Genesis 3
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Summary
The serpent beguiles Eve, and she and Adam partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes are opened, and they hide from God. God curses the serpent and declares the roles of Adam and Eve. God clothes Adam and Eve and casts them from the garden. God places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life.
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
These free resources were developed for use in the free ScripturePlus app. Many of the contributors are professors of religion and ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, “Moses 4; Genesis 3,” in Genesis, Old Testament Minute Commentary Series, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Stephen O. Smoot, "The Book of Moses," in The Pearl of Great Price: A Study Edition for Latter-day Saints (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 20–23.
Avram Shannon, “Tree of Life,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Avram Shanon, "Satan," in Old Testament Cultural Insights (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Avram Shannon, "Cherubim," in Old Testament Cultural Insights (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Avram Shannon, “Symbolic Meaning of the Name Adam,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Avram Shannon, “Symbolic Meaning of the Name Eve,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Avram Shannon, “Categories of Animals,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).
Historical Commentaries
Many of the commentaries below are in the public domain and were authored over 100 years ago. In many cases, they do not reflect the findings of modern scholarship, but they may be helpful for understanding the history of biblical scholarship.
Videos
Watch selected videos on this chapter of the Bible to enhance your study. Note: Not all videos included come from a Latter-day Saint perspective. Inclusion on this list should not imply endorsement for all content.
Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- Before 4000 BC
Further Reading
LeGrand L. Baker, “The Cosmic Mountain Represents the Garden of Eden,” in The Book of Mormon as an Ancient Israelite Temple: Nineteen Classic Temple Characteristics of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2012), 32-35.
Book of Mormon Central, “Why We Still Have to Cling to the Iron Rod Even Though the Path is Strait (1 Nephi 8:13–14),” KnoWhy 402 (January 25, 2018).
Matthew L. Bowen, “Cut Off from the Face and Presence: Alma’s Use of Hebraistic Idioms to Teach the Fall,” Religious Educator 21, no. 2 (2020): 157–169.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, “The Tree of Knowledge as the Veil of the Sanctuary,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament (2013 Sperry Symposium), ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 49–65.
David M. Calabro, “Lehi’s Dream and the Garden of Eden,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 26 (2017): 269–296.
Alex Douglas, “The Garden of Eden, the Ancient Temple, and Receiving a New Name,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament (2013 Sperry Symposium), ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 36–48.
Taylor Halverson, “Was Adam a Monotheist? A Reflection on Why We Call Abraham Father and Not Adam,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-Day Saint Faith and Scholarship 31 (2019): 245–258.
F. Melvin Hammond, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament,” in The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, The 38th Annual BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 1–16.
Daniel K. Judd, “The Fortunate Fall of Adam and Eve,” in No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues, ed. Robert L. Millet (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 297–328.
Roger R. Keller, “Teaching the Fall and the Atonement: A Comparative Method,” Religious Educator 5, no. 2 (2004): 101–118.
Robert J. Matthews, “The Probationary Nature of Mortality,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed.Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 47–60.
Tyler J. Griffin and Donald B. Anderson, “The Great Plan of Happiness: A Christ-Centered Visual Approach,” Religious Educator 18, no. 1 (2017): 12–31.
Stephen D. Ricks, “Adam’s Fall in the Book of Mormon, Second Temple Judaism, and Early Christianity,” in The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds. Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000), 595-606.
Andrew C. Skinner, “Savior, Satan, and Serpent: The Duality of a Symbol in the Scriptures,” in The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds. by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000), 359-384.
Julie M. Smith, “A Redemptive Reading of Mark 5:25-34,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 14 (2015): 95–105.
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry (1706)
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Adam Clarke (1831)
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
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Rashi’s Commentary
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Notes on the Bible
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Exposition of the Entire Bible
John Gill (1746–63)
Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch (1857–78)
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
John Wesley (1754–65)