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Genesis 3:5
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Deuteronomy 28:34
So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

2 Kings 6:20
And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of thesemen, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold,they were in the midst of Samaria.

knew.

Genesis 3:10,11
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because Iwas naked; and I hid myself…

Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

and they.

Job 9:29-31
If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain? …

Isaiah 28:20
For the bed is shorter than thata man can stretch himselfon it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himselfin it.

Isaiah 59:6
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their worksare works of iniquity, and the act of violenceis in their hands.

aprons.

and they knew that they were naked
The realization of their nakedness represents a newfound consciousness of vulnerability and shame. Prior to this, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:25), indicating a state of purity and innocence. The awareness of their nakedness symbolizes the loss of innocence and the entrance of sin into human experience. This moment foreshadows the need for spiritual covering and redemption, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who covers our sins.

so they sewed together fig leaves
The act of sewing fig leaves together is the first recorded attempt by humans to cover their own sin and shame. Fig leaves, common in the region, were likely chosen for their size and availability. This action represents human efforts to deal with sin through self-made solutions, which are inadequate compared to God's provision. This foreshadows the futility of works-based righteousness, as seen inIsaiah 64:6, where human righteousness is described as "filthy rags."

and made coverings for themselves
The coverings symbolize humanity's attempt to hide from God and each other, reflecting a broken relationship with both. This act of self-covering contrasts with God's later provision of garments made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21), which required a sacrifice, pointing to the necessity of atonement through blood. This prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness covers believers, as described inRomans 13:14, where believers are urged to "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ."

The moment Adam and Eve ate, something irreversible happened.

•Genesis 3:5 had previewed the serpent’s claim: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened.” Now that promise comes true—but not as a blessing.

• Awareness shifts from innocence to self-focused knowledge, a pattern echoed later when Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17). Eyes can open to God’s reality or to the painful consequences of sin.

• The same phrase reappears inLuke 24:31 when the risen Christ breaks bread and “their eyes were opened,” showing that only God can turn a tragic opening into redemptive sight.

Sin instantly rewrote their self-perception.

•Genesis 2:25 had celebrated, “The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.” Now shame rushes in, proving that innocence is not recoverable by human effort.

•Revelation 3:17 warns the church in Laodicea: “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” Physical nakedness becomes a vivid picture of spiritual exposure.

•Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and exposed.”

The first human solution to sin is a homemade cover-up.

• Fig leaves are large, handy, and nearby—yet entirely inadequate.Isaiah 64:6 laments, “All our righteous acts are like a polluted garment,” underscoring the futility of self-made righteousness.

•Proverbs 28:13 exposes the strategy: “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Fig-leaf religion hides rather than heals.

Coverings acknowledge guilt but cannot erase it.

•Genesis 3:21 records God’s alternative: “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.” Animal skins hint at substitutionary sacrifice—God’s provision versus humanity’s patchwork.

•Romans 3:22 points to the true covering: “And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

• Paul urges believers to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14) and declares, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). The only sufficient covering is provided by God Himself.

Genesis 3:7 records the instant fallout of the first sin: perception changed, shame entered, and self-devised remedies arose. The verse contrasts human attempts to cover guilt with God’s later, gracious provision, foreshadowing the full covering found in Christ.

They sewed fig leaves together.--There is no reason for supposing that the leaves were those of the pisang (Musa paradisiaca),which grow ten feet long. Everywhere else the word signifies the common fig-tree (Ficus carica),one of the earliest plants subjected to man's use. More remarkable is the wordsewed.The Syriac translator felt the difficulty of supposing Eve acquainted with the art of needlework, and renders it, "they stuck leaves together." But the word certainly implies something more elaborate than this. Probably some time elapsed between their sin and its punishment; and thus there was not merely that first hasty covering of themselves which has made commentators look about for a leaf large enough to encircle their bodies, but respite sufficient to allow of something more careful and ingenious; and Eve may have used her first advance in intellect for the adornment of her person. During this delay they would have time for reflection, and begin to understand the nature of the change that had taken place in their condition.

Aprons.--More correctly,girdles.

(1) The eyes of their minds were opened to perceive that they were no longer innocent, and

(2) the eyes of their bodies to behold that they were not precisely as they had been.And they knew that they were naked.

(1) Spiritually (cf.Exodus 32:25;Ezekiel 16:22;Revelation 3:17), and . . .

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