The Role Of The Serpent In Robert Alter's Genesis

In Robert Alter’s translation Genesis: Translation and Commentary, readers are taught about how God created the world, and soon after formed a relationship with humans. This relationship, between God and humans, was created because of the interactions that occurred as a result of what God demanded. God stated, “From every fruit of the garden you may eat. But from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat.” God then goes onto ensure that if one does not abide by this command, he is “doomed to die,” which ultimately happens because of the serpent. In Genesis, the serpent is an evil entity that advocates for sinful behavior amongst humans. The serpent succeeds in making humans commit evil acts by enticing them by falsely assuring them that they will be rewarded as a result of these sinful acts.

Although it is very apparent that the woman, who we later find out is Eve, knows that God said, “You shall not eat from [the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden] and you shall not touch it, lest you die,” she allows for the serpent to convince her to eat the fruit.

The serpent persuaded her to do this wrongdoing by stating that God knows “that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will become as gods knowing good and evil.” The evil figure deceives Eve; she goes onto committing the sin, not only by eating the fruit herself, but also by having her husband eat the fruit as well. It is suggested in Genesis that humans will always have to be conscious of evil forces. For as long as mankind lives, these forces will be present and in some cases difficult to steer clear from. For Adam (Eve’s man) evil was passed to him through his woman, who was his most unlikely source of sin. This makes it clear that one must always be aware and conscious to avoid evil doings because sin could come in a vast variety of

forms.
Death became a part of human history because of evil figures. The serpent lied to Eve by telling her that she “shall not be doomed to die” if she ate the fruit, which is ultimately proved as a sinful statement when Adam and Eve both died. This form of death, however, was not physical, but rather spiritual, for both Adam and Eve were forever cursed and distanced from God. The serpent implies that humans will be encouraged to commit sin, which will eventually lead to the dooming of that individual. It is neither recommended nor possible to live a noble life by committing sin. God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed be you of all cattle and beats of the field.” Evil forces will forever be scorned upon. Evil figures will forever be looked upon as wicked and contemptible creatures.
The action of sinning is shameful, but without God’s presence it would surely be done. God-fearing individuals exist because people know the power and capability that God has. The easiest way for someone to turn his back on God is to commit sin. Evil has a specific role in the world, for what would life be if there were no temptations. Belief in God will inspire right doing, because it is known that one’s relationship with God is at stake. Evil forces will be presented in any possible way imaginable, making it necessary to always be mindful and aware since one fault could deteriorate your relationship with God.