Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
Genesis 3:15 – Conflict and Victory or Just Continual Conflict?
Genesis 3:15 – I am wondering if I have totally missed what this verse is saying. Somehow I got the impression that the Seed (Jesus) would crush the serpent’s (Satan’s) head while the serpent (Satan) only bruised the heel of the Seed (Jesus). Just picture someone stomping on a snake to kill it, and that is the idea I had. I always viewed this as conflict then victory, with Satan defeated and Jesus only hurt. But the NASB and HSCB both use the same word to describe both actions as does the original Hebrew (NASB – bruise; HCSB – strike), and not two different words as does the NIV (crush and bruise). I thought “head” (death), “heel” (inconvenient). But a bite from a poisonous snake on the heel could prove fatal as much as crushing the head would be fatal for the snake. However, since the same Hebrew word is used to describe the actions of both Satan and Jesus, maybe this verse is not foretelling of the cross and victory of Jesus. Maybe this verse is foretelling the continual battle that will last as long as the world lasts, just like the other curses are until the end of time. Satan is defeated on the cross, but Satan is still alive and well and fighting against the Seed on planet earth. Maybe this verse is only about conflict, endless conflict until the end of time.
Comments