Genesis 3:10 kjv

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:10 nkjv

So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

Genesis 3:10 niv

He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

Genesis 3:10 esv

And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."

Genesis 3:10 nlt

He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."

Genesis 3 verses

Genesis 3 10 Meaning

In Genesis 3:10, Adam responds to God's presence, articulating the immediate spiritual and emotional consequence of his disobedience. Having partaken of the forbidden fruit, his eyes are opened not to new wisdom, but to his own vulnerability and nakedness. His declaration reveals a profound shift from a relationship of innocent intimacy with God to one marked by fear, shame, and an attempt to conceal himself from divine scrutiny. This verse signifies the brokenness that sin introduced into humanity's direct and open fellowship with God, ushering in guilt and a desire to hide from the very source of life.

Genesis 3 10 Context

Genesis 3:10 occurs immediately after the pivotal event of the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. Prior to this, humanity lived in perfect harmony with God, the creation, and each other, evidenced by their "nakedness and unashamedness" (Gen 2:25). God had given a clear command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). The serpent tempts Eve, who then involves Adam, leading to their direct disobedience. Immediately after eating, their "eyes were opened," and they perceived their nakedness as something to be ashamed of, leading them to sew fig leaves as coverings (Gen 3:7). The scene preceding verse 10 depicts the LORD God "walking in the garden in the cool of the day," a testament to the close, personal communion He had with Adam and Eve. God's question "Where are you?" (Gen 3:9) is not borne of ignorance but serves to invite a confession. Adam's response in Gen 3:10 is the first direct verbal expression of human guilt, fear, and the profound alienation that resulted from sin. This verse thus marks the radical transformation of humanity's relationship with the Divine from blissful fellowship to fearful estrangement.

Genesis 3 10 Word analysis

• He answered: Implies Adam's direct, verbal reply to God's previous question in Gen 3:9 ("Where are you?"). It is the first direct human verbal response to God post-Fall.

• 'I heard': "שָׁמַע" (shama'): Beyond mere physical hearing, it can denote heeding, understanding, or obeying. Here, it refers to perceiving God's presence, specifically the sound of His movement. The once welcomed sound now triggers dread.

• 'the sound': "קוֹל" (qol): Voice, sound, thunder. It refers to the audible manifestation of God's presence as He walked, contrasting with the prior joy such sounds must have brought. This implies an immediate, perceptible divine presence.

• 'of You': Direct address to God. Acknowledges God's intimate presence and previous familiarity.

• 'in the garden': "בַּגָּן" (baggan): Specifies the location of the interaction, the place of former innocence and fellowship. It highlights the stark contrast between their pre-Fall peace and their current terror within that sacred space.

• 'and I was afraid': "וָאִירָא" (va'eera'): "יָרֵא" (yare') often means respectful or reverent fear. Here, it is explicitly fear arising from guilt and impending judgment, a radical departure from unburdened fellowship. This is the first recorded instance of fear in humanity.

• 'because I was naked': "כִּי עֵירֹם אָנֹכִי" (ki 'eirom 'anochi): "עֵירֹם" (eyrom) here means exposed or bare. This state, once without shame (Gen 2:25), is now associated with vulnerability and guilt. This signifies a newfound awareness of sin and its resulting shame.

• 'and I hid myself': "וָאֶחָבֵא" (va'ekhabe'): "חָבָא" (chava') to hide, conceal. This act of concealment is a natural response to fear and guilt. It symbolizes humanity's attempt to evade God's omnipresence and escape responsibility.

• 'I heard the sound of You in the garden': This phrase vividly portrays God's palpable presence. The garden was not just a place, but a sanctuary for intimate communion with God, who personally "walked" with humanity.

• 'I was afraid because I was naked': This demonstrates a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The new, shaming awareness of nakedness is the immediate trigger for fear, which stems from the deeper knowledge of their disobedience. Nakedness becomes a symbol of exposed sin.

• 'and I hid myself': This reveals the ultimate human response to sin's consequences: flight and concealment from God. It highlights the radical break in relationship, as intimacy is replaced by estrangement. This action foreshadows humanity's consistent efforts throughout history to distance itself from divine light and judgment.

Genesis 3 10 Bonus section

• The shift from Gen 2:25 (naked and unashamed, Hebrew: 'eyrom) to Gen 3:10 (naked, associated with fear and hiding, Hebrew: 'arom or 'eyrom again, but with changed context) underscores the transformative power of sin on perception and conscience. It's not the physical state that changes, but the meaning attributed to it due to spiritual defilement.
• Adam's fear and hiding symbolize humanity's universal struggle with guilt and the inability to face a holy God on one's own terms. This act of concealment is a proto-type of every human attempt to self-justify or avoid accountability.
• The progression in Adam's experience – hearing God's presence, feeling afraid, perceiving nakedness as shame, then hiding – vividly illustrates the psychological and spiritual steps of the Fall's impact on an individual soul. It highlights the immediate emotional and relational consequences, rather than just intellectual understanding.
• This verse subtly portrays God's nature not as an absent deity but as immanent and personal, one who walks among His creation. The breaking of this immanence by human sin becomes the ultimate tragedy of the Fall, initiating the long path to God's redemptive work to bridge that gap.

Genesis 3 10 Commentary

Genesis 3:10 encapsulates the profound and immediate rupture in the human-divine relationship caused by sin. Adam's answer, while brief, is pregnant with theological implications. His once joyful reception of God's presence transforms into crippling fear. The sound of God, formerly a melody of companionship, becomes an alarm. His physical nakedness, once innocent (Gen 2:25), now embodies shame and vulnerability, highlighting an inner, spiritual nakedness before a holy God. The act of hiding signifies the instinctual response of a guilty conscience: evasion, not only from God's physical presence but from His righteous standards and light. This fear and desire to conceal themselves from the Creator is a foundational human response to sin, demonstrating a profound spiritual alienation. The verse starkly contrasts the Edenic innocence with the post-Fall condition, revealing humanity's sudden awareness of its moral exposure and the devastating impact of disobedience on both inner state and relational dynamics with God. It sets the stage for God's redemptive pursuit, showing that even in humanity's flight, God initiates the call for restoration.