Movatterモバイル変換

◄ Genesis 3:19►

New International Version
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

New Living Translation
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

English Standard Version
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Berean Standard Bible
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

King James Bible
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thouart, and unto dust shalt thou return.

New King James Version
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust youare, And to dust you shall return.”

New American Standard Bible
By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

NASB 1995
By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

NASB 1977
By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Legacy Standard Bible
By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Amplified Bible
“By the sweat of your face You will eat bread Until you return to the ground, For from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Christian Standard Bible
You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

American Standard Version
in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Contemporary English Version
You will sweat all your life to earn a living; you were made out of soil, and you will once again turn into soil."

English Revised Version
in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat until you return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and you will return to dust."

Good News Translation
You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again."

International Standard Version
You will eat food by the sweat of your brow until you're buried in the ground, because you were taken from it. You're made from dust and you'll return to dust."

NET Bible
By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return."

New Heart English Bible
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Webster's Bible Translation
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou shalt return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return.

Majority Text Translations

Majority Standard Bible
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

World English Bible
You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
by the sweat of your face you eat bread until your return to the ground, for you have been taken out of it, for dust you [are], and to dust you return.”

Young's Literal Translation
by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust thou turnest back.'

Smith's Literal Translation
In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat food until thy turning back to the earth; for out of it thou wert taken; for dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou turn back.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.

Catholic Public Domain Version
By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For dust you are, and unto dust you shall return.”

New American Bible
By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

New Revised Standard Version
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the ground; out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust shall you return.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
In the sweat of your face you will eat bread, until you return to the Earth, for from it you were taken, because dust you are and to dust you shall return.”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread until thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken, for earth thou art and to earth thou shalt return.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Punishment of Mankind
…18Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken.For dust you are,and to dust you shall return.”20And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.…

Berean Standard Bible ·Download

Cross References

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. / For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit. / The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. / The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. ...

Ecclesiastes 3:20
All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Job 34:15
all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

Psalm 90:3
You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”

Psalm 104:29
When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.

Romans 8:20-22
For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope / that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. / We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

1 Corinthians 15:53-54
For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. / When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Isaiah 40:6-8
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Job 10:9
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?

Job 14:1-2
“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. / Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Treasury of Scripture

In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust shall you return.

In.

Ecclesiastes 1:3,13
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? …

Ephesians 4:28
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working withhis hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

1 Thessalonians 2:9
For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

till.

Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Psalm 90:3
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

Psalm 104:29
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

for dust.

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed manof the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 18:27
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, whicham but dust and ashes:

and.

Genesis 23:4
Iam a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

Job 17:13-16
If I wait, the graveis mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness…

Job 19:26
Andthough after my skinworms destroy thisbody, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Jump to Previous

Bread Brow Dust Earth Eat Face Food Ground Hands Hard Sweat Turnest Wast Work

Jump to Next

Bread Brow Dust Earth Eat Face Food Ground Hands Hard Sweat Turnest Wast Work

Genesis 3

1.The serpent deceives Eve.
6.Both she and Adam transgress the divine command, and fall into sin.
8.God arraigns them.
14.The serpent is cursed.
15.The promised seed.
16.The punishment of mankind.
21.Their first clothing.
22.Their expulsion from paradise.

Study Bible

Book ◦ Chapter

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread
This phrase signifies the curse placed upon humanity as a result of Adam's disobedience. It highlights the shift from the ease of provision in the Garden of Eden to a life of toil and labor. The "sweat of your brow" indicates hard work and effort, contrasting with the effortless abundance previously experienced. This reflects the broader biblical theme of work and its challenges, as seen inEcclesiastes 1:3, where labor is described as burdensome. The necessity of labor for sustenance is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, emphasizing human dependence on God for provision.

until you return to the ground—
This part of the verse underscores the mortality of humanity. The inevitability of death is introduced as a consequence of sin, marking a departure from the original design of eternal life in Eden. The phrase "return to the ground" connects to the creation account inGenesis 2:7, where man is formed from the dust of the ground. This return to the earth signifies the full circle of life and death, a theme echoed inEcclesiastes 12:7, which speaks of the spirit returning to God and the body to the earth.

because out of it were you taken.
This phrase reiterates the origin of humanity, emphasizing the intimate connection between humans and the earth. It serves as a reminder of the Creator's power and the humble beginnings of mankind. The creation narrative inGenesis 2:7 highlights God's personal involvement in forming man, setting humans apart from the rest of creation. This connection to the earth also foreshadows the redemptive work of Christ, who, though divine, took on human form and shared in the human experience, as described inPhilippians 2:7-8.

For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
This final phrase reinforces the theme of human mortality and the consequences of sin. It serves as a sobering reminder of the transient nature of life, a concept echoed inPsalm 103:14-16, which speaks of human frailty. The imagery of dust symbolizes both the humble origin and the inevitable end of human life. This acknowledgment of mortality points to the need for redemption and the hope of resurrection, as fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who conquered death and offers eternal life, as proclaimed in1 Corinthians 15:21-22.

Persons / Places / Events

1.Adam
The first man created by God, who is directly addressed in this verse. His disobedience led to the curse of labor and mortality.

2.Eden
The garden where Adam and Eve lived before the Fall, representing the original state of harmony between humanity and God.

3.The Fall
The event where Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, resulting in sin entering the world.

4.The Ground
Represents both the source of life and sustenance, as well as the final resting place of humanity, highlighting the cycle of life and death.

5.Curse
The consequence of sin, which includes toil, pain, and eventual death, altering the original design of creation.

Teaching Points

The Reality of Labor and Toil
Work is a part of human existence post-Fall, and it is through effort and perseverance that we provide for ourselves and our families.

Mortality and Humility
Recognizing our origin from dust and our return to it should instill humility and a reliance on God for our eternal hope.

The Consequences of Sin
Sin has tangible consequences that affect our daily lives, reminding us of the need for redemption and restoration through Christ.

Hope Beyond the Curse
WhileGenesis 3:19 speaks of the curse, the New Testament offers hope through Jesus Christ, who overcomes sin and death.

Living with Purpose
Understanding our temporary nature should motivate us to live purposefully, seeking to glorify God in all we do.

Bible Study Questions and Answers

1.What is the meaning of Genesis 3:19?

2.How does Genesis 3:19 emphasize the consequences of sin on human labor?

3.What does "dust you are and to dust you shall return" signify?

4.How does Genesis 3:19 connect to Romans 5:12 about sin's impact?

5.How can acknowledging our mortality influence daily decisions and priorities?

6.In what ways does Genesis 3:19 encourage reliance on God's provision?

7.How does Genesis 3:19 relate to the concept of original sin and human mortality?

8.What does "for dust you are and to dust you shall return" imply about human life?

9.How does Genesis 3:19 influence Christian views on death and the afterlife?

10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 3?

11.Are Adam and Eve considered saved?

12.What does the Bible say about terminal illness?

13.What does "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust" mean?

14.What does "To dust you shall return" mean?

What Does Genesis 3:19 Mean

By the sweat of your brow

• “By the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3:19) is the Lord’s direct declaration that human work would now be marked by exertion and fatigue.

• The ground itself had just been cursed (Genesis 3:17-18); thorns and thistles would resist Adam’s cultivation. Physical toil became a daily reminder of sin’s entrance (Romans 8:20-22).

• Work remains honorable (Exodus 20:9;2 Thessalonians 3:10-12), yet it is no longer effortless. The sweat is literal, pointing to the costliness of survival in a fallen world.

you will eat your bread

• God still promises provision, but it would come “by the sweat.” Bread, the staple of life, would not drop from trees; it would be earned through plowing, planting, harvesting, and milling.

• This clause balances judgment with mercy. The Creator does not revoke His earlier blessing of food (Genesis 1:29) but places responsibility on humanity to labor for it (Proverbs 12:11;1 Timothy 5:8).

until you return to the ground

• The time limit—“until”—introduces mortality. Labor lasts only as long as life lasts.

• Returning to the ground points back toGenesis 2:7, where God formed man from dust. Now the body will reverse that process (Psalm 104:29;Ecclesiastes 12:7).

• Life on earth is temporary; eternal realities must therefore shape daily priorities (Psalm 90:12;James 4:14).

because out of it were you taken

• God explains the sentence. Adam’s origin from the soil establishes the justice of his return to it.

• Humanity’s dependence on the Creator is underscored: from dust we came, sustained only by His breath (Job 34:14-15;Acts 17:25).

• Any pride in human achievement is humbled by remembering our earthen beginning (1 Corinthians 4:7).

For dust you are

• This blunt assessment confronts the human heart with its frailty. Physically, we are dust; spiritually, we are image-bearers damaged by sin (Genesis 1:27;Psalm 103:14).

• Awareness of creatureliness fosters humility and reliance on God’s grace, preparing the way for the gospel promise already hinted at inGenesis 3:15 (Romans 5:12-17).

and to dust you shall return

• Death is not metaphorical but literal. The body decomposes; the soul faces the Creator (Hebrews 9:27).

• Yet Scripture also holds a future hope: bodily resurrection for those in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 42-44). Dust will once again hear the voice of the Lord and live (John 5:28-29).

• Until that day, burial itself testifies to both the curse and the coming victory (Isaiah 26:19;1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).

summary

Genesis 3:19 lays out the ongoing earthly consequences of the fall: strenuous labor, hard-won provision, inevitable death. Each phrase roots those realities in God’s just response to sin while also hinting at His sustaining mercy and future redemption. Work now bears sweat, bread demands effort, bodies return to dust—yet the same Lord who pronounced this sentence promises resurrection and restoration through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19)Dust thou art . . . --It appears from this that death was man's normal condition. A spiritual being is eternal by its own constitution, but the argument by which Bishop Butler proves the soul to be immortal equally proves the mortality of the body. Death, he says, is the division of a compound substance into its component parts; but as the soul is a simple substance, and incapable of division, it isper seincapable of death (Analogy,Part 1, Genesis 1). The body of Adam, composed of particles of earth, was capable of division, and our first parents in Paradise were assured of an unending existence by a special gift, typified by the tree of life. But now this gift was withdrawn, and henceforward the sweat of man's brow was in itself proof that he was returning to his earth: for it told of exhaustion and waste. Even now labour is a blessing only when it is moderate, as when Adam kept a garden that spontaneously brought forth flowers and fruit. In excess it wears out the body and benumbs the soul, and by the pressure of earthly cares leaves neither time nor the wish for any such pursuits as are worthy of a being endowed with thought and reason and a soul.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. -In the sweat of thy face (so called, as having there its source and being there visible)shalt thou eat bread.I.e. all food (videJob 28:5;Psalm 104:14;Matthew 14:15;Mark 6:36). "To eat bread" is to possess the means of sustaining life (Ecclesiastes 5:16;Amos 7:12).Till thou return unto the ground (the mortality-of man is thus assumed as certain);for out of it thou wast taken. Not declaring the reason of man's dissolution, as if it were involved in his original material constitution, but reminding him that in consequence of his transgression he had forfeited the privilege of immunity from death, and must now return to the soil whence he sprung.Ἐξ η΅ς ἐλήφθης (LXX.); de qua sumptus es (Vulgate); "out of which thou wast taken" (Macdonald, Gesenius). On the use ofכִּי as a relative pronoun -אַשֶׁר cf. Gesenius, ' Lex. sub nom.,' who quotes this andGenesis 4:25 as examples.Vide also Stanley Leathes, 'Hebrews Gram.,' p. 202; and 'Glassii Philologiae,' lib. 3. tr. 2, c. 15. p. 335. This use ofכִּי, however, appears to be doubtful, and is not necessary in any of the examples quoted.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

By the sweat
בְּזֵעַ֤ת(bə·zê·‘aṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2188:Perspiration

of your brow
אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙(’ap·pe·ḵā)
Noun - mdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 639:The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

you will eat
תֹּ֣אכַל(tō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 398:To eat

[your] bread,
לֶ֔חֶם(le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899:Food, bread, grain

until
עַ֤ד(‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, while

you return
שֽׁוּבְךָ֙(šū·ḇə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7725:To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to
אֶל־(’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, to

the ground—
הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה(hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127:Ground, land

because
כִּ֥י(kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunction

out of it
מִמֶּ֖נָּה(mim·men·nāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4480:A part of, from, out of

were you taken.
לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ(luq·qā·ḥə·tā)
Verb - QalPass - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3947:To take

For
כִּֽי־(kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunction

dust
עָפָ֣ר(‘ā·p̄ār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083:Dust, clay, earth, mud

you [are],
אַ֔תָּה(’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859:Thou and thee, ye and you

and to
וְאֶל־(wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, to

dust
עָפָ֖ר(‘ā·p̄ār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083:Dust, clay, earth, mud

you {shall} return.”
תָּשֽׁוּב׃(tā·šūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7725:To turn back, in, to retreat, again

Links

Genesis 3:19 NIV
Genesis 3:19 NLT
Genesis 3:19 ESV
Genesis 3:19 NASB
Genesis 3:19 KJV

Genesis 3:19 BibleApps.com
Genesis 3:19 Biblia Paralela
Genesis 3:19 Chinese Bible
Genesis 3:19 French Bible
Genesis 3:19 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face will (Gen. Ge Gn)