The Fall in Eden

In Eden, the serpent, “more subtil than any beast of the field,” plants doubt: “Yea, hath God said …?” Then he lies: “Ye shall not surely die.” The woman sees that the forbidden fruit is desirable, eats it, and gives some to her husband, who eats too. At once their eyes are opened: discovering that they are naked, they sew fig leaves together for coverings, and then hide. God calls out: “Where art thou?” The man blames the woman, and the woman blames the serpent. Then come the judgments: the serpent is cursed, the woman will bear children in pain, and the man will toil by the sweat of his face until he returns to the dust. But a promise shines through: the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head. God clothes them in garments of skin, then drives them out of the garden; cherubim guard the way to the tree of life.