The Fall and the Promise: A Detailed Story and Study of Genesis Chapter 3
The Fall of Man and the Promise
Table of Contents
Introduction: Paradise Before the Storm
Section 1 – The Serpent’s Deception
1.1 The Tempter Appears
1.2 The Woman’s Dialogue with Deceit
Section 2 – The Forbidden Fruit
2.1 The Lure of the Eyes and the Heart
2.2 The Moment of Disobedience
Section 3 – Eyes Opened, Innocence Lost
Section 4 – The Confrontation with God
4.1 God’s Voice in the Garden
4.2 The Blame and the Consequence
Section 5 – The Divine Judgment
5.1 The Serpent’s Curse
5.2 The Woman’s Sorrow
5.3 The Man’s Toil
Section 6 – Grace in the Midst of Judgment
Section 7 – The Expulsion and the Guarded Gate
Conclusion: The Beginning of Redemption
References and Citations
Reference Bible Texts:
Genesis Chapter 3 (KJV)
1 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?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 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.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 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.
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 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.
Introduction: Paradise Before the Storm
Genesis 3 stands as one of the most pivotal chapters in all Scripture — the turning point of human history.
Before it, the world was perfect — a paradise of innocence, peace, and fellowship with God (Genesis 2:25).
After it, the world became broken, burdened by sin, death, and separation.
But even in this tragedy, God’s mercy shines. The fall becomes the stage for the first promise of redemption — a foreshadowing of Christ, the coming Deliverer (Genesis 3:15).
Section 1 – The Serpent’s Deception
1.1 The Tempter Appears
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” — Genesis 3:1
Into Eden’s calm enters a cunning voice — the serpent.
Not an ordinary creature, but one possessed and used by Satan, “that old serpent, called the Devil” (Revelation 12:9).
Satan does not appear with horns and terror — he comes subtly, in a familiar and appealing form. His strategy is not brute force but doubt and distortion.
He speaks to the woman:
“Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” — Genesis 3:1
The question is deliberate — twisting God’s words to plant suspicion. The serpent’s first weapon is doubt in God’s goodness.
1.2 The Woman’s Dialogue with Deceit
Eve responds — at first truthfully, but already weakening:
“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.” — Genesis 3:2–3
Eve subtly adds “neither shall ye touch it” — a small exaggeration not spoken by God (Genesis 2:17).
This opens the door for deception. Satan then directly denies God’s word:
“Ye shall not surely die.” — Genesis 3:4
This is the first lie in human history — the seed of rebellion.
Then he flatters Eve’s pride:
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” — Genesis 3:5
Satan’s ancient temptation — to be like God without God — remains the root of every sin.
Supporting Texts:
John 8:44 — “He is a liar, and the father of it.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 — “The serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty.”
Section 2 – The Forbidden Fruit
2.1 The Lure of the Eyes and the Heart
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise…” — Genesis 3:6
The temptation appeals to three desires (compare 1 John 2:16):
“Good for food” – Lust of the flesh
“Pleasant to the eyes” – Lust of the eyes
“Desired to make one wise” – Pride of life
Eve looked, desired, reached — and took.
The moment stretched like eternity — then she ate.
2.2 The Moment of Disobedience
“…and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” — Genesis 3:6
Adam was not deceived (1 Timothy 2:14). He chose knowingly — an act of love perhaps, but also rebellion.
Together, they disobeyed. The first sin was not murder, theft, or hatred — it was unbelief and disobedience against the word of God.
At that instant, sin entered the world, and death began its reign (Romans 5:12).
Section 3 – Eyes Opened, Innocence Lost
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” — Genesis 3:7
Their eyes opened — but not to wisdom. Instead, they saw shame.
The radiance of innocence was gone; fear replaced joy. They sewed fig leaves to cover themselves — the first attempt at self-righteousness.
Their newfound “knowledge” brought separation, guilt, and loss of peace — the heavy inheritance of sin.
Supporting Texts:
Isaiah 59:2 — “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.”
Romans 3:23 — “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Section 4 – The Confrontation with God
4.1 God’s Voice in the Garden
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” — Genesis 3:8
What had once been joy now brought terror. They hid among the trees, trembling.
Then God’s tender yet searching call came:
“Adam, where art thou?” — Genesis 3:9
Not ignorance, but mercy. God knew where Adam was — but He wanted Adam to realize where sin had brought him.
Adam confessed his fear: “I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Sin makes man run from God rather than to Him.
4.2 The Blame and the Consequence
When God confronted Adam, he blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent.
Blame-shifting replaced honesty — the sign of a guilty heart.
“The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” — Genesis 3:12
“The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” — Genesis 3:13
Human nature was corrupted — the will weakened, the conscience wounded.
Section 5 – The Divine Judgment
Now God spoke judgment — yet even in judgment, grace glimmered.
5.1 The Serpent’s Curse
“Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle.” — Genesis 3:14
The serpent would crawl in humiliation, a symbol of Satan’s ultimate defeat.
Then came the Protoevangelium — the first gospel promise:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” — Genesis 3:15
This verse points to Christ, born of a woman, who would crush the serpent through His death and resurrection (Romans 16:20; Galatians 4:4).
5.2 The Woman’s Sorrow
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception.” — Genesis 3:16
Pain in childbirth and the struggle of marital hierarchy entered the human story — reminders of the brokenness caused by sin.
5.3 The Man’s Toil
“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” — Genesis 3:17
Work, once joyful, became laborious. Thorns and thistles would resist every effort.
Man would now eat by sweat — and ultimately return to dust:
“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” — Genesis 3:19
The sentence of mortality had fallen.
Section 6 – Grace in the Midst of Judgment
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” — Genesis 3:21
Even in punishment, God showed mercy.
Fig leaves were insufficient; so God Himself provided garments — through the shedding of blood, symbolizing atonement.
Here we glimpse the first sacrifice — foreshadowing Christ, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
God’s covering was both physical and spiritual — grace covering guilt.
Section 7 – The Expulsion and the Guarded Gate
“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” — Genesis 3:23
With sorrow, Adam and Eve were driven out. The gates of Eden closed — paradise lost.
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword… to keep the way of the tree of life.” — Genesis 3:24
The flaming sword symbolized divine holiness barring access to eternal life in sin.
Yet, the phrase “to keep the way” also hinted that one day, the way back would be opened — through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Conclusion: The Beginning of Redemption
Genesis 3 reveals not only the tragedy of sin but the tender mercy of God.
From innocence to guilt, from paradise to exile — yet always under the gaze of a pursuing Redeemer.
Major Themes and Lessons:
Sin begins with doubt and ends in death. (James 1:14–15)
God’s Word is truth; Satan’s lies always destroy. (John 8:44)
Even in judgment, God extends grace. (Romans 5:20)
The first promise of salvation begins in Eden. (Genesis 3:15 → fulfilled in Christ)
What humanity lost through disobedience, Christ restored through the cross.
The way to the Tree of Life, once guarded by angels, would one day be opened by a Savior wearing a crown of thorns — the curse reversed by His blood.
References
Primary Source
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV) — Genesis 3:1–24
Supporting Biblical References
Revelation 12:9 – The serpent identified as Satan.
1 John 2:16 – The lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.
Romans 5:12 – Sin entered through one man.
Romans 16:20 – “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet.”
John 1:29 – The Lamb of God who takes away sin.
Galatians 4:4 – “Made of a woman, made under the law.”
Hebrews 9:22 – “Without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Isaiah 59:2 – Sin separates from God.
James 1:14–15 – The process of temptation.
John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Non-Biblical and Scholarly References
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706) – Commentary on Genesis 3.
John Calvin’s Commentary on Genesis (1554).
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Cross-reference edition).
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (1940) – Discussion of the fall and human suffering.
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (1961) – The holiness and mercy of God.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary – Entry: “Fall of Man.”
Merrill F. Unger, Bible Handbook (Moody Publishers, 1984).
John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667) – Poetic retelling of the fall of man.
R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith (1992).