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GENERAL

The Claim

In Genesis 3:15, God promised that a descendant of Eve would defeat the serpent.

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The Short Version

Genesis 3:15 does portray God announcing that the woman’s offspring will strike the serpent in a way commonly understood as victory. But the verse does not literally say “defeat,” and the Hebrew can refer to offspring collectively, not necessarily one specific descendant. The claim is a fair summary of the dominant Christian reading, with important interpretive caveats.

Caveats

  • The Hebrew word for 'offspring/seed' can mean a lineage or collective descendants, not only one individual descendant.
  • 'Defeat' is an interpretive gloss drawn from the serpent’s head being struck; the verse itself describes reciprocal striking of head and heel.
  • Some Jewish and historical-critical readings take Genesis 3:15 as explaining ongoing human-serpent hostility rather than making a specific messianic promise.

The Receipts

  1. Genesis 3:15 (English Standard Version)

    BibleGateway

  2. Genesis 3:15 (New International Version)

    BibleGateway

  3. Genesis 3:15 Hebrew Text Analysis

    Bible Hub

  4. Genesis 3:14–15 (English Standard Version)

    BibleGateway

  5. Genesis 3 – ESV Study Bible text and notes

    Crossway

  6. The Individual and Collective Offspring of the Woman: The Canonical Outworking of Genesis 3:15

    The Gospel Coalition

  7. Genesis 3:15

    Bible Hub

  8. Genesis 3:15 with Hebrew and English translation

    Sefaria

  9. The Messianic Hope of Genesis: The Protoevangelium and Patriarchal Promises

    The Gospel Coalition

  10. The Translation of שׁוּף and the Promise of Victory in Genesis 3:15

    Bob Jones University Seminary

+ 15 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

BibleEveGenesis 3:15Serpent

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