Genesis 3:4

Summary

Genesis 3:4 records the snake's direct reply to the woman, contradicting the prohibition previously stated. The Hebrew sentence uses an emphatic verbal construction to negate the certainty of death.

Key words

• va-yomer ("and he said", H0559) — qal narrative verb, continuing the story sequence with "and then he said."
• ha-nachash ("the snake", H5175) — masculine singular noun with definite article, identifying the subject of the speech.
• lo' ("not", H3808) — simple negation, placed before the verbal construction to negate the entire statement that follows.
• mot ("certainly ", H4191) — qal infinitive absolute, a form that reinforces or intensifies the finite verb that follows it.
• temutun ("you will die", H4191) — qal imperfect, second person masculine plural, with a paragogic nun (H9013) adding emphasis to the verb form.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative verb va-yomer ("and he said", H0559), which continues the sequential storytelling pattern typical of Biblical Hebrew narrative. The subject, ha-nachash ("the snake", H5175), is introduced with the definite article, marking it as the specific animal already present in the narrative context. The prepositional phrase 'el-ha-'ishah ("to the woman", H0413 + H0802G) identifies the addressee.

The core of the verse is the negated verbal construction lo'-mot temutun ("not certainly you will die"). This combines the negation lo' (H3808) with an infinitive absolute mot (H4191) followed by the finite imperfect verb temutun (H4191), both built on the same root for "to die." In Biblical Hebrew, pairing an infinitive absolute with a finite verb of the same root is a grammatical device that intensifies or emphasizes the action of the verb. Here, however, the intensifying construction is placed under negation, so the emphasis falls on the certainty of not dying rather than on death itself — the sentence is structured to stress the strength of the denial.

Additionally, the verb temutun carries a paragogic nun (H9013), an archaic or emphatic verbal ending attached to the second person plural imperfect. This suffix, according to the grammar notes, functions to add further emphasis to the statement, reinforcing the force of the denial already established by the infinitive absolute construction.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the Hebrew emphatic construction as οὐ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε ("not by death will you die"), using a dative noun θανάτῳ paired with the verb ἀποθανεῖσθε, which mirrors the Hebrew infinitive absolute + finite verb pattern through a noun-plus-verb structure rather than a repeated verbal root. The Vulgate reads Nequaquam morte moriemini ("by no means will you die by death"), similarly using a noun (morte) with the verb moriemini to echo the Hebrew emphatic construction. Both LXX and Vulgate preserve the intensifying structure of the Hebrew through analogous but not identical grammatical means (noun + verb rather than infinitive + verb).