the devil, called elsewhere "the father of lies." But he had not always been a liar; he had fallen from a position very eminent, teaching us not to measure our safety by our condition. The higher we are elevated, the more dreadful the fall. Some of the most degraded vagrants were cradled in comfort, and have wandered from homes of splendour. Perhaps the vilest of the vile once were ministers of the Gospel.
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Adam. Gen 3:09
John Newton 8,6,8,6 ADAM. Gen 3:9 On man, in his own image made, How much did GOD bestow? The whole creation homage paid, And owned him LORD, below! He dwelt in Eden's garden, stored With sweets for every sense; And there with his descending LORD He walked in confidence. But O! by sin how quickly changed! His honor forfeited, His heart, from God and truth, estranged, His conscience filled with dread! Now from his Maker's voice he flees, Which was before his joy: And thinks to hide, amidst the
John Newton—Olney Hymns

Elucidations.
I. (We here behold only shadows, etc., p. 335.) Schleiermacher, [2821] in commenting on Plato's Symposium, remarks: "Even natural birth (i.e., in Plato's system) was nothing but a reproduction of the same eternal form and idea....The whole discussion displays the gradation, not only from that pleasure which arises from the contemplation of personal beauty through that which every larger object, whether single or manifold, may occasion, to that immediate pleasure of which the source is in the Eternal
Methodius—The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, or Concerning Chastity

Man's Responsibility for his Acts.
THE STORY OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN.--Gen. 3. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible, Vol. I, 37-42. Drummond, Ideal Life, Chaps. on Sin. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eye, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened and they beard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Job's Faith and Expectation
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand in the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. C hristianity, that is, the religion of which MESSIAH is the author and object, the foundation, life, and glory, though not altogether as old as creation, is nearly so. It is coeval [contemporary] with the first promise and intimation of mercy given to fallen man. When Adam, by transgression, had violated the order and law of
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Plan for the Coming of Jesus.
God's Darling, Psalms 8:5-8.--the plan for the new man--the Hebrew picture by itself--difference between God's plan and actual events--one purpose through breaking plans--the original plan--a starting point--getting inside. Fastening a Tether inside: the longest way around--the pedigree--the start. First Touches on the Canvas: the first touch, Genesis 3:15.--three groups of prediction--first group: to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; to Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-15; through Jacob,
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of Its Author
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." This Scripture has both a negative
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

On Earthly Things
The earth is man himself; in the gospel: another has fallen into the good earth. The same in a bad part about the sinner: you devour the earth all the days of your life. [Mark 4:18; Genesis 3:14] The dry lands are the flesh of a fruitless man; in Ecclesiastes, to work in a dry land with evil and sorrow. [Ecclesiastes 37:3] The dust is a sinner or the vanity of the flesh; in the psalm: like the dust, which the wind blows about. [Ps. 1:4 Vulgate] The mud is the gluttony of sinners; in the psalm: tear
St. Eucherius of Lyons—The Formulae of St. Eucherius of Lyons

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