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Bible Q

What does the word ‘beguiled’ mean in Genesis chapter 3?

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat (Gen 3:13 [KJV]) The English word “beguiled” means “to charm someone, perhaps deceptively”. The Hebrew word here is nasha meaning “to lead astray”, “to delude” or “to seduce”. […]

Did the serpent of Eden have legs before the Fall?

We are given no description of the serpent prior to the Fall except that he was “crafty” (Gen 3:1). The curse upon the serpent to go on his belly and to eat dust (Gen 3:14) could be reasonably interpreted as saying that the serpent did not go on his belly before the Fall. If we […]

How could the serpent of Eden talk?

We are not told how the serpent could talk so we can only speculate, but here are some ideas: The serpent is described as being “more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made” (Gen 3:1). This may indicate a higher level of intellect than normal animals. So one […]

Could Adam have been the serpent?

The serpent cannot have been Adam because: The serpent was a beast of the field.  Genesis 3:1 When questioned by God about the eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed Eve who then blamed the snake.  This order would not make sense if Adam was the serpent. God handed out punishments to 3 entities – […]

Was the serpent in the Garden of Eden a literal, talking serpent, or was it a manifestation of Eve’s temptation, like Jesus’ tempter?

I believe that the serpent in the Garden was a literal talking serpent for the following reasons: The punishment decreed on the serpent applied/s to the serpent/snakes, not Eve/women The consequences of this event to humankind have been literal: Most people regard snakes with loathing Snakes have no limbs or wings Womankind suffers greatly through […]

Who is the seed of the serpent in Genesis 3:15?

In Genesis 3:15 God speaks to the snake in Eden: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (3:15 ESV) Taken literally that would be read to mean that there would be enmity between snakes and […]