Revision #8267
Genesis 3:17–19
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Context
=
- In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree from which they had been forbidden to eat, God pronounces sentence in turn on the serpent (vv. 14–15), the woman (v. 16), and the man (vv. 17–19). This passage is the last of these, the sentence on the man. The curse is directed not at the man himself but at "the ground." The account of the man's expulsion from the garden follows (vv. 22–24).
+ In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree they had been forbidden to eat, God pronounces sentence in turn on the serpent (vv. 14–15), the woman (v. 16), and the man (vv. 17–19). This passage is the last of these, the sentence on the man. The curse falls not on the man himself but on "the ground." The account of the man's expulsion from the garden follows (vv. 22–24).
=
- In the Hebrew text, "man" (*adam*) and "ground" or "soil" (*adamah*) are similar-sounding words, so the statement that the man formed from the ground will return to the ground forms a wordplay (compare Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew word rendered "toil" in verse 17 (KJV "sorrow") is understood to be the same word used in verse 16 for the woman's "pain" (KJV "sorrow"). The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) uses the term *sikmul*, meaning "food" (食物), which the New Korean Revised Version changed to *meogeul geot*, "something to eat."
+ In the Hebrew text, "man" (*adam*) and "ground" or "soil" (*adamah*) sound alike, so the statement that the man formed from the ground will return to it forms a wordplay (compare Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew word rendered "sorrow" (or "toil") in verse 17 is understood to be the same word used in verse 16 for the woman's "sorrow" (or "pain"). In Korean Bible translation, the Korean Revised Version used an older term meaning "food," which the New Korean Revised Version replaced with a plainer expression meaning "something to eat."
=
= ## Interpretation
=
- - **Traditional Protestant reading**: Many denominations, including Presbyterians and Methodists, read this passage as a declaration of the consequences of the Fall—that through sin, toil and death entered human life. Linking it with Paul's statement that sin and death entered through the one man Adam (Romans 5:18–19), they treat it as one of the proof texts for the doctrine of original sin.
- - **Reading on work**: Work was a mandate given even before the Fall (Genesis 2:15). Many interpreters therefore hold that work itself is not a curse. They emphasize that it is the ground that was cursed, and that labor became arduous and its fruit uncertain. The concept of vocation originating with Luther and Calvin also rests on this distinction.
- - **Reading on the restoration of creation**: The statement that the ground was cursed because of man is read together with the "groaning creation" of Romans 8:19–23 and is taken as support for the view that salvation extends not only to human beings but also to the restoration of the created world.
- - **Christ-centered reading**: Some preaching traditions connect the "thorns" with the crown of thorns Jesus wore (Matthew 27:29) and read the passage alongside Galatians 3:10–14, which teaches that Christ bore the curse of the law in our place.
+ - **Traditional Protestant reading**: Many denominations, including Presbyterian and Methodist churches, read this passage as a declaration of the consequences of the Fall: through sin, toil and death entered human life. Linking it with Paul's teaching that sin and death entered through the one man Adam (Romans 5:18–19), they treat it as one of the scriptural bases for the doctrine of original sin.
+ - **Reading on work**: Work was a mandate given even before the Fall (Genesis 2:15). Many interpreters therefore hold that work itself is not a curse. They stress that it is the ground that was cursed, and that labor became arduous and its fruit uncertain. The doctrine of vocation that originated with Luther and Calvin also rests on this distinction.
+ - **Reading on the restoration of creation**: The statement that the ground was cursed because of man is read together with the "groaning" creation of Romans 8:19–23 and is taken as support for the view that salvation extends not only to human beings but also to the restoration of the created world.
+ - **Christ-centered reading**: Some preaching traditions connect the "thorns" with the crown of thorns Jesus wore (Matthew 27:29) and read the passage alongside Galatians 3:10–14, which teaches that Christ bore the curse of the law on behalf of others.
=
= ## Controversies and Issues
=
- The meaning of death in verse 19 is a point of contention in the creation and evolution debate. Young-earth creationists read the passage as teaching that there was no death of living creatures, including humans, before the Fall. Other positions, such as theistic evolution, hold that the passage refers to human death or to a state of broken relationship with God, distinguishing it from biological death in general. Whether "Adam" in verse 17 should be taken as a proper name or as the common noun "the man" is another point on which translations and interpretations diverge.
+ The meaning of death in verse 19 is disputed in the creation and evolution debate. Young-earth creationists read the passage as teaching that there was no death of living creatures, humans included, before the Fall. Other positions, such as theistic evolution, hold that the passage refers to human death, or to a state of broken relationship with God, and distinguish it from biological death in general. Whether "Adam" in verse 17 should be taken as a proper name or as the common noun "the man" is another point on which translations and interpretations diverge.
=
= ## In the Korean Church
=
- The words "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" are frequently read at funeral services, especially at the committal rite. Churches that observe the church year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, along with some Presbyterian and Methodist congregations that have adopted it, use language drawn from this passage when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday.
+ In Korean churches, the words "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" are frequently read at funeral services, especially during the committal at the graveside. Korean churches that observe the church year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, along with some Presbyterian and Methodist churches that have adopted it, use language drawn from this passage when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday.
=
= ## Related Passages
…
The sentence God pronounced on Adam after the Fall, declaring that the ground is cursed, that man must eat by toil and the sweat of his face, and that he will finally return to the dust. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of sin, death, and the meaning of work, and is often read at funerals.
The sentence God pronounced on Adam after the Fall: the ground is cursed, man must labor by the sweat of his face in order to eat, and he will finally return to the dust. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of sin, death, and the meaning of work, and it is often read at funerals.
Full revision
The sentence God pronounced on Adam after the Fall: the ground is cursed, man must labor by the sweat of his face in order to eat, and he will finally return to the dust. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of sin, death, and the meaning of work, and it is often read at funerals.
Context
In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree they had been forbidden to eat, God pronounces sentence in turn on the serpent (vv. 14–15), the woman (v. 16), and the man (vv. 17–19). This passage is the last of these, the sentence on the man. The curse falls not on the man himself but on "the ground." The account of the man's expulsion from the garden follows (vv. 22–24).
In the Hebrew text, "man" (adam) and "ground" or "soil" (adamah) sound alike, so the statement that the man formed from the ground will return to it forms a wordplay (compare Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew word rendered "sorrow" (or "toil") in verse 17 is understood to be the same word used in verse 16 for the woman's "sorrow" (or "pain"). In Korean Bible translation, the Korean Revised Version used an older term meaning "food," which the New Korean Revised Version replaced with a plainer expression meaning "something to eat."
Interpretation
- Traditional Protestant reading: Many denominations, including Presbyterian and Methodist churches, read this passage as a declaration of the consequences of the Fall: through sin, toil and death entered human life. Linking it with Paul's teaching that sin and death entered through the one man Adam (Romans 5:18–19), they treat it as one of the scriptural bases for the doctrine of original sin.
- Reading on work: Work was a mandate given even before the Fall (Genesis 2:15). Many interpreters therefore hold that work itself is not a curse. They stress that it is the ground that was cursed, and that labor became arduous and its fruit uncertain. The doctrine of vocation that originated with Luther and Calvin also rests on this distinction.
- Reading on the restoration of creation: The statement that the ground was cursed because of man is read together with the "groaning" creation of Romans 8:19–23 and is taken as support for the view that salvation extends not only to human beings but also to the restoration of the created world.
- Christ-centered reading: Some preaching traditions connect the "thorns" with the crown of thorns Jesus wore (Matthew 27:29) and read the passage alongside Galatians 3:10–14, which teaches that Christ bore the curse of the law on behalf of others.
Controversies and Issues
The meaning of death in verse 19 is disputed in the creation and evolution debate. Young-earth creationists read the passage as teaching that there was no death of living creatures, humans included, before the Fall. Other positions, such as theistic evolution, hold that the passage refers to human death, or to a state of broken relationship with God, and distinguish it from biological death in general. Whether "Adam" in verse 17 should be taken as a proper name or as the common noun "the man" is another point on which translations and interpretations diverge.
In the Korean Church
In Korean churches, the words "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" are frequently read at funeral services, especially during the committal at the graveside. Korean churches that observe the church year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, along with some Presbyterian and Methodist churches that have adopted it, use language drawn from this passage when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday.
Related Passages