Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Genesis 3:14 says that God cursed the serpent to crawl on the ground. Does this mean that snakes had legs before they were cursed?

A: The language of Genesis 3:14-15 is not precise; it could be saying the serpent didn’t crawl prior to the curse, but the text does not demand that interpretation. Teachers have backed both perspectives throughout history, and I don’t think any significant truth is affected by either.

Personally, I tend to lean slightly towards the perspective that snakes have always slithered and were not originally created with legs. I have two reasons for thinking so. First, I see crawling on the belly as a restoration of created order. Creeping things like serpents are placed at the bottom of two separate lists of land animals in Genesis 1, I believe that God was simply returning the serpent to his place in creation after the serpent asserted himself over Adam and Eve.

My second reason for doubting that the serpent had legs is biological. Snakes are designed to slither; their spines are flexible and made to move along the ground. A number of changes would be required for the serpent to change from a quadruped to a “no-ped.” God could certainly have made all the necessary changes to make the serpent leg-less, it just seems to be an overcomplicated explanation when a more simple perspective is so available.

However, I don’t consider either argument to be conclusive and have no problem with those who have a different perspective.

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