Was There a “Talking Snake” in Genesis 3?
Unbelievers, and especially militant atheists, are known to ask this question for the purpose of mocking the Bible’s depiction of events in the Garden of Eden just before the fall of humanity.
The scenario takes place in Genesis 3, but the creature wasn’t a snake in the sense that we understand the reptile. It was a beautiful, intelligent, non-creepy creature called a “serpent,” which obviously had legs of some sort (verses 1 & 14). Only after it was divinely cursed did it became the creepy creature we know as the snake.
After Satan’s plunge from Heaven he possessed a serpent-with-legs for the purpose of tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden and, through Eve, seduced Adam into outright rebellion against the Almighty. Here’s the account:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:1-8
While Satan could have manifested himself in the physical realm like the “sons of God” later did (Genesis 6:1-4*) he obviously wanted to present his temptation to Eve as a harmless creature in order to be successful. This corresponds to something the New Testament says about him: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). So he possessed a serpent but, as noted, this reptile was hardly the slithering serpentine creatures with which we’re familiar.
* See this article for details.
This reptile had legs and it did not have the negative connotation that snakes have had ever since (Genesis 3:14). Remember, after God created the Universe and all living things the entire creation was called “very good” and this would include the serpent (Genesis 1:31). So this was a striking, shining animal. It was as threatening to Eve as the GEICO gecko would be to us.
As far as the issue of this beautiful, intelligent creature being able to communicate with Eve goes, Adam & Eve were clearly used to communicating with animals in the Garden of Eden before the fall of creation because Eve wasn’t shocked when the serpent spoke to her. She reacted as if communing with such an animal was a normal thing. If this sounds strange to you, keep in mind that most of us communicate with animals every day.
For instance, my cats let me know when they want something to eat, when they want affection, when they want let outdoors and when they want in the house; they even give thanks! They may not speak English, but they certainly talk verbally and bodily; and I understand them. I also communicate with them: I indicate when they’re welcome on my lap or when they’re not welcome, e.g. “Get!” And they understand me on their primitive level. Here are a couple of pics of me with my cat Joelebah Duma:
Now imagine how heightened such communion would be before sin entered the physical realm and the corresponding curse on creation; this was when the world was perfect and everything was “very good,” as noted earlier. Now add to this the fact that the serpent was said to be the smartest of the animals God made (Genesis 3:1). The serpent is called “crafty” or “clever,” which is translated from the Hebrew word arum (aw-ROOM), meaning prudent, shrewd or sensible.
None of this means that the serpent communed with Eve in the language Adam & Eve spoke, nor with a human voice. The serpent simply utilized whatever vocal capabilities it had and Eve understood the meaning; and vice versa.
As you can see, this scenario wasn’t as absurd as unbelieving mockers would have you believe.
For details on this topic see this article.
Related Topics:
The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
Why is this World so Messed Up?
Demons—Are they Fallen Angels?
Human Freewill and God’s Sovereignty
Eternal Life (“Heaven”): Questions & Answers
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