Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Genesis 3:15

וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין זַרְעָ֑הּ ה֚וּא יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ רֹ֔אשׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ עָקֵֽב׃ (ס)

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.’

Rashi on Genesis

ואיבה אשית AND I WILL SET ENMITY — Your sole intention was that Adam should die by eating it first and that you should then take Eve for yourself (Genesis Rabbah 20:5), and you came to speak to Eve first only because women are easily influenced and know how to influence their husbands; therefore “I shall put enmity [between thee and the woman]”.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Ramban on Genesis

AND THOU SHALT BRUISE THEIR HEEL. This means man will have an advantage over you [the serpent] in the enmity between him and you for he will bruise your head but you will bruise him only in his heel, with which he will crush your brain.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Sforno on Genesis

ואיבה אשית, woman would henceforth be an object of disgust even in her own estimation, as described in the Talmud (Shabbat 152) “although a woman is a vessel full of excrement and her orifice full of blood,” (men run after her as if she was the most desirable creature) This was going to be the relationship between males and females in the future, not only that between Adam and Chavah [who apparently could not bring himself to have intercourse with her for the next 130 years. Ed.]
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Or HaChaim on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Radak on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Haamek Davar on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Rabbeinu Bahya

Available for Premium members only

Siftei Chakhamim

Available for Premium members only

Gur Aryeh on Bereishit

Available for Premium members only

Chizkuni

Available for Premium members only

Rashi on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Sforno on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Haamek Davar on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Siftei Chakhamim

Available for Premium members only

Or HaChaim on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Chizkuni

Available for Premium members only

Rashi on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Sforno on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Haamek Davar on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Siftei Chakhamim

Available for Premium members only

Chizkuni

Available for Premium members only

Sforno on Genesis

Available for Premium members only

Siftei Chakhamim

Available for Premium members only

Siftei Chakhamim

Available for Premium members only
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse