Genesis 3:18 kjv

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Genesis 3:18 nkjv

Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

Genesis 3:18 niv

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:18 esv

thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:18 nlt

It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.

Genesis 3 verses

Genesis 3 18 Meaning

Genesis 3:18 describes a pivotal consequence of humanity's fall into sin: the ground itself, out of which Adam was formed and upon which he was to labor, is now cursed because of him. It will spontaneously produce undesirable and obstructive plants—thorns and thistles—making the task of cultivating food arduous and painful. While mankind will still sustain life by consuming the produce of the earth, this sustenance will be won through intense toil and struggle, contrasting sharply with the effortless provision experienced in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3 18 Context

Genesis 3:18 is part of God's direct pronouncement of judgment and consequences following the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Prior to this, God cursed the serpent for its role (Gen 3:14-15) and delivered a judgment to the woman regarding painful childbirth and her relationship with her husband (Gen 3:16). This verse specifically addresses Adam, detailing the curse upon the ground for his sake, because he had listened to his wife and eaten from the forbidden tree (Gen 3:17). It establishes a foundational explanation for the struggle and toil inherent in humanity's physical labor, especially in agriculture, marking a drastic shift from the effortless abundance of Eden. This curse sets the stage for humanity's existence outside the Garden, emphasizing a life characterized by hardship in obtaining sustenance. The historical context involves an agrarian society highly dependent on successful harvests, where the difficulty of farming was a daily reality.

Genesis 3 18 Word Analysis

• Thorns (Hebrew: qots - קוֹץ): Represents painful, unproductive, and destructive plant growth. Symbolizes the increased difficulty, frustration, and pain associated with labor on the land. In Scripture, thorns often denote judgment, desolation, and spiritual barrenness.
• and thistles (Hebrew: dardar - דַּרְדַּר): A related type of thorny or prickly weed. It reinforces the idea of persistent, invasive plants that resist cultivation and cause harm. They signify futility, hardship, and the obstacles arising from a cursed environment.
• shall it bring forth: This active verb emphasizes that the ground itself, as a result of the curse, will spontaneously yield these undesirable growths. It's not just a potential; it's a guaranteed consequence of the curse on the land. The very nature of the soil is altered.
• to thee: Highlights the direct and personal impact of the curse on humanity, specifically Adam as the representative of mankind. The thorns and thistles are obstacles specifically against human effort to cultivate food.
• and thou shalt eat: While judgment is pronounced, God's provision for sustenance continues. Humanity is not left to starve, but food acquisition becomes an arduous task. It reflects God's enduring faithfulness amidst judgment, albeit under altered terms.
• the herb (Hebrew: esev - עֵשֶׂב): Generally refers to edible plants, grass, or field crops. It suggests that man's diet will primarily consist of the ordinary produce of the open field, contrasting with the diverse, pleasant, and freely available fruit trees in Eden.
• of the field (Hebrew: sadeh - שָׂדֶה): Signifies the open, wild, or cultivated ground outside the pristine and cultivated Garden. It emphasizes labor on common, challenging land, distinct from the special provision and easy tending within the paradise.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Thorns also and thistles": This phrase together establishes the symbolic and practical difficulty imposed upon labor. It signifies not merely weeds but sharp, hurtful obstacles that actively resist cultivation and make physical labor painful and unproductive. It represents the inherent antagonism of the natural world toward man's efforts post-Fall.
• "shall it bring forth to thee": This highlights the immediate, personal consequence of the curse: the land itself will oppose man's efforts by naturally producing hindering vegetation. It shifts from easy cultivation in Eden to battling a resistant earth for survival.
• "thou shalt eat the herb of the field": This combination reveals both judgment and grace. Man will still be able to sustain himself, but it will come from the hard-won produce of the un-ideal "field" through back-breaking effort, not the effortless bounty of a cultivated garden. This underpins the common human experience of needing to work for food.

Genesis 3 18 Bonus Section

The curse introduced in Genesis 3:18 impacts not just the ground but represents the wider fallenness of creation, causing it to "groan" (Rom 8:22) under the weight of human sin. The crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head (Matt 27:29, John 19:2, 5) symbolically carries the full weight of this curse and the associated pain. In His suffering, Christ not only bore the curse on humanity but also, in a representative sense, absorbed the curse on creation, pointing towards its eventual redemption. While work was part of humanity's original purpose in the Garden (Gen 2:15), it was joyful and fruitful. Post-Fall, work becomes toil and drudgery, requiring wrestling with thorns and thistles. This theological distinction is crucial: labor itself is not a curse, but its painful and resistant nature is a direct consequence of sin. The future hope of a "new heavens and new earth" (Rev 21:1), where there will "no longer be any curse" (Rev 22:3), points to a time when this judgment will be undone, implying a restored harmony where effortless abundance may once again prevail, or labor will be joyful.

Genesis 3 18 Commentary

Genesis 3:18 articulates a profound transformation in humanity's relationship with creation, brought about by sin. No longer will the ground spontaneously yield its bountiful fruit with ease; instead, it will resist, bringing forth "thorns and thistles," symbolic of hardship, frustration, and painful toil. This verse, therefore, is not just about farming difficulties; it explains the inherent arduousness that pervades all human labor for sustenance. The divine curse means that man's essential task of gaining livelihood becomes burdensome, requiring continuous effort against natural obstacles. Yet, it also contains a merciful undertone: despite the curse, provision for survival remains. Humanity will still "eat the herb of the field," but only through "sweat of the brow" (Gen 3:19). This establishes a fundamental aspect of the fallen human condition: a life marked by diligent, often difficult, labor to sustain existence, a constant reminder of sin's far-reaching consequences.