KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Genesis 3:1 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Now the serpent” | וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ | A snake (from its hiss) | Now serpent |
| “was” | הָיָ֣ה | To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) | was |
| “more subtil” | עָר֔וּם | Cunning (usually in a bad sense) | more subtil |
| “than any” | מִכֹּל֙ | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | than any |
| “beast” | חַיַּ֣ת | Alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively | beast |
| “of the field” | הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה | A field (as flat) | field |
| “which” | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc | which |
| “the Lord” | יְהוָ֣ה | (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God | Lord |
| “God” | אֱלֹהִ֑ים | Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative | God |
| “had made.” | עָשָׂ֖ה | To do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application | made |
| “And he said” | וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | To say (used with great latitude) | said |
| “unto” | אֶל | Near, with or among; often in general, to | unto |
| “the woman,” | הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה | A woman | woman |
| “Yea,” | אַ֚ף | Meaning accession (used as an adverb or conjunction); also or yea; adversatively though | Yea |
| “hath God” | אֱלֹהִ֔ים | Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative | God |
| “said,” | אָמַ֣ר | To say (used with great latitude) | said |
| “Ye shall not” | לֹ֣א | Not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles | not |
| “eat” | תֹֽאכְל֔וּ | To eat (literally or figuratively) | eat |
| “of every” | מִכֹּ֖ל | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | every |
| “tree” | עֵ֥ץ | A tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks) | tree |
| “of the garden?” | הַגָּֽן׃ | A garden (as fenced) | garden |
See Genesis 3:1 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
| Very High |
Verse Search Popularity Levels What do people search for?Use the scale on the left to tell how often the verses below are googled compared to each other. |
|
| High | ||
| Medium | ||
| Low | ||
| Very Low |
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.