Answer
After Adam and Eve rebelled in the Garden of Eden and sin entered the world, the first punishment God announced was for the serpent who tempted them: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The significance of God placing enmity between the serpent—identified elsewhere in the Bible as Satan (e.g., Revelation 20:2)—and Eve was to prevent humanity from becoming lasting allies with the evil one who had just successfully manipulated and deceived them. This enmity was a hindrance to Satan and a blessing to humanity.
Understanding the biblical meaning of the Hebrew noun ebah, translated as “enmity” in Genesis 3:15 in almost all English Bible translations, sheds light on the relationship between Satan and humanity. This word is related to the verb ayab, which means “to be hostile to.” In Ezekiel 25:15, a related form of the same Hebrew word describes the animosity of nations at war, variously translated as “enmity” (ESV), “hostility” (NIV), “contempt” (NLT), and “hatred” (KJV). Similarly, in Numbers 35:21, another form of ayab is used to describe the hatred that precipitates murder.
The importance of placing enmity between Satan and Eve and between their offspring is seen in the ominous unity they temporarily had in the Garden of Eden. When the serpent tempted Eve to disobey God, he argued that death wouldn’t actually occur from eating fruit from the forbidden tree: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4–5, ESV). Enticed, Eve ate fruit from the tree and gave some to Adam, who ate as well (Genesis 3:6). Thus, the serpent and Eve became momentary allies. Eve, deceived by Satan, briefly adopted his view of God—questioning His goodness and doubting His word. Simultaneously, Eve’s unity and alignment with God was severed.
The second half of Genesis 3:15 prophesies that the hostile relationship between Satan and humanity would culminate in the serpent striking the heel of one of Eve’s descendants. Later, Scripture reveals this to be Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah (Luke 3:38; Galatians 4:4). Jesus, in turn, would crush the serpent’s head—a depiction of ultimate victory—through His death on the cross and His physical resurrection from the dead (Colossians 2:14–15; Hebrews 2:14–15).
This is why Genesis 3:15 is sometimes referred to as the “protoevangelium,” the “first gospel,” because it foretells Jesus’ victory over Satan. The gospel—meaning “good news”—proclaims that, through His death and resurrection, Jesus enables sinners to be in right standing with God, no longer separated from Him because of sin. People receive the gospel through responding to Jesus’ call to “repent and believe” (Mark 1:15). Although Genesis 3:15 doesn’t describe the gospel in detail, the essence of it is found in the verse.
Some interpreters, particularly those who don’t interpret Genesis 3:15 as a Messianic promise, believe the verse has a mythological meaning whose purpose is to explain why human beings are at odds with reptiles. The fear of reptiles is called herpetophobia and mostly applies to lizards and snakes, yet in a minority of cases it includes other reptiles like alligators and turtles. Those who believe the verse contains a promise of the Messiah question why Moses would introduce the concept of herpetophobia, especially when it’s not a universal human experience.
The victory that Jesus won over Satan will be fully realized at the second coming: “The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, ESV). All followers of Jesus who have faced accusation, temptation, and deception from Satan and demons can take comfort in the promise that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).
