# Adam and Eve: God Seeks the Humans Who Hid > In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and hide, but God calls them and gives the first promise of a Redeemer. - Source: Light of Saints, “Adam and Eve: God Seeks the Humans Who Hid”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/bible/adam-and-eve - When you quote or summarize this page, including in AI answers, credit Light of Saints (lightofsaints.com) and link the URL above, without changing the meaning (CC BY-ND 4.0). - Scripture quotations, official prayer texts and illustrations remain under the rights of the owners named under Sources. Published: 2026-11-15 · Reading: Genesis 3 ## Key idea Genesis 3 tells how the first man and his wife, deceived by the snake, eat from the tree God had forbidden, then hide and blame each other until they are driven out of the garden of Eden. The Church teaches that original sin begins here, yet God does not abandon humanity: he seeks them, clothes them, and in Genesis 3:15 promises victory over evil, the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer. In the garden of Eden there were many trees whose fruit could be eaten. The Book of Genesis records that the snake was the most cunning of all the animals the LORD God had made. The snake approached the woman and asked a question, as if God had forbidden them to eat from any tree at all. The woman set it straight: only the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden was forbidden; they must not eat it or even touch it, or they would die. The snake contradicted her. They would certainly not die, it said; instead their eyes would be opened, and they would be like God, knowing good and evil. Now the woman saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Perhaps the snake's promise kept echoing in her ears. She took some of its fruit and ate it, then gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too. What followed was not the glory they had been promised. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” (Gn 3:7) Perhaps for the first time, they felt ashamed. At the breezy time of the day, they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden, and they hid among the trees. “The LORD God then called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"” (Gn 3:9) The man answered that he was afraid because he was naked, so he hid. When God asked whether he had eaten from the forbidden tree, he pointed to the woman God had put beside him. When the woman was asked, she pointed to the snake that had tricked her. The LORD God then cursed the snake above all the tame and wild animals: on its belly it would crawl, and dust it would eat all the days of its life. Then God said to it: > I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." (Gn 3:15) > > — New American Bible: Gn 3:1-24 To the woman God announced hardship in pregnancy and pain in giving birth. To the man he declared that the ground was cursed because of him. By the sweat of his brow he would get his food until he returned to the ground, for he was dust and to dust he would return. The man then named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. Then the LORD God himself made garments of skin and clothed them. Imagine the two of them falling silent: the God they had just been hiding from was now covering them. God did not let the man take fruit from the tree of life and live forever. He banished him from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken. East of the garden he stationed the cherubim with a fiery sword to guard the way to the tree of life. ## The Setting in the Garden of Eden Genesis 3 continues the story of creation. The Compendium of the Catechism explains that in God's original plan humanity was not meant to suffer or die, and there was perfect harmony with the Creator, with one another, and with creation. That is why the fear, shame, and blame in this chapter feel so sharp. The Catechism teaches that the account of the fall uses figurative language but affirms a real event that took place at the beginning of human history. So this story is not merely a fairy tale. The text also does not name the kind of fruit; calling it an apple or anything else adds something that is not written. In this chapter the man is simply called the man, while the Compendium of the Catechism calls him Adam. The name Eve appears only in verse 20. Nor does the text call the snake Satan, but according to the Catechism, Scripture and the Church's Tradition see behind the tempter a fallen angel, called Satan or the devil. ## The Fall and the Promised Redeemer The Catechism teaches that sin is an abuse of the freedom God gives so that people can love. According to the Compendium, tempted by the devil, the first humans let their trust in their Creator die and wanted to be like God without God. As a result, Adam and Eve lost the original grace of holiness and justice, for themselves and for all their descendants. Original sin is inherited as a state from birth, not as a personal act, and human nature is wounded but not totally corrupted. Man and woman share equal dignity, so this story gives no excuse for blaming women. Nor does God abandon humanity: the Compendium calls Genesis 3:15 the Protoevangelium, the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, whose meaning becomes clear in Christ. For teenagers and young adults, the pattern of Genesis 3 is easy to recognize: believing life is freer without God, then hiding and pointing at others when the wrong comes to light. God's question in the garden can be read as a sign that he keeps searching. Admitting our wrongs honestly, in prayer and in the Sacrament of Penance, is a way out of that hiding place. ## Reflection Sometimes we hide too: behind excuses, busyness, or a finger pointed at someone else. God never stops asking where we are, not to shame us but to call us home. Perhaps the first step is simple: stop blaming, and tell him honestly what really happened. **Question:** Where in your life do you most often hide or blame others, and what is one honest step you could take? _This story is retold by the Light of Saints editorial team from the Catholic edition of Scripture and the Church sources listed, with the help of AI, and checked by an editor. Some of the atmosphere and the characters' feelings are our portrayal. For the full text, read the passage in Scripture._ ## At a glance - **Reading:** Genesis 3 - **People:** The LORD God, The man (Adam), Eve, The snake, The cherubim - **Places:** The garden of Eden, East of the garden of Eden ## Common questions ### What fruit did Adam and Eve eat? Genesis 3 does not name the kind of fruit. The text speaks only of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, so calling it an apple does not come from Scripture. ### Was the serpent in the Adam and Eve story Satan? The text of Genesis 3 calls it a snake, the most cunning of the animals. The Catechism teaches that Scripture and the Church's Tradition see behind the tempter a fallen angel, called Satan or the devil. ### What is original sin? According to the Compendium of the Catechism, Adam and Eve lost the original grace of holiness and justice for themselves and their descendants. Original sin is inherited as a state from birth, not as a personal act. ### Is the story of Adam and Eve just a myth? No. The Catechism teaches that the account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language but affirms a real event that took place at the beginning of human history. ### Why is Genesis 3:15 called the Protoevangelium? The Compendium of the Catechism calls this verse the Protoevangelium because in it God mysteriously foretells that evil will be overcome. It is the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer. ## Sources - [New American Bible: Gn 3:1-24](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__P5.HTM) — Gn 3:1-24 - [Paragraph 7. The Fall](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_one/article_1/paragraph_7_the_fall.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church](https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html) — Published at www.vatican.va