And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Ver. 4. Ye shall not surely die.] He saith not, Dying ye shall not die, or, Surely ye shall not die; this had been too plain a contradiction to that word of God that had threatened assured death; but, Ye shall not die in dying; that is, It is not certain ye shall die. And this latter is more nice and ambiguous. She seems to doubt of the certainty of what God had said. He plainly and cleanly impugns it: whereas had God's word abidden in her, she had overcome that wicked one. 1Jn 2:14 The word is compared to mustard seed, which being mixed with vinegar, is, they say, a sovereign medicine against serpents.