Satan is devious. His first, and possibly most well-known, account of interacting with humans is recorded in Genesis 3. Earlier in the book of Genesis, God created the Garden of Eden. This is where he placed Adam. Adam was surrounded by many trees with good fruit. The only stipulation God gave him was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Shortly after, Eve was created. This is who the serpent chose to speak to, tricking her into eating from the tree and therefore causing the fall of man. God tells Adam and Eve that from now on, women will experience great pain in childbirth, and men with toil with much trouble growing food from the ground. Consequently, they are banished from the Garden of Eden forever.
This biblical account may cause us to wonder: How did the serpent speak to Eve, causing her to fall prey to Satan’s evil plan? Did the serpent speak out loud to her, and was it truly Satan in animal form? Let’s take a deeper look at Genesis 3 and discover more about this life-altering moment for mankind.
What Does Genesis Say about the Serpent?
In Genesis 3:1-5, the serpent is described as the most cunning of the wild animals. He asks Eve if God really told her not to eat from any tree in the garden. She responds that they can eat any fruit except from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She explains that if they touch it, they will die. The serpent claims she wouldn’t die from eating the fruit. He says God doesn’t want her to be like him, knowing good and evil and that is why he forbade them from eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Was the Serpent a Literal Snake or Satan in Disguise?
Many Christians interpret the serpent as Satan in disguise. We find references to Satan as a serpent in the book of Revelation. This book discusses the end times when Satan will ultimately be destroyed. The beginning of Revelation 12:9 states, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” In this verse, serpent is used synonymously with Satan.
Satan is referenced as a serpent again in Revelation 20:2, which reads, “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Matthew Henry explains that the serpent was indeed Satan; however, he could have been an actual snake possessed by Satan or Satan in the form of a snake-like figure. Either way, we know the devil tempted Eve. He had a plan, and he knowingly went to the Garden of Eve to carry out his deceit.
How Could a Serpent Speak?
When we think of the serpent as a literal snake, this would imply that a physical serpent spoke to Eve. In this way, Satan would have possessed the snake, causing it to speak. If we think of the serpent as Satan shaped like a snake-like figure, he would have been directly speaking to Eve.
Some may interpret Satan speaking to Eve as symbolic. Perhaps she heard the voice in her head instead of audibly. However, in the original Hebrew, “said” is written as וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙, or way-yō-mer. This phrase is found in many other verses of the Bible, including Genesis 3:9-10. In the New American Standard version, these verses read “Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’" In this verse, Adam is implying he heard God audibly speak to him.
In Numbers 22, God enabled a donkey to speak. In this story, Balaam, a highly regarded soothsayer and prophet, was frustrated with his donkey and beat him three different times. Numbers 22:28 says, “Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?'’’ In this story, God opens the donkey’s mouth to speak. While Satan is not as powerful as our God, he is also from the supernatural realm. Therefore, it’s possible Satan opened the mouth of a snake to speak to Eve.
Why Didn’t Eve Seem Surprised That the Serpent Spoke?
Today, people would be completely surprised, and probably terrified, if they heard an animal speak. While the Bible doesn’t tell us how Eve feels about a talking snake, we can infer that she is more interested in the words he is speaking than the fact that he is speaking at all. Before the fall, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with the animals. It’s possible they communicated with them, although that could have been in a variety of ways.
Eve was also living in a world consisting of supernatural events. God had created Adam from the dust of the earth and Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. The Bible doesn’t tell us that Adam and Eve ever had a conversation about their miraculous creations, but we can’t completely discount it either. Living in a world where living beings were created from dust and ribs might make a talking serpent not so surprising.
What Was the Serpent’s Real Goal in Speaking to Eve?
The serpent wanted to destroy humankind, but he couldn’t do that, so he did the next best thing. He made them question their creator, tempting them, and when they took the bait, their actions resulted in separation from God. The serpent also made sure to achieve his goal through subtlety. A direct order to eat the fruit may have caused Eve to notice something was amiss right away, but because of his subtlety, the serpent got Eve to question God, and she decided to act on her own. How often do we want to jump at something someone orders us to do? Aren’t we more likely to take action when we make the decision ourselves?
Satan wanted to craftily lead Eve into temptation. Christianity.com states, “Temptation is the intentional enticement of a person, by some bait—usually pride, always self-gratifying—to disobey God’s revealed Word . . . the object is always the distortion of God’s world.” The serpent intentionally deceived Eve by waving the bait of knowledge. Instead of dying, he told her that eating the fruit would make her more like God. He deceived and tempted her, and she took the bait; this led to the downfall of mankind.
What Can We Learn from Eve's Encounter with the Serpent?
Satan’s best work can lie in the nuances. When a situation seems black and white, it can be easier to make the right decision; the choice is clearer. However, when Satan uses subtle tactics, the right action may not be so simple. Satan feeds us lies, sometimes closely related to the truth. This makes the falsehood harder to detect.
For example, in Genesis 3:1, the serpent says, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" Did God really say? The serpent is causing Eve to second-guess the Word of God. He is planting ideas in her head. Did she hear God right? Does he really mean to not eat from this tree? Would it actually be wrong to try the fruit?
For this reason, we must rely on God’s Word to provide truth. We must study scripture ourselves and not solely rely on the interpretations and teachings of others. Eve chose to believe the serpent instead of trusting God’s Word. To study Scripture, we must spend time in the Word. If we’re not sure about something, we should go to the Bible and read verses in context. When we understand the background of the events, we can better understand the meaning.
Because Eve believed the serpent, she sinned and caused the downfall of mankind. That’s a pretty big consequence. We, too, experience consequences when we doubt God’s Word. We may not have a serpent coming to us with the words “Did God really say?” But we have our world, a world that is broken and full of people believing lies. We may want to believe the lies, for whatever fruit is dangling in front of us, but ultimately God’s Word is true, and following what he says puts us in the best place of living in harmony with him.
Conclusion: Trusting God’s Word Today
The good news is that God didn’t leave us on this earth defenseless to battle the lies. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” He gives us “the belt of truth.” This belt is soaked in the Word of God and wrapped around our entire being, protecting us from the falsehoods coming our way. We also have “the sword of the Spirit.” We don’t have to sit idly by when lies are hurled at us. We can fight with what we know to be true. God’s Word can put us on the offense, battling against the lies of the enemy.
"So the Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.'" (Genesis 3:14-15)
God cursed the serpent, and he has already overcome Satan. The devil may come with his lies, but he is not more powerful than our God. When temptations come, we can secure our belt of truth, pick up our sword of the Spirit, and fight with what we know to be true.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/nelic
Jenna Brooke Carlson is an elementary dual language teacher in the Chicago suburbs. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers, she enjoys spending time with other writers and perfecting her craft. Her debut novel, Falling Flat, spreads the message that healing can occur, even after tragedy. Along with writing, she’s pursuing her dreams of creating a community of brave young women, who she can encourage to live out their dreams amid challenges and imperfection. Her days are busy, but she’s determined she can conquer anything with a fuzzy blanket and a hot cup of tea. To find out more about Jenna, visit her website at jennabrookecarlson.com.
