3:15 I will put enmity: A
crucial verse in Genesis, which some think is an etiology that explains the origin
of man’s instinctive fear of snakes. More likely the proverbial antagonism
between men and snakes was evoked for the purpose of symbolizing man’s ongoing
struggle against sin and evil which is personified by the serpent (cf. 4:7; Sir
21:2). In any case, neither interpretation captures the full meaning of the
text, which foretells the eventual triumph of the woman and her offspring over Satan
after a protracted period of hostility. your seed: The devil’s
accomplices in doing evil, including wicked men, who constitute his spiritual
offspring (Jn 8:44). In Genesis, Cain and his line of godless descendants are
the first to fulfill this role (4:8, 17-24; 1 Jn 3:12). her seed: The
righteous descendants of the woman, initially linked with Abel (4:4) and the
godly line of Seth (4:26; 5:6-32). he shall: The Hebrew could be read
individually (“he shall”) or collectively (“they shall”). The earliest known
Jewish interpretation of this text takes the offspring of the woman to be an
individual man (Gk. autos, “he” in the Greek LXX). bruise: Or, “crush”
(as in Job 9:17). Victory over the satanic deceiver is assured: the serpent
will sustain a fatal head injury, while the woman’s offspring will
suffer only a biting on the heel. At least one Jewish tradition connects
this triumph with the coming of a messianic king (Palestinian Targum). *
Christian tradition gives this text a messianic interpretation (Christ is the
individual who tramples the devil understood: Heb 2:14; 1 Jn 3:8; St. Irenaeus Against
Heresies 3, 23, 7), an ecclesiological interpretation (the Church is the offspring
that shares in his victory: Rom 16:20; Rev 12:17), and a mariological interpretation
(Mary is the promised woman who bears the Redeemer: Vatican II, Lumen
Gentium 55). This passage has long been called the “first gospel” (Lat. Protoevangelium)
and stands out as the first revelation of God’s mercy in Scripture (CCC
410-11). (The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, ed. Scott Hahn and Curtis J.
Mitch [San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2024], 63)
