Genesis 3:15
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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God speaks these words to the serpent as part of His response to the first disobedience in the garden of Eden, before addressing the woman and the man.
What Does Genesis 3:15 Mean?
Genesis 3:15 means that God declares lasting hostility between the serpent and humanity, and promises that the woman's offspring will ultimately triumph over the serpent. Spoken in the midst of judgment after the first disobedience, this verse is at the same time the first ray of hope in the Bible -- a promise hidden inside a curse on the serpent.
God sets "enmity" -- deep, ongoing conflict -- between the serpent and the woman, and between their respective "seed." The decisive line follows: "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." A blow to the head is fatal; a blow to the heel is painful but not final. The promise is that the woman's seed will deal the serpent a mortal wound, even while suffering a wound in the struggle. Christians have long read this as the first announcement of the gospel -- a pointer toward the victory accomplished through the woman's descendant, who would crush the power of evil at great cost to Himself. From the earliest pages of Scripture, then, the story bends toward redemption. Even at humanity's lowest moment, God speaks a word of coming deliverance.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew "eybah" (enmity) names deep hostility, while the single verb "shuph" (bruise) is used for both blows, sharpening the contrast between head and heel.
Cross References
“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”
- Romans 16:20
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.”
- Galatians 4:4
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
- 1 John 3:8
Application
When evil seems to have the upper hand, hold to God's promise that He has set in motion a victory over it that no power of darkness can finally undo.
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