Genesis 3:15

This verse seems to say that snakes would hurt people. And it seems to say that people would kill snakes. Perhaps it means that. But, if it means that, it has a more important meaning too.

The devil was using the snake. (See the comment on verse 1.) So the first half of this verse means that people and the devil would be enemies.

In the second half of the verse, God says that a man will hurt the devil’s head. A hurt of the head means a hurt that will cause death. And he says that the devil will hurt the man’s foot. A hurt of the foot means a hurt that will not cause death. So the devil would cause damage but he would lose the fight. This has happened in many ways at many times.

Jesus Christ was a *descendant of Eve. And when Jesus died, the devil made him suffer great injury and pain. We might say, ‘The devil hurt his foot.’ But Jesus won the fight against the devil. So we might say, ‘Jesus hurt the devil’s head.’ And God promised that, when he spoke to Adam and Eve. That is a part of what God meant.

Man and woman turned themselves away from God. But God had a plan to bring men and women back to himself. It was God’s plan that Jesus would come into the world. And God made a promise about this to Adam and Eve. But he did not explain it clearly at that time. He explained it more clearly afterwards.

v16 God said to the woman,

‘You will have much pain when you have children.

You will have pain when your children are born.

You will desire your husband’s love, but he will rule over you.’

v17 And God said to Adam,

‘You listened to the words that your wife said.

I *commanded you not to eat the fruit of that tree, but you ate it.

Therefore, the ground will produce little because of you.

You will work hard for your whole life in order to eat.

v18 When you eat the products of the earth,

the ground will produce thorns and thistles for you.

v19 By hard labour you will eat your food until you die.

Then you will return to the ground.

I made you out of the dust on the ground.

You are dust and you will become dust again.’