𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖘 3:14-15 𝕬𝖓𝖉 the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

[15] 𝕬𝖓𝖉 I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it h shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

3:14 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩. The cattle and all the rest of creation were cursed (see Rom. 8:20-23; cf. Jer. 12:4) as a result of Adam’s and Eve’s eating, but the serpent was uniquely cursed by being made to slither on its belly. It probably had legs before this curse. Now, snakes represent all that is odious, disgusting, and low. They are branded with infamy and avoided with fear. Cf. Isaiah 65:25; Micah 7:17.

3:15 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩, God turned to the spiritual serpent, the lying seducer, Satan, and cursed him. bruise your head . . . bruise His heel. This “first gospel” is prophetic of the struggle and its outcome between “your seed” (Satan and unbelievers, who are called the devil’s children in John 8:44) and her seed (Christ, a descendant of Eve, and those in Him), which began in the garden. In the midst of the curse passage, a message of hope shone forth-the woman’s offspring called “He” is Christ, who will one day defeat the serpent. Satan could only “bruise” Christ’s heel (cause Him to suffer), while Christ will bruise Satan’s head (destroy him with a fatal blow). Paul, in a passage strongly reminiscent of chapter 3, encouraged the believers in Rome, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom. 16:20). Believers should recognize that they participate in the crushing of Satan because, along with the Savior and because of His finished work on the cross, they also are of the woman’s seed. For more on the destruction of Satan, see Hebrews 2:14, 15; Revelation 20:10.