14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14–15 (NKJV)

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, accursed are you of all the livestock and of all the wild animals of the earth. You will go upon your chest and belly, and you will eat earth all the days of your life. 15 I will place enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will watch your head carefully, and you will watch his heel carefully.” Genesis 3:14–15 (LES2) 

This is the first time we encounter prophecy in the Bible, which is where we see the biggest contrasts between the MT and LXX. I believe this is because prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, according to Revelation 19:10. The translators of the MT were Jews who held a strong antipathy toward Christ. Consciously or unconsciously, this hatred of Christ, and ultimately God the Father (John 15:23), seems to have translated into changing what the prophetic scriptures declare.

The first change is slight, but perhaps quite significant. The MT says the serpent will eat dust all his days, but the LXX says he will eat “earth,” which is the word for the world in which we live. The New Testament declares that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) The entire earth has come under a curse, giving the devil permission, within limits, to destroy the it and its inhabitants. This continues to this day.

A marked difference occurs at the end of verse 15. The familiar words of the MT do not agree with the LXX. Rather than the “seed” of the woman, who we understand to be Christ, bruising the serpent’s head, the LXX says he will “carefully watch” his head. The serpent, instead of bruising the heel of this man will carefully watch it. How can we explain this?

Perhaps Peter gave us the answer.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8–9 (NKJV) 

Vigilance is keeping a careful watch. God keeps an eye on Satan and his minions. Nothing ever surprises him. Jesus was not surprised when Judas betrayed him in the garden when the soldiers came to arrest him. He was not surprised when he had to endure the fiery ordeal of the cross. We are supposed to be likewise vigilant and ready.

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 1 Peter 4:12 (NASB95) 

Satan, for his part, likewise tries to keep up with what is happening regarding the seed of the woman. Over the centuries he unsuccessfully did his best to eliminate that promised seed altogether. When Christ finally appeared, he tried to murder him at Herod’s hands. He tempted Jesus to betray God, made other attempts to kill him, and finally had him crucified, thinking by this he won. 

The reason a serpent would watch a heel would be to strike at it and to prevent its head from being crushed, which is the message of the MT. The LXX says so much more, however, while implying what the MT says. Ultimately, the privilege and responsibility of crushing Satan will fall to the church. (Romans 16:20)

16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16 (NKJV) 

16 He said to the woman, “Multiplying, I will multiply your pain and your moaning. You will bring forth children in pain, and your recourse will be to your husband, and he will be master over you.” Genesis 3:16 (LES2) 

Once again we see significant differences in this verse. The MT says that the woman’s conception will be multiplied, but the LXX says her moaning or groaning during labor will be multiplied.  The Greek word translated “recourse” is apostrophe, which means literally “turning back.” The woman would look to her husband for aid or security. The MT says the woman’s longing will be for her husband. Both the MT and LXX agree that the husband will rule over the wife. 

This verse in the MT is often compared to Genesis 4:7, where we see another stark contrast between the MT and LXX. Whereas the MT says that sin desires Cain, but he must rule over it, the LXX says that Abel will have recourse to Cain (be submitted to him), but Cain will rule over Abel. 

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17–19 (NKJV) 

17 And he said to Adam, “Because you obeyed the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I commanded you, ‘From only this one, do not eat,’ you ate from that one, the earth is accursed by your works. In pain you will eat it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns and thistles will grow up for you. You will eat the herbs of the field. 19 You will eat your bread by the sweat of your face until you return into the earth from which you were taken; because you are earth, and you will depart into the earth.” Genesis 3:17–19 (LES2) 

Adam is addressed as the one chiefly responsible for what happened. He was the “first born,” so to speak, the first one created. Once again, the MT uses a rather generic form of “ground” which is cursed because of Adam’s sin. The LXX uses the broader word for the earth itself, which includes the ground. The entire earth came under a curse because of Adam’s sin. Therefore the entire earth will need redemption, which Christ provided. At the culmination of time, God will destroy the old heaven and earth and recreate something brand new. (2 Peter 3:13)

Both the MT and LXX agree that Adam will derive sustenance from the earth in pain until he dies and returns to the earth from which his body was derived. At this point, God did not permit Adam to eat animals. That came after the flood.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:20–21 (NKJV) 

20 Adam called the name of the woman Zoe, because she was mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and he put them on them. Genesis 3:20–21 (LES2) 

The LXX makes it clear that “Eve’s” name means life. This gives us insight into the role of the woman. She is a life giver and nurturer. 

God covered Adam’s and Eve’s nakedness with something more durable than leaves, but doing this required animals to die. Blood had to be spilled to cover their shame. This foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice as God’s Lamb. He shed his blood to cover our sin. (1 Peter 1:19)

22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22–24 (NKJV) 

22 And the Lord God said, “Look, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; so now may he never stretch out his hand and take from the tree of life and eat, and will live forever.” 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the luxurious garden to work the earth from which he was taken. 24 So he threw Adam out and settled him opposite the luxurious garden and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22–24 (LES2) 

In the aftermath of the fall of man, God took action to prevent Adam and his descendants from partaking of the tree of life and living forever in a state of sin and separation from God. They were expelled from the garden they had been assigned to keep. Henceforward, the cherubim would serve in that function. 

The cherubim still guard the way into the “holy of holies.” They were embroidered into the curtain of the temple, signifying that only the high priest could enter once a year. Ezekiel saw them beneath the firmament, the barrier between heaven and earth. When Christ ascended to the Father after his resurrection, he opened the way for us to enter God’s presence which had previously been barred to us. Now those who are in Christ are free to come into God’s presence. (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 2:18)