Genesis 3:1 - Exposition

Now (literally, and) the serpent . Nachash , from nachash—

(a) To make naked; whence atom, plural arumim , naked ( Genesis 2:25 ).

(b) To crafty ( 1 Samuel 23:22 ). If applied to the serpent in the sense of πανου ͂ ργος (Aquila, Keil, Lange, Macdonald),

it can only be either

Unto the woman . As the weaker of the two, and more likely to be easily persuaded ( 1 Timothy 2:14 ; 1 Peter 3:7 ). Cf. Satan's assault on Job through his wife ( Job 2:9 ). Milton's idea that Eve desired to be independent, and had withdrawn herself out of Adam's sight, it has been well remarked, " sets up a beginning of the fall before the fall itself" (Lunge). Yea . אַף כּי . Is it even so that? (Gesenius). Is it really so that! (Ewald, Furst, Keil). Etiamne, vel Itane (Calvin). A question either