והנחשׁ היה ערום מכל חית השׂדה אשׁר עשׂה יהוה אלהים ויאמר אל האשׁה אף כי אמר אלהים לא תאכלו מכל עץ הגן׃
Gen 3:1 [Samaritan]
והנחשׁ היה ערום מכל חית השׂדה אשׁר עשׂה יהוה אלהים ויאמר אל האשׁה אף כי אמר אלהים לא תאכלו מכל עץ הגן׃
Gen 3:1 [Masoretic]
וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּֽי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹֽאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּֽן׃
Now the Serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which YHWH Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, “Did Elohim really say, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?'”
* the Serpent (Naḥas) is a metaphor for the Devil.
Gen 3:1 [Targum Onkelos]
וְחִוְיָא הֲוָה עָרִים מִכֹּל חַיַּת בָּרָא דַּעֲבַד יְיָ אֱלֹהִים וַאֲמַר לְאִתְּתָא בְּקוּשְׁטָא אֲמַר יְיָ לָא תֵּיכְלוּן מִכֹּל אִילָן גִּינְּתָא:
And the Ḥivya was wiser than all the animals of the field which YeYa Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, “Is it true that YeYa said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?'”
* the Serpent (Ḥivya) is a metaphor for the Devil.
Gen 3:1 [Samaritan Targum]
ונחשה הוה אסטיל מן כל עפיסת ברה דעבדון יהוה אלהים ואמר לאתאה ברן כי מלל אלהים לא תיכלו מכל עילן גנתה:
And the Serpent was wiser than all the animals of the field which YHWH Elah had made. And he said to the woman, “Is it true that YHWH said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?'”
Gen 3:1 [Peshitta]
ܘܚܘܝܐ ܥܪܝܡ ܗܘܐ܂ ܡܢ ܟܠܗܿ ܚܝܘܬܐ ܕܕܒܪܐ ܕܥܒܼܕ ܡܪܝܐ ܐܠܗܐ܂ ܘܐܡܼܪ ܚܘܝܐ ܠܐܢܬܬܐ܂ ܫܪܝܪܐܝܬ ܐܡܼܪ ܐܠܗܐ܂ ܕܠܐ ܬܐܟܠܘܢ ܡܢ ܟܠ ܐ̈ܝܠܢܝ ܦܪܕܝܣܐ܂
Now the Serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which MarYA Alaha had made. And the Serpent said to the woman, “Is it true that Alaha said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden?'”
* the Serpent (Ḥuya) is a metaphor for the Devil.
Gen 3:1 [Septuagint]
Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν ἐποίησεν Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ὄφις τῇ γυναικί· Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου;
Now the serpent was the most crafty of all the wild animals on the earth, which the LORD God made; and the serpent said to the woman, “Why did God say, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden’?”
Gen 3:1 [Old Latin (Vetus Latina)]
Serpens autem erat prudentissimus omnium bestiarum quae sunt super terram, quas fecit Dominus Deus. Et dixit serpens mulieri : Quid quia dixit Deus : Non edetis ab omni ligno paradisi?
But the Serpent was the wisest of all the beasts that are upon the earth which the LORD God had made. And the Serpent said to the woman, “Why did God said, ‘Do not eat from every tree in the Garden’?”
Gen 3:1 [Vulgate]
Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus. Qui dixit ad mulierem : Cur praecepit vobis Deus ut non comederetis de omni ligno paradisi?
Now the serpent was more crafty than all animals of the earth which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Why did God command you not to eat of every tree in the Garden?”
וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙ חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה אַ֚ף כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּ֖ל עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made, and he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
Morphology
- וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ (wəhannāḥāš) – Root: נחש (n-ḥ-š); Form: Conjunction with definite article + noun, singular masculine; Translation: “Now the serpent”; Notes: Introduces the serpent as the subject.
- הָיָ֣ה (hāyāh) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Qal perfect, third masculine singular; Translation: “was”; Notes: Describes the serpent’s state.
- עָר֔וּם (ʿārūm) – Root: ערם (ʿ-r-m); Form: Adjective, singular masculine; Translation: “cunning”; Notes: Conveys the serpent’s shrewd nature.
- מִכֹּל֙ (mikkōl) – Root: כל (k-l); Form: Preposition + noun, singular masculine; Translation: “than any”; Notes: Indicates comparison.
- חַיַּ֣ת (ḥayyat) – Root: חיה (ḥ-y-h); Form: Construct state, singular feminine; Translation: “beast of”; Notes: Links with the following phrase.
- הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה (haśśādeh) – Root: שדה (ś-d-h); Form: Noun, singular masculine with definite article; Translation: “the field”; Notes: Specifies the domain of the beasts.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (ʾăšer) – Root: Particle; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause.
- עָשָׂ֖ה (ʿāsāh) – Root: עשה (ʿ-ś-h); Form: Qal perfect, third masculine singular; Translation: “had made”; Notes: Refers to the LORD’s creative act.
- יְהוָ֣ה (YHWH) – Root: Tetragrammaton; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Divine name.
- אֱלֹהִ֑ים (ʾĕlōhīm) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Form: Proper noun, plural intensive; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the Creator.
- וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ (vayyōʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Qal imperfect, third masculine singular, prefixed with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Marks the serpent’s speech.
- אֶל־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה (ʾel-hāʾiššāh) – Root: אשה (ʾ-š-h); Form: Preposition with definite article + noun, singular feminine; Translation: “to the woman”; Notes: Indicates the serpent’s address.
- אַ֚ף (ʾaf) – Root: Particle; Translation: “Indeed”; Notes: Conveys emphasis or irony.
- כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר (kī-ʾāmar) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Particle + Qal perfect, third masculine singular; Translation: “has said”; Notes: Introduces the serpent’s question.
- אֱלֹהִ֔ים (ʾĕlōhīm) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Form: Proper noun, plural intensive; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the Creator.
- לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֔וּ (lō tōʾkəlū) – Root: אכל (ʾ-k-l); Form: Negative particle + Qal imperfect, second masculine plural; Translation: “you shall not eat”; Notes: Expresses prohibition.
- מִכֹּ֖ל (mikkōl) – Root: כל (k-l); Form: Preposition + noun, singular masculine; Translation: “from any”; Notes: Refers to a restriction.
- עֵ֥ץ (ʿēṣ) – Root: עץ (ʿ-ṣ); Form: Noun, singular masculine; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Specifies the object of the restriction.
- הַגָּֽן (haggān) – Root: גן (g-n); Form: Noun, singular masculine with definite article; Translation: “the garden”; Notes: Refers to the location.