For God knows …: this is stated to draw the woman’s attention to the advantage of eating the forbidden fruit. In this way the serpent suggests that God has been less than honest in giving the man and woman the complete truth of the matter. Instead of saving them from death, God is preventing them from becoming like him. For, which introduces a reason clause, is rendered by Good News Translation “God said that because….” The reason for translating in this way is that For or “because” refers back to the prohibition given by God and not to the preceding words “You will not die.”

Your [plural] eyes will be opened means “You [plural] will see things as they are” (Bible en français courant). The expression eyes will be opened means “to know, understand,” but does not say what it is they will know. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has reduced eyes will be opened and knowing to “know,” with good and evil as the object: “You [plural] will be able to know what is good and what is bad.”

And you will be like God: God translates Hebrew ʾelohim, which is sometimes rendered “gods” (King James Version, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction oecuménique de la Bible) or “divine beings” (New Jerusalem Bible). ʾElohim is grammatically plural, as is the participle translated “knowing.” However, grammatical considerations are not conclusive enough here to eliminate the singular sense of “God.” Therefore translators may translate as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, or say “gods.” If the translator prefers to keep the idea of God, it may be satisfactory in some languages to use a pronoun meaning “him” or “himself.”

In translation it is seldom adequate to write God with a small letter and a pluralizer to give the sense of “gods.” In many languages this will simply appear as “God” mistakenly written. Accordingly in some languages it is possible to speak of “heavenly beings,” “powerful spirits,” “angels,” or “spirits the people worship.” There is no attempt on the part of the narrator to make these “gods” appear as evil or harmful, and so translators should avoid translating “demons” or “evil spirits.” A footnote should be supplied to offer the alternative meaning.

For knowing good and evil see comments on 2.9.

In some languages the string of three dependent clauses following God knows … is difficult or unnatural, and the verse may have to be restructured. One example of such a restructuring is:

• If you-two eat the fruit of that tree, you-two will know what things are good and what things are bad, and you-two will become like God. God knows that, and that’s why he has put a taboo on you-two eating the fruit of that tree.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .