Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 3:14-15

"And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." — Genesis 3:14-15 (ASV)

God passes sentence; He begins where the sin began, with the serpent. The devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishments. Under the cover of the serpent, the devil is sentenced to be degraded and accursed by God; detested and abhorred by all mankind: also to be destroyed and ruined ultimately by the great Redeemer, signified by the breaking of his head. War is proclaimed between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.

It is the fruit of this enmity that there is a continual warfare between grace and corruption in the hearts of God's people. Satan, by their corruptions, buffets them, sifts them, and seeks to devour them. Heaven and hell can never be reconciled, nor light and darkness; nor can Satan and a sanctified soul. Also, there is a continual struggle between the wicked and the godly in this world.

A gracious promise is here made concerning Christ, as the Deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. This was the dawn of the gospel day: no sooner was the wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed. This gracious revelation of a Saviour came unsolicited and unexpected. Without a revelation of mercy, giving some hope of forgiveness, the convinced sinner would sink into despair and be hardened.

By faith in this promise, our first parents and the patriarchs before the flood were justified and saved. Notice is given concerning Christ:

1. His incarnation, or coming in the flesh. It offers great encouragement to sinners that their Saviour is the Seed of the woman, bone of our bone (Hebrews 2:11, 14).
2. His sufferings and death, pointed to in Satan's bruising His heel—that is, His human nature. And Christ's sufferings are continued in the sufferings of the saints for His name. The devil tempts them, persecutes, and slays them; and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. But while the heel is bruised on earth, the Head is in heaven.
3. His victory over Satan thereby. Christ baffled Satan's temptations and rescued souls out of his hands. By His death, He gave a fatal blow to the devil's kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. As the gospel gains ground, Satan falls.