Genesis 3: 1 Commentary

If the serpent is Satan, why is he compared to the other beasts “of the field”?

By Charles (wrote 1421 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 9/16/2011 01:52 am

Jason (Post #3): “The serpent” is a recognized Biblical name or title for Satan. Satan himself is not a reptile, but, Satan acted cleverly, craftily, and subtly through a serpent which has similar traits. Eve did not accuse “a serpent” of deceiving her, but rather accused “the serpent” of deceiving her (Gen. 3:13).

Paul referred to Satan as “the serpent” who beguiled Eve through his subtlety (2 Cor. 11:3). The Apostle John called Satan “the great dragon” that God “cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…” (Rev. 12:9). A Seraph will single-handedly arrest Satan called the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and will bound him for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:2).

By Roland G (wrote 1411 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 8/1/2011 00:31 am

I always thought Satan deceived Eve, but while rereading this Bible chapter I don’t find any direct reference to Satan. Is there any proof the serpent was indeed Satan the Devil?

By jason (wrote 1 Bible Commentary - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 7/31/2011 18:34 pm

Satan decided to tempt Eve at a time when she was alone and not engaged in companionship with Adam as had been her purpose when she was created. Eve had been created after: “…the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Genesis 2:18.) Together, Adam and Eve could have reminded themselves of what God had said and repelled Satan’s attack.

By kb (wrote 16 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 2/19/2011 22:33 pm

Something wicked this way comes:
“The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

What Adams (an atheist) wrote in his sci-fi comedy book seems to ring true for many people. Some believe that there cannot be a God because of the current condition. Even famous religious folk have wondered “why do bad things happen to good people?” The fault does not lie with God. The blame belongs to people who choose to disobey Him. Before one can fully understand the solution (Messiah), one should first fully understand the problem (sin). At the end of Chapter 1, God declared His creation “very good”. Chapter 2 was an in-depth report on the sixth day. So the first question is: How did a subtil serpent get into God’s good garden? These particular verses do not provide any clues, but later in Scripture the connection is made between Satan and a dragon/serpent (Rev 12:9 & 20:2). Satan used the serpent in the garden. The second question then is: When did Lucifer fall from being an angel to become the demon Satan? Again, no clues are found here. But since creation was “very good” after day six, then his fall happened a very short time after day seven. This was probably the Sunday after the Saturday. That would make since: Death entered on a Sunday but was later conquered on a Sunday. There was no death prior to this, so no dinosaurs died and left fossils until after the Eden expulsion. If there is a gap it is not between Gen 1:1 and 1:2, but rather between chapter 2 and chapter 3. There is a lot about angels and demons that I admit I don’t quite understand. They do not seem to be a trinity as man is. They are not in God’s image, which some use to suggest that Lucifer was jealous of Adam. Before the fall, Adam was not yet “a little lower than the angels”. The angels and demons did have some sort of free will. It seems their choice was temporary and once it was made then their eventual fate was settled. Which begs the question: Will humans continue to have free will once we are glorified? Last question: If God caused Satan and other demons to exist then why doesn’t He just uncause them? Demons cannot be vanished. Some people believe that the only state that awaits us after death is nonexistence. However energy cannot be destroyed. Creation is eternal. Not on the same level as God Who has no beginning and no end. Creation had a beginning but does not have an end. Heaven and earth will pass away but will then both be transformed into “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1).

By Terik Q (wrote 65 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 3/4/2009 00:00 am