Genesis3:4

Previous Verse Next Verse

Translation

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not

Go to footnote number

die to death.

Go to footnote number

Paraphrase

Then the serpent said to the woman, “It is not true! You will not definitely suffer separation, with no escaping it, no alternatives, no ‘ifs, ands or buts.’

Footnotes

1

How did the serpent know that she would not die? He does not explain how he knows this, nor why he should be trusted more than God. Rather he accuses God of improper motives (see the next verse).

2: “die to death”

We could also render it “You will not be killed to death.” This is the same construction used in 2:17 “in dying you will die.” It is a form of emphasis that uses the same word twice.