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Genesis 3:2 — Word Study

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WLCוַתֹּ֥אמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־ הַנָּחָ֑שׁ מִפְּרִ֥י עֵֽץ־ הַגָּ֖ן נֹאכֵֽל׃

BSAThe womanʼishshâh [female person, wife] answeredʼâmar the serpentnâchâsh [snake] We may eatʼâkal [devour, consume] the fruitpᵉrîy [produce, result] of the treesʻêts [wood, strong and firm objects] of the gardengan [enclosed area, paradise]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (no.Khel) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 3:2quick helps
In a sentenceThe woman responds to the serpent, stating that they can eat from the garden's trees.
Who is speakingThe woman, identified as Eve, is speaking to the serpent.
Where we areThis exchange occurs in the Garden of Eden, right after the serpent's question.
The hard wordנֹאכֵֽל
Take awayThe woman acknowledges the permission to eat from the trees, setting the stage for the ensuing temptation.
5 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them › clause verbאָמַר The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Genesis 3:2

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Temptation in the Gardengenerated

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
2The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,
3but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”
4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her.

Genesis 3:2 describes the moment when the woman, Eve, answers the serpent's question about God's command regarding the trees in the garden. This interaction highlights the initial temptation that leads to the fall of humanity. The context is significant as it sets up the pivotal moment of disobedience and the consequences that follow in the narrative.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 58:4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to

serpentPsalm 58:4

The Key Word נֹאכֵֽל, no.Khelgenerated

The verb אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and is in the imperfect tense, first person plural. This indicates an ongoing or future action, suggesting that the speaker is affirming a collective ability to eat.

The use of the first person plural 'we' reflects a shared experience or decision, emphasizing the communal aspect of the action. The verb encompasses a range of meanings from literal consumption to figurative implications of taking in or devouring.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In this study, we reference the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which uses 'we will eat' for נֹאכֵֽל.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the sentence is תֹּ֥אמֶר, she said, which governs the entire clause. The structure reveals a direct speech format, with the subject (the woman) followed by the object (the serpent) and the content of her speech.

This sentence's arrangement emphasizes the woman's response to the serpent's question, showcasing the dialogue format typical in narrative prose.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וַתֹּ֥אמֶר as εἶπεν (eipen), meaning 'she said.' This choice maintains the direct speech structure found in the Hebrew.

The LXX also uses φαγόμεθα for נֹאכֵֽל, indicating a future action of eating, similar to the Hebrew. This translation aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning while adapting to Greek syntax.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 3:2 shows the woman, Eve, responding to the serpent by stating that they are allowed to eat from the trees in the garden. This moment is crucial as it leads to further temptation and the eventual fall of humanity.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Eve mean by saying 'we may eat'?

Eve is affirming that she and Adam have permission to eat from the trees in the garden, which reflects God's provision for them.

Why does the serpent speak to Eve instead of Adam?

The serpent approaches Eve, possibly because she is the one who engages in dialogue, and this sets the stage for the temptation.

What is the significance of the trees in the garden?

The trees symbolize God's provision and the boundaries He has set for Adam and Eve, which they are about to challenge.

How does this verse relate to the overall narrative of the fall?

This verse establishes the moment of temptation, where Eve's response to the serpent leads to the eventual disobedience and fall of humanity.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this exchange reveal about the nature of temptation?
  2. How can I recognize and respond to temptations in my own life?
  3. In what ways does this passage illustrate the importance of understanding God's commands?
  4. How can I apply the lessons from Eve's response to my own decision-making?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early commentators, such as Philo and Ambrose, reflect on this verse to discuss the nature of temptation and the character of the serpent.

Philo of Alexandria32 c. 20 BC–AD 50
Did the serpent speak with a human voice? [Genesis 3:2] In the first place,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →
Philo of Alexandria33 c. 20 BC–AD 50
Why did the serpent accost the woman, and not the man? [Genesis 3:2] The serpent, having formed his estimate of virtue, devised a treacherous stratagem against them,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →
Ambrose of MilanOn Paradise, 12.56-60 c. 339–397
Although you are aware that the serpent is wiser than all creatures, his cunning is especially noticeable here. As he sets his snares, he pretends to give utterance to the words of God,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →

Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 3:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the woman said unto the serpent,.... Or to him that spoke in the serpent, which she might take to be a messenger from heaven, a holy angel: had she known who it was, she might be chargeable with

Read John Gill on Genesis 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. Eve answered well.

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:Ver. 2. And the woman said unto the serpent.] Our first parents were not, in the state of innocency, silly and witless, like young children, as Socinians make them; but very knowing, though but of small experience. But if they fell the same day wherein they were created, as most hold, how sudden was the serpent’ s seducing, the woman’ s consenting, Adam’ s yielding, and God’ s executing! ημεραεπλασθηκαιεξηλασθη

Read John Trapp on Genesis 3 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. the woman, &c.] The woman is quick to correct the error into which she fancies the serpent has fallen, and to defend the generosity of the Lord.

Read Cambridge on Genesis 3 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

2. The woman said — Her pausing to parley with so serious a temptation was a fearful mistake. To entertain the thoughts of an evil spirit is the sure way to become partaker of some measure of his nature.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 3 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

NETBNew English Translation2006

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat:

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And the woman said vnto the serpent, We eate of the fruite of the trees of the garden,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the woman saith unto the serpent, 'Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the woman says to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we eat,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden,

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Eve replied to the serpent, “We can eat from the trees in the garden, but not the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the woman said, We may take of the fruit of the trees in the garden:

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbתֹּ֥אמֶרshe.saidnoun phrase · subjectהָֽtheאִשָּׁ֖הwomanprepositional phrase · prepositionalאֶלtonoun phraseהַtheנָּחָ֑שׁsnakeclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromnoun phraseפְּרִ֥יthe.fruitnoun phraseעֵֽץof.the.tree[s]noun phraseהַofגָּ֖ןthe.gardenverbנֹאכֵֽלwe.will.eat

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads: וַתֹּ֥אמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־ הַנָּחָ֑שׁ מִפְּרִ֥י עֵֽץ־ הַגָּ֖ן נֹאכֵֽל׃. The Samaritan Pentateuch agrees word for word with the MT.

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain part of the verse, showing some restoration, but the essential meaning aligns with the Masoretic Text.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַתֹּ֥אמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־ הַנָּחָ֑שׁ מִפְּרִ֥י עֵֽץ־ הַגָּ֖ן נֹאכֵֽל׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרεἶπενהָֽאִשָּׁ֖הγυνὴהַנָּחָ֑שׁτῷמִפְּרִ֥יκαρποῦעֵֽץ־χύλουהַגָּ֖ןπαραδείσουנֹאכֵֽל׃φαγόμεθα

7 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ותאמר האשׁה אל הנחשׁ מפרי עץ הגן נאכל

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q10a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

ותאמר האשה אל הנחש [מפרי]

5 words of the verse are on this fragment — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Genesis 3:2אָמַרand she saiand she saidאָמַראִשָּׁהthe womanthe womanאִשָּׁהאֶלtotoאֶלנָחָשׁthe snakethe snakeנָחָשׁפְּרִיfrom [the] from [the] fruiפְּרִיעֵץ[the] tree[[the] tree[s] oעֵץגַּןthe gardenthe gardenגַּןאָכַלwe will eatwe will eatאָכַלנָחַשׁto divineto divineנָחַשׁפָּרָהbe fruitfube fruitfulפָּרָהעָצָהto shutto shutעָצָהגָּנַןto defendto defendגָּנַןאִישׁmanmanאִישׁאֱנוֹשׁhumanhumanאֱנוֹשׁכֹּהthusthusכֹּהיהוהYHWH/GodYHWH/Godיהוהטַףchildchildטַףנָכְרִיforeignforeignנָכְרִיפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַליִרְמְיָ֫הJeremiahJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫הבָּרִיחַfleeingfleeingבָּרִיחַצֶ֫פַעserpentserpentצֶ֫פַעבֶּ֫טֶןbelly: abdbelly: abdomenבֶּ֫טֶןשִׁטָּהacaciaacaciaשִׁטָּהאֶ֫רֶזcedarcedarאֶ֫רֶזעֵ֫דֶןEdenEdenעֵ֫דֶן
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Genesis 3:2

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרva.To.mer and she said H559 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
5,309× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Tyndale gloss
to say
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

Say

Say in the heart (= think)

Promise

Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say

. Say in the heart (= think)

. Promise

. Command (esp. late)

. be said, told

. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

. act proudly, boast

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

559 'amar aw-mar'

a primitive root; to say (used with great

latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,

certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),

commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X

expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,

publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X

suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),

utter, X verily, X yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.

1) to say, speak, utter

1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend

1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called

1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly

1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
Hc/Vqw3fs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
הָֽאִשָּׁ֖הha.'i.Shah the woman H802 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
781× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Amplified meaning
female person, wife
Tyndale gloss
woman
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female

woman

Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

Female of animals

With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman

. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

. Female of animals

. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

802 'ishshah ish-shaw'

feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym

{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as

582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,

one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.

see HEBREW for 0376

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0582

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.

: woman

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.

: wife/widow

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.

: another

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"):

I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN

II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

1. Prominence of Women

2. Social Equality

3. Marriage Laws

4. Inheritance

5. Domestic Duties

6. Dress and Ornaments

7. Religious Devotion and Service

(1) in Idolatry and False Religion

(2) in Spiritual Religion

III. INTER-TESTAMENTAL ERA

IV. IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

1. Mary and Elisabeth

2. Jesus and Women

3. In the Early Church

4. Official Service

5. Widows

6. Deaconesses

IV. LATER TIMES

1. Changes in Character and Condition

2. Notable Examples of Christian Womanhood

3. Woman in the 20th Century

The generic term "man" includes woman. In the narrative of the creation (Ge 1:26,27) Adam is a collective term for mankind. It may signify human being, male or female, or humanity entire. "God said, Let us make man .... and let them"…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Woman

Was “taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;” but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Is spoken of in Scripture as the beloved and honored companion and helpmeet, not the servant, of man, Ge 2:23,24, created as the necessary completion of man, Ge 3:16 1Co 11:3,8,9 14:34,35 1Ti 2:11-14, yet specially qualified for that sphere, and as necessary in it as man in his. Man and woman are indeed essentially one, the natural qualities of each so responding to those of the other as to lay the foundation of the most tender and abiding unity. The Bible thus raised the Jewish woman high above the woman of heathenism; and the Old Testament contains some of the finest portraitures of female character. But still greater is the contrast between the women of heathenism and…

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- Origin and cause of the name

Ge 2:23

- ORIGINALLY MADE

. By God in his own image

Ge 1:27

. From one of Adam's ribs

Ge 2:21,22

. For man

1Co 11:9

. To be an helpmeet for man

Ge 2:18,20

. Subordinate to man

1Co 11:3

. To be the glory of man

1Co 11:7

- Deceived by Satan

Ge 3:1-6; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14

- Led man to disobey God

and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
אֶל־'el- to H413 Preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR — Preposition
HR
and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
הַנָּחָ֑שׁha.na.Chash the snake H5175 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
31× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A serpent is a snake, often symbolizing evil, as in Genesis 3:1 where the serpent tempts Eve. It can also represent danger or harm.
Amplified meaning
snake
Tyndale gloss
serpent
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָחָשׁ (*nachash*) means 'serpent' or 'snake.' It can refer to a literal snake, a bronze image of a serpent, or even a mythological fleeing serpent. The word is derived from a root meaning to hiss, which relates to the sound snakes make.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָחָשׁ n.m. serpent

serpent

bronze image of serpent

mythol. fleeing serpent

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5175 נָחָשׁ serpent

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5175 nachash naw-khawsh'

from 5172; a snake (from its hiss):--serpent.

see HEBREW for 05172

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָחָשׁ (na.chash) — serpent.

1) serpent, snake

1a) serpent

1b) image (of serpent)

1c) fleeing serpent (mythological)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
מִפְּרִ֥יmi.pe.Ri from [the] fruit of H6529 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
119× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means the fruit that comes from the ground or from our actions. It is used in many books, including Genesis and Isaiah, to describe the results of our labor or the consequences of our choices.
Amplified meaning
produce, result
Tyndale gloss
fruit
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פְּרִי (priy) means 'fruit' and encompasses various meanings, including the literal fruit of the ground, offspring or children, and figurative fruit representing the consequences of actions. It is derived from a root that emphasizes the concept of produce or reward.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פְּרִי 119 n.m. fruit

fruit of the ground, of produce in gen.

= offspring, fruit of womb

fig. of fruit of actions, i.e. their consequences

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6529 פְּרִי fruit . fruit of the ground, of produce in gen.

. = offspring, fruit of womb

. fig. of fruit of actions, i.e. their consequences

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6529 priy per-ee'

from 6509; fruit (literally or figuratively):--bough,

((first-)) fruit((-ful)), reward.

see HEBREW for 06509

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פְּרִי (pe.ri) — fruit.

1) fruit

1a) fruit, produce (of the ground)

1b) fruit, offspring, children, progeny (of the womb)

1c) fruit (of actions) (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
עֵֽץ־'etz- [the] tree[s] of H6086 Noun common · masculine singular construct
330× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word for tree or wood refers to a strong and firm object, like a tree or a wooden plank, as seen in the carpentry work of Jesus' earthly father Joseph in Matthew 13:55.
Amplified meaning
wood, strong and firm objects
Tyndale gloss
tree: wood
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עֵץ (ets) refers to a tree or wood, encompassing various forms such as timber, sticks, and planks. It can denote both singular and plural trees, as well as specific uses like gallows and firewood. The word is derived from a root meaning firmness, indicating its solid nature.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֵץ 329 n.m. tree, trees, wood

(c. 150 t.)

a standing tree

coll. trees

(c. 175 t.; c. 120 t. pl., to denote pieces [or articles] of wood)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6086 עֵץ tree, trees, wood . (c. 150 t.) . a standing tree

. coll. trees

. (c. 175 t.; c. 120 t. pl., to denote pieces [or articles] of wood)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6086 `ets ates

from 6095; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural

sticks):--+ carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff,

stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.

see HEBREW for 06095

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֵץ (ets) — tree: wood.

: wood

1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows

1a) tree, trees

1b) wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax

עֵץ (ets) — tree.

: tree

1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows

1a) tree, trees

1b) wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax

עֵץ (ets) — tree: stick.

: stick/log

1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows

1a) tree, trees

1b) wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax

עֵץ (ets) — tree: stake.

: stake/shaft

1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows

1a) tree, trees

1b) wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax

עֵץ (ets) — tree: carpenter.

: carpenter/wood(worker)

1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows

1a) tree, trees

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
הַגָּ֖ןha.Gan the garden H1588 Particle · noun common both singular absolute
42× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word for garden refers to an enclosed area, like the Garden of Eden. It can also symbolize a bride or a place for plants.
Amplified meaning
enclosed area, paradise
Tyndale gloss
garden
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גַּן (gan) means 'garden' or 'enclosure' and can refer to a physical garden or, figuratively, to a bride. It is derived from a root meaning to fence in. The term is used in various contexts, including the Garden of Eden and specific locations like Beth-haggan.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גַּן n.m. & f. enclosure, garden

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1588 גַּן enclosure, garden

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1588 gan gan

from 1598; a garden (as fenced):--garden.

see HEBREW for 01598

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גַּן (gan) — Garden (of Uzza).

This name means garden, enclosure

גַּן (gan) — (Beth)-haggan.

Combined with ba.yit (בַּ֫יִת "Beth" H1004H)

גַּן (gan) — garden.

1) garden, enclosure

1a) enclosed garden

1a1) (fig. of a bride)

1b) garden (of plants)

1c) Garden of Eden

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-cs — Particle · noun common both singular absolute
HTd/Ncbsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

gar'-d'-n (gan, gannah, ginnah; kepos): The Arabic jannah (diminutive, jannainah), like the Hebrew gannah, literally, "a covered or hidden place," denotes in the mind of the dweller in the East something more than the ordinary garden. Gardens in Biblical times, such as are frequently referred to in Semitic literature, were usually walled enclosures, as the name indicates (La 2:6 the American Revised Version, margin), in which there were paths winding in and out among shade and fruit trees, canals of running water, fountains, sweet-smelling herbs, aromatic blossoms and convenient arbors in which to sit and enjoy the effect. These gardens are mentioned in Ge 2 and Ge 3; 13:10; So 4:12-16; Ec 2:5,6;

Gardens in the East, as the Hebrew word indicates, are enclosures on the outskirts of towns, planted with various trees and shrubs. From the allusions in the Bible we learn that they were surrounded by hedges of thorn, (Isaiah 5:5) or walls of stone. (Proverbs 24:31) For further protection lodges, (Isaiah 1:8; Lamentations 2:6) or watchtowers, (Mark 12:1) were built in them, in which sat the keeper, (Job 27:18) to drive away the wild beasts and robbers, as is the case to this day. The gardens of the Hebrews were planted with flowers and aromatic shrubs, (Solomon 6:2; 4:16) besides olives, fig trees, nuts or walnuts, (Solomon 6:12) pomegranates, and others for domestic use.…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Of Eden

See EDEN

→ Of Gethsemane

→ See GETHSEMANE

and she said the woman to the snake from [the] fruit of [the] tree[s] of the garden we will eat
נֹאכֵֽל׃no.Khel we will eat H398 Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common plural
810× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to eat or devour, and it's used in many stories, including when Jesus fed the 5000 with fish and bread in the book of Matthew. It's about taking in nourishment and being satisfied.
Amplified meaning
devour, consume
Tyndale gloss
to eat
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָכַל 806 vb. eat

Qal

eat, human subject

of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

fig. of fire, devour, consume

of sword, devour, slay

in genl., devour, consume, destroy

fig. of oppression, devour the poor

Niph.

be eaten by man

be devoured by fire, consumed

be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

Pu. be consumed

Hiph.

cause to eat, feed with

cause to devoure, obj. sword

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject

. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

. fig. of fire, devour, consume

. of sword, devour, slay

. in genl., devour, consume, destroy

. fig. of oppression, devour the poor

. . be eaten by man

. be devoured by fire, consumed

. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

. be consumed

. . cause to eat, feed with

. cause to devoure, obj. sword

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

398 'akal aw-kal'

a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at

all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),

feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)

meat, X quite.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.

1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to eat (human subject)

1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)

1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)

1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)

1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)

1a6) to devour (of oppression)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be eaten (by men)

1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)

1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to cause to eat, feed with

1c2) to cause to devour

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to feed

1d2) to cause to eat

1e) (Piel)

1e1) consume

Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-1cp — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common plural
HVqi1cp
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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