Matthew Poole and continuators on Genesis 3:14

14. And the LORD God said unto the Serpent , because thou hast done this , thou [illegible: 1 word] cursed above all Cattle, and above every Beast of th[illegible: 1+ letters] Field ▪ upon thy belly shalt thou go , and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy Life.

Or rather this or that Serpent, which, as was said before on ver. 1. was no ordinary Serpent, but a Serpent acted and assisted by the Devil, and therefore this sentence, or curse is pronounced against both of them; 1. Against the Serpent it self, which though an unreasonable Creature, and therefore not subject to a Law, and consequently not capable of guilt or sin, Rom. 4. 15. Yet, being the instrument of the Devils malice, is rightly punished, as other Beasts being abused by mans sin did suffer together [illegible: 1+ letters]th him, Exod. 32. 20. Levit. 20. 15, 16. not for their crime, but partly for the punishment, and partly for the benefit of Man, who is their Lord and Owner, Psal. 8. 6. for whose sake seeing they were made, it is not strange if they be punished for his use, that in their punishment man might have a demonstration of Gods anger against sin, and a motive to Repentance. 2. Against the Devil, who is here principally intended▪ though, as he lay hid in the body of the Serpent which he possessed, and used, so his curse is here mentioned under the cover of the Serpents curse, and under the disguise of such terms as properly and literally agree to the Serpent▪ but are also mystically to be understood concerning the Devil▪ With whom the Lord entertaineth no conference, as he did with Adam and Eve, whose sin was less than his, and whom God mean[illegible: 1+ letters] to bring to Repentance, but immediately denounceth the curse against him, as one that sinned against much greater Knowledge, and from far worse Principles, not from mistake or mis-information, but from choice and Rebellion, from hatred of God, and from meer envy, and implacable malice against men.

Deceived the Woman, and tempted her to this sin.

Or, shalt be from▪ henceforth both really and in the opinion of all mankind: Or, Be thou.

As in other respects, so particularly in that which here follows.

If the Serpent did so before the fall, what then was natural is now become painful and shameful to it, as nakedness and some other things were to man. But it seems more probable, that this Serpent, before the fall either had feet, or rather did go with its breast erect, as the Basilisk at this day doth, God peradventure so ordering it, as a Testimony that some other Serpents did once go so. And so the sense of the curse being applied to this particular Serpent, and to its kind, may be this, whereas thou hadst a priviledge above other kinds of Serpents, whereby thou didst go with erected breast, and didst feed upon the Fruits of Trees and other Plants, now thou shalt be brought down to the same mean and vile estate with them, upon thy belly, (or rather▪ breast, as the word also signifies) shalt thou go, &c. as they do.

Dust is the food as of Earthworms, Scorpions, and some other Creatures, so also of some Serpents, as appears both from Isai. 65. last, Mic. 7. 17. and from the Testimony of Nicander, Th[illegible: 1+ letters]riac. vers. 372. and Philo an Arabick Writer. Or, the dust is the Serpents sawce rather then his meat, whilst creeping and groveling upon the Earth, and taking his fo[illegible: 1+ letters] from thence, he must necessarily take in dust and filth together with it. These two clauses being applyed to the Devil signifie his fall from his noble state and place to Earth and Hell, the basene[illegible: 1+ letters]s of his nature and of his food, his delight being in the vilest of m[illegible: 1+ letters]n and things, it being now his me[illegible: 1+ letters]t and drink to dishonour God▪ and destroy mankind, and promote the esteem and love of earthly things.

Marginal references: Isa. 65. 25.