Genesis 3:15 — Who will crush the serpent's head?

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Hello everybody,

I came across a reference to Genesis 3:15 just now that read (I think it’s the Douay-Rheims): “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

I was used to having “he” instead of “she” in that verse, and it calls to mind the image of Our Lady crushing the serpent’s head. What is the best rendering of this verse, and if it is “he” are there any other verses that support the above-named image?

Thank you so much, God bless.

Pax vobiscum.
 
CutlerB said:
Hello everybody,

I came across a reference to Genesis 3:15 just now that read (I think it’s the Douay-Rheims): “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

I was used to having “he” instead of “she” in that verse, and it calls to mind the image of Our Lady crushing the serpent’s head. What is the best rendering of this verse, and if it is “he” are there any other verses that support the above-named image?

Thank you so much, God bless.

Pax vobiscum.
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Hi, CutlerB!

…the on-line NJB that I use has a similar rendering… I think that there’s much emphasis being put on the Virgin Mary… though I am profoundly Catholic I do not share the extreme fervor which is granted our Lady… to the point of almost equating everything Christ to her…

I think that this is one of those instances where Scriptures are adapted to mean both or the Virgin Mary… since I do not know the original text, I cannot tell with complete exactitude that the passage refers to Christ alone… but it is clear, from my Spanish JB, that the passage speak of the ancient serpent’s battle against Christ and that the woman’s offspring is Christ… the Virgin Mary, as honored as she is by us, does not have the power to exact such blow to Satan… even the Archangel Mitchael is said to have acquiesced to God’s Authority and Power:

Not even the archangel Michael, when he was engaged in argument with the devil about the corpse of Moses, dared to denounce him in the language of abuse; all he said was, ‘May the Lord rebuke you.’ (St. Jude 1:9)

…clearly, it is suggestible that since the Virgin Mary accepted God’s Pronouncement that she were to bear the Incarnate Word, Mary, by this virtue, shares on Christ’s accomplishments…

Maran atha!

Angel
 
Hi, Jwinch2,

In keeping with the inquiry on this passage, I have always wondered about the, “…and her seed…” part. Females do not have seed, they have eggs or ovum. Is this an area that is obviously not to be taken literally, or what?

No doubt about Mary crushing the serpant’s head - and that God and His Sanits will triumph over evil. But, this line just has me wondering.

Thanks and God bless
jwinch2 said:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=564598&highlight=will+crush

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=627281&highlight=will+crush

A couple of older threads that deal with the subject quite nicely.

Peace,
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Lucifer’s sin was pride. God has not only ordained that Lucifer would ultimately be defeated but also that his defeat would be humiliating. Even in the physical world we understand that a great warrior is shamed by defeat, but the humiliation is much worse if it’s at the hands of a woman.

You asked for scriptural confirmation. Consider the following:

“And Abimelech coming near the tower, fought stoutly: and approaching to the gate, endeavoured to set fire to it: And behold a certain woman casting a piece of a millstone from above, dashed it against the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull. And he called hastily to his armourbearer, and said to him: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest it should be said that I was slain by a woman. He did as he was commanded, and slew him.” (Jgs 9:52-54)
 
tqualey said:
No doubt about Mary crushing the serpant’s head -
Thanks and God bless
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My current opinion, based on the information I have seen here and elsewhere, is that the word is properly translated as “He” will crush… not “She” will crush…

You are, of course, free to disagree but that is where I am at after looking at the evidence presented in the above threads and in speaking to others outside of CAF.
 
The Genesis 3:15 pronoun is gender indeterminate. That’s good. Because the 1-2 punch, the enmity with Lucifer & Seed, is a family affair. The Blessed Virgin is called blessed “among” and not “above” women as the prophet Samule’s mother Hannah was, widening this scrap out to all God-fearing women. “Seed” is a collective term nicely referring to the Body of Christ. It’s all good. But the grant of ultimate power and authority is first made to the Woman, and through her, to her Seed. Apocalpyse 12 refers to her “other children” being persecuted. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
 
Hi, Jwinch2,

Thank you very much.

God bless
jwinch2 said:
My current opinion, based on the information I have seen here and elsewhere, is that the word is properly translated as “He” will crush… not “She” will crush…

You are, of course, free to disagree but that is where I am at after looking at the evidence presented in the above threads and in speaking to others outside of CAF.
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Hi, Nordskoven,

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

God bless
nordskoven said:
The Genesis 3:15 pronoun is gender indeterminate. That’s good. Because the 1-2 punch, the enmity with Lucifer & Seed, is a family affair. The Blessed Virgin is called blessed “among” and not “above” women as the prophet Samule’s mother Hannah was, widening this scrap out to all God-fearing women. “Seed” is a collective term nicely referring to the Body of Christ. It’s all good. But the grant of ultimate power and authority is first made to the Woman, and through her, to her Seed. Apocalpyse 12 refers to her “other children” being persecuted. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
Click to expand...
 
shom-bms said:
Lucifer’s sin was pride. God has not only ordained that Lucifer would ultimately be defeated but also that his defeat would be humiliating. Even in the physical world we understand that a great warrior is shamed by defeat, but the humiliation is much worse if it’s at the hands of a woman.

You asked for scriptural confirmation. Consider the following:

“And Abimelech coming near the tower, fought stoutly: and approaching to the gate, endeavoured to set fire to it: And behold a certain woman casting a piece of a millstone from above, dashed it against the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull. And he called hastily to his armourbearer, and said to him: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest it should be said that I was slain by a woman. He did as he was commanded, and slew him.” (Jgs 9:52-54)
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This is imporant. All through scripture we have holy women striking the head of the enemies of Israel.

Judith, as an example, cuts off the head of Holofernes while remaining faithful to the Jewish law during the three days she is in the enemies camp. Haman is hanged by the neck because of the daring of Esther.

The unnamed woman in Judges cited above is a perfect example.

-Tim-
 
The Canaanite general Sisera was fleeing, exhausted, and welcomed by the Kenite Yael/Jael with a bowl of milk and a nap. Yale put a tent peg through his head. The lesson? The ladies always go for the head shot. The Virgin Mary and the women of God are no snake tail nibblers. The Immaculate Heart wants victory through the consecration of Russia, God’s instrument of chastisement. PS This Kenite woman is an adopted, ingrafted Jew and shows the breadth of the role of “woman” also seen in Christ’s lineage which includes a Moabite foreigner and a prostitute gone straight.
 
tqualey said:
Hi, Jwinch2,

In keeping with the inquiry on this passage, I have always wondered about the, “…and her seed…” part. Females do not have seed, they have eggs or ovum. Is this an area that is obviously not to be taken literally, or what?

No doubt about Mary crushing the serpant’s head - and that God and His Sanits will triumph over evil. But, this line just has me wondering.

Thanks and God bless
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A fertilized egg is in the biological world of placental mammals what a seed is in gymnosperm and angiosperm plants. This is a metaphor, of sorts, but not really, because a seed in a plant is the developing fertilized ovule, just as this “seed of the woman” is the human embryo developing from her ovum.
 
Hi, Nordskoven,

This was a delightfully informative post. No ‘snake tail nibblers’ in that group! 🙂

God bless
nordskoven said:
The Canaanite general Sisera was fleeing, exhausted, and welcomed by the Kenite Yael/Jael with a bowl of milk and a nap. Yale put a tent peg through his head. The lesson? The ladies always go for the head shot. The Virgin Mary and the women of God are no snake tail nibblers. The Immaculate Heart wants victory through the consecration of Russia, God’s instrument of chastisement. PS This Kenite woman is an adopted, ingrafted Jew and shows the breadth of the role of “woman” also seen in Christ’s lineage which includes a Moabite foreigner and a prostitute gone straight.
Click to expand...
 
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