Genesis 3: Shrewd Word Play

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Sep 2, 2025 · 3m

Chapter three tells the famous story of the Garden of Eden. We also areintroduced to the first clever wordplay of Tanach. The chapter uses the Hebrewword “עָרוּם (arum)” to mean two different things in context.

“Now theserpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the LORD God had made. Hesaid to the woman, ‘Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of thegarden?’” (verse 1)

וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה אֱלֹים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן

The textuses the word “עָרוּם” in this verse to mean…