Genesis 3 is read here through the lens of moral discernment and translation accuracy. A mistranslation can change the entire meaning of the story: the Hebrew “nachash” may refer not only to a serpent, but also to a possessor of knowledge. From this perspective, the conflict is not about “temptation” alone, but about humanity’s right to grow through knowledge of good and evil — and the inner choice between darkness and light.
Contents: Genesis 3 — Serpent or Dragon? The Mistranslation That Changed Meaning
The Mistranslation That Changed Meaning
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel”. *
The Serpent, the Dragon, and the Symbol of Knowledge
The false deity does not want humans to attain knowledge. The serpent is a symbol of darkness. The dragon is a symbol of light and belongs to the keepers of valuable knowledge.
This has led to different interpretations, including references to Tiamat in Sumerian narratives, where Tiamat is depicted as a dragon and described as the first salty sea from which the earth and everything else emerged.
Another version identifies the serpent as Lilith (Serpent-Woman), known from Sumerian tales as the mistress of the waters and the creator of the world. The images of Tiamat and Lilith represent one legendary woman divided into two figures in different Sumerian sources. For simplicity, both are referred to here as Lilith.
Lilith, the False Deity and the Fear of Knowledge
It is said that Lilith knew the name of the false deity, which means she was stronger than him. The version that Lilith was Adam’s first wife is incorrect.
The association of Lilith with dragons is correct metaphorically. In legends, she is depicted as a dragon to symbolize the nature of her actions. The dragon represents wisdom, deep knowledge, and the protection of enlightened magicians.
The Meaning of “Nachash” in Hebrew
In Hebrew, the word “nachash” does not have a single fixed meaning. Depending on context, it can signify a physical serpent or a bearer of knowledge. Understanding this linguistic ambiguity is essential for interpreting the dialogue between the serpent and Eve.
Did the Serpent Deceive Eve?
From this perspective, the serpent did not lead Eve into sin. Instead, it prevented her from remaining at a low level of development. When it said, “You will not die,” it spoke about the continuity of the soul, for death is understood here as a transition between lives rather than the destruction of spiritual essence.
The False Deity’s Paradise Without Growth and the Rivalry with God
The false deity created conditions of abundance, comfort, and leisure, without labor, suffering, or conflict. Such a paradise offers physical satisfaction but blocks moral and spiritual development. Humans remain at the level of instinct rather than progressing toward conscious existence.
People were given the role of kings of animals and lands. This shortened humanity’s path and discouraged spiritual growth.
Creation Without the Divine Spark
God allowed the false deity to create humans. But the false god could only create humans without the divine spark, although he breathed life into them.
Moreover, he created humans who had not gone through the long path of rebirths from a small organism to human form. Adam had not gone through the path of plants to learn the value of life, nor the path of animals to grow through love, compassion, etc., and had no experience in recognizing good and evil. His soul level was no higher than a plant. Eve was at the same level. They could only eat, drink, and idle.
The Hidden Divine Spark and the Beginning of Growth
God secretly placed His spark into Adam and Eve.
They were meant to live, gain experience, draw conclusions, and grow in mind and understanding over time.
The Dialogue Between Lilith and Eve
Lilith later appears to Eve.
Lilith is not only an allegorical figure formed from legends. Some legends reflect the actions of real beings. She possessed great power and knowledge but failed to overcome the barrier of pride and excessive self-confidence. Her task is to recognize this error and continue her path toward God.
The dialogue between the serpent and Eve is complex and meaningful and cannot be reduced to a simple temptation story.
Two Teachings: Darkness and Light in Scripture
In the Old Testament, the false deity offers a contract based on fear, punishment, wealth, and power.
The Almighty offers a choice between dust and eternity through knowledge of good and evil and provides a divine program for learning.
God allowed both teachings to exist in Scripture. Nothing happens without His permission. He allowed the teaching of darkness to exist at the level humanity was capable of understanding at that time.
The Role of Darkness and Light in the Growth of the Soul
As souls experienced life after life, they began to distinguish more clearly between the path of good and the path of evil. Consequently, they paid less attention to the teachings of darkness and progressed on the path of light.
Over time, many souls started to reject the doctrine of darkness, even as servants of religion continued to praise the entire scriptures without distinguishing between darkness and light.
This means that both external darkness and external light create conditions for the soul’s growth.
Darkness reveals the path to light by striking through its vile deeds, betrayals, wars, disputes, and misfortunes stemming from ignorance and division, while light attracts with its justice, mercy, love, knowledge, faithfulness, and unity.
Darkness entices with base passions that lead to the effects of slavery to such passions, whereas light guides through the voice of God – conscience.
In other words, both darkness and light perform their roles, but in fundamentally different ways. And both darkness and light fall under the dominion of the Creator.
Inner Darkness, Inner Light, and Personal Choice
Those who do not grow in their souls and remain in darkness choose the path to dust throughout their lives. On the Day of Judgment, they will understand that they were not on the side of external darkness, not on the side of the false god and his like, but on the side of their own inner darkness. Inner darkness and inner light are parts of the soul.
Each person has the right, granted by the Almighty, to choose whether to nurture darkness within themselves, diminishing the light, or to cultivate the light from the “spark” of God, pushing out the darkness.
The Three Worlds and the End of the Teaching Period
The upper, middle, and lower worlds are linked through cycles of development and decline. Some beings ascended, others fell, and others were given new chances. With the revelation of the sealed book, the time of teaching ended and the time of examination for all three worlds began.
Many inhabitants of the upper world have not overcome the barriers of pride and vanity, and many of their actions have caused suffering in the middle world. These are the ones who were trapped in the swamp of arrogance, that were called gods, without knowing that it was these very so-called “gods” who once destroyed the middle world by fighting against the giants of the middle world, who were nearly equal to them in technology.
Much misfortune also came from the beings of the lower world. There, not everything is as material as in the middle world. Many of these beings are bodiless – some harmless and simple-minded, but others are dangerous and powerful demons. However, for most inhabitants of the middle world, this world is just as material as they themselves are. They were never able to penetrate the middle world and are controlled by the demons of the lower world.
Their world originates from the middle world, which did not pass the test of the Last Judgment. Those who passed the test ascended to a higher level. Those whose soul level was too low turned to dust. Those with a sufficient soul level were given a chance to continue growing, but their level was so low that they descended with their middle world to the level of the lower world.
Conclusion
This chapter frames Genesis 3 as a story about spiritual development and discernment. It emphasizes that comfort without knowledge leads to stagnation, while true growth requires conscious learning and moral responsibility. The central focus is the inner choice: whether a person nurtures inner darkness or strengthens the divine spark within.
*The text of the Bible is quoted from the “English Standard Version“.↑ back
Frequently Asked Questions
It is an ambiguous Hebrew term that can mean “serpent,” but may also imply a “possessor of knowledge,” depending on context.
Because different symbolic traditions treat the dragon as a sign of wisdom and guardianship of knowledge, which changes the moral framing of the story.
It portrays the false deity as opposing human attainment of knowledge, preferring a “paradise” of comfort without spiritual growth.
No. It is presented as protecting Eve from remaining at a low level of development by pointing toward knowledge.
It is interpreted as referring to the soul’s continuity: death is a transitional period between lives, not the destruction of the soul.
They appear as interpretive parallels from Sumerian narratives used to explain how later traditions shaped the image of the “serpent.”
This commentary argues that the Almighty allowed both to exist in the text as conditions for discernment and growth at humanity’s stage of development.
The inner choice: whether a person nurtures inner darkness or cultivates the divine spark of light within.
To show how translation and symbolism can change meaning — and to emphasize discernment, knowledge, and conscious growth.
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