Vincent Melli

The Holy Bible · Genesis

Genesis 3 — Hebrew and Greek compared

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Same 6   Similar 2   Different 6   Divergent 4   Disparate 6

Disparate in this chapter: 3:5, 3:6, 3:15, 3:16, 3:17, 3:24

Each verse is rendered independently from the Hebrew (Rabbinic reading tradition) and from the Greek (Saints reading tradition). The badge classifies the relationship between the two readings; the note beneath records the source document’s comparison and attributed interpretation. Each column retains its own verse references where numbering differs.

The Temptation

3:1  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:1 The serpent was more shrewd than any wild animal of the field that YHWH God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Greek · Saints priority

3:1 The serpent was the most shrewd of all the wild animals upon the earth that the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Why did God say, ‘You shall by no means eat from any tree in paradise’?”

G explicitly names the speaker again, broadens field to earth, and phrases the challenge as “Why?” Its prudence word does not commend the serpent’s morality.

3:2  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden;

Greek · Saints priority

3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of paradise;

The collective tree expression is rendered naturally in both columns.

3:3  Similar

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:3 but from the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’”

Greek · Saints priority

3:3 but from the fruit of the tree in the midst of paradise, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, so that you do not die.’”

Both report the woman’s inclusion of touching. Greek’s purpose clause and Hebrew’s avoidance clause do not assert opposing intentions.

3:4  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die!

Greek · Saints priority

3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die!

Both emphatically deny the threatened death. This is the serpent’s assertion, not the narrator’s endorsement.

3:5  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:5 For God knew that on whatever day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”

G explicitly has plural gods. H’s elohim permits God or divine beings; the Hebrew column selects God and keeps the alternative visible here. The theological comparison is therefore significant but qualified by Hebrew ambiguity.

3:6  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. She took from its fruit and ate; she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.

Greek · Saints priority

3:6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing for the eyes to see, and beautiful to contemplate. She took from its fruit and ate; she also gave some to her husband with her, and they ate.

H emphasizes gaining wisdom and ends with his eating; G emphasizes contemplation and ends with their eating. G does not erase her earlier act; it changes the final subject and the stated attraction.

Saints — Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.22.4: He reads Mary’s obedience as undoing Eve’s disobedience. This is Christian typology, not an additional clause in Genesis.

3:7  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:7 The eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Greek · Saints priority

3:7 The eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Both describe coverings worn around the body. Greek perizōmata does not require an unspecified full garment.

The Inquiry

3:8  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:8 They heard the sound of YHWH God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and the human and his wife hid from the presence of YHWH God among the trees of the garden.

Greek · Saints priority

3:8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in paradise toward evening, and Adam and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of paradise.

H gives the day’s breeze; G specifies late afternoon or evening. G’s singular-form tree expression can be collective; it need not place them inside one tree.

3:9  Divergent

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:9 YHWH God called to the human and said to him, “Where are you?”

Greek · Saints priority

3:9 The Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?”

G includes Adam in the spoken address as well as in the narration.

3:10  Divergent

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:10 He said, “I heard Your sound in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:10 He said to Him, “I heard Your sound as You walked in paradise, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid.”

G adds walking to Adam’s report. The Greek participle describes God walking, not a voice walking independently.

3:11  Divergent

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

Greek · Saints priority

3:11 He said to him, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree, the only one from which I commanded you not to eat?”

G expressly limits the prohibition to this tree alone. Its question is not translated as an added logical “unless” clause.

3:12  Similar

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:12 The human said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me some from the tree, and I ate.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:12 Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me some from the tree, and I ate.”

The explanation agrees; G uses the name Adam.

3:13  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:13 YHWH God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:13 The Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Both preserve the question and her appeal to deception.

The Judgement

3:14  Divergent

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:14 YHWH God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you beyond all livestock and every wild animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

Greek · Saints priority

3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you beyond all livestock and all wild animals of the earth. On your chest and belly you shall go, and earth you shall eat all the days of your life.

G adds the chest and uses earth where H has dust. Both compare the serpent’s curse with the animals’ condition.

3:15  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will watch your head, and you will watch his heel.”

H uses shuph, striking or bruising; G uses tēreō, watching or guarding, in a hostile context. Greek autos is masculine although sperma is neuter. That is relevant to personal reception, but does not by itself name Jesus or authorize replacing “watch” with “crush.”

Rabbinic — Rashi on Genesis 3:15: He explains the hostility through a human crushing the serpent’s head and the serpent biting the human heel.

3:16  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain and your pregnancy; in pain you shall bear children. Your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pains and your groaning; in pains you shall bear children. Your turning shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Pregnancy becomes groaning, and desire becomes turning or recourse. Both retain childbirth pain and the husband’s rule; the distinct relational language should remain visible.

3:17  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:17 To Adam He said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life.

Greek · Saints priority

3:17 To Adam He said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree, the only one from which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the earth in your works; in pains you shall eat from it all the days of your life.

H locates the curse “because of you”; G has “in your works,” relating it to human activity. G also repeats its only-tree qualification. These are substantive differences without proof of their historical cause.

3:18  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:18 It shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Greek · Saints priority

3:18 It shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field.

The resistant ground and human diet agree.

3:19  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Greek · Saints priority

3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken; for you are earth, and into earth you shall depart.”

H distinguishes ground and dust; G uses earth throughout and adds “your” to bread. Both connect labor, bodily origin, and death.

The Expulsion

3:20  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:20 The human called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Greek · Saints priority

3:20 Adam called his wife’s name Life, because she was the mother of all the living.

H uses the name Eve, with a life-related explanation. G translates the name as Zōē, Life; that meaningful difference is not hidden by name normalization.

3:21  Same

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:21 YHWH God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Greek · Saints priority

3:21 The Lord God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Both describe divine provision of clothing made from skin.

3:22  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:22 YHWH God said, “Behold, the human has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he reach out his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat and live forever—”

Greek · Saints priority

3:22 God said, “Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he reach out his hand and take from the tree of life, and eat and live forever—”

G names Adam and has God without Lord; H adds “also.” Both retain the plural divine expression and the unfinished warning, followed by expulsion.

3:23  Different

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:23 YHWH God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Greek · Saints priority

3:23 The Lord God sent him out from the paradise of delight to work the earth from which he had been taken.

G renders Eden’s setting as delight here, rather than simply transliterating the name.

3:24  Disparate

Hebrew · Rabbinic priority

3:24 He drove out the human, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the flame of the turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Greek · Saints priority

3:24 He drove out Adam and settled him opposite the paradise of delight, and stationed the cherubim and the turning flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

G explicitly settles Adam opposite paradise before stationing the guardians. H instead locates the guardians east of the garden. The differing object and added settlement are substantial spatial and narrative changes.

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Saints Translation · Companion comparison edition · working draft awaiting specialist review.

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