The Role of Ambiguity in the Art of Deception
How the snake misuses truth in Genesis 3:1–7
You can’t avoid them
When you turn on the news, they’re there. When you go to the office and work with your colleagues, they’re there. When you talk to your friends and family — and even yourself — there they are. They’re lurking on streets, spamming your phones, shouting from pulpits. They’re everywhere, and you can’t avoid them.
Liars.
You’re sitting at the round table. The glossy top shines under the overhead LEDs. Your coworker responds, “Yeah, I’m swamped right now. Can’t take on any more. Maybe give it to Gary?” She shrugs as you narrow your eyes. She hasn’t taken another project in three months.
That deceitful, little…
“Can you take this one?” your boss asks you. Are you kidding? With pursed lips, you look up and murmur, “Sure.” Well, she’s done it again — fooled management into believing she’s the hardest working of the group. At least you aren’t like her. You don’t mislead others. You tell the truth and never lie for gain. You aren’t deceptive.
Or are you?
What if lying isn’t the only tactic for deception? What if the art of deception requires more cunning than that? What if, in fact, we deceive others more often by telling the truth?
The first deception
Consider the story of Eve and the snake. Dust off your old family Bible and turn to Genesis 3 (or read here). What do you see?
Everyone whom I’ve heard talk about this story has said that the snake tricks Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yep, agreed. But how does the snake do it? I’ve heard at least three different explanations of what happens:
- The snake says that God was mistaken — God said you’ll die but you won’t — and Eve trusts the snake instead of God.
- The snake says that Eve is mistaken — you don’t understand what God said — and Eve eats because she is confused.¹
- The snake says that God is holding back — the tree is good, and God doesn’t want you to enjoy it.²
Notice anything?
The common denominator of all these explanations sticks out like highway grass when you see it — the snake must be lying. He either lies about the consequences of eating from the tree — death — or he lies about God’s intentions. The snake casts a shadow of doubt, and Eve blindly trips over the line — we call it The Fall. Before you call foul and penalize the snake, though, let me suggest this:
The snake never lied.
The truth may be deceiving
If you reread Genesis 3:1–6, then you’ll notice that the snake speaks only twice.
The first time, he asks a question
He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b, NIV)
This is a loaded question. It’s like asking a sober man, “When did you stop drinking all the time?” The answer should be, “I never stopped because I never was a drunkard.” You imply a lie, but you aren’t lying — you don’t make a false statement.
And neither does the snake.
Yes, his question implies that God had forbidden all eating, but the snake isn’t making that truth claim. Instead, he’s asking Eve to judge the statement. Questions do not make statements but elicit them.
The second time, he does make a statement
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4–5, NIV)
In Genesis 2:17, God says, “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” So, case closed, right? The snake lies about death and deceives Eve, and we all know the rest of the story.
Not so fast.
Let’s look at what Eve says between these two sayings of the snake.
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” (Genesis 3:1b-5, NIV)
This is Eve’s response to the snake’s question. The first part is fine, but the second part reveals a trapdoor over the pit. Eve says that God forbade them to eat (or touch) the tree in the middle of the garden. The problem is…
There is not one tree in the middle of the garden — there are two.
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9, NIV)
The problem of ambiguity
Eve’s statement opens a pandora’s box — or better, creates a Schrödinger’s Tree. Is Eve talking about the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge? No one can say. Since Eve isn’t clear, the snake can talk about either tree he wants.
Ambiguity allows the snake to mislead Eve by speaking the truth.
So, when the snake says, “You will not certainly die,” he can say he was referring to the tree of life.³ When he says that they will become like God, he can say he was referring to the tree of knowledge.⁴ Both statements are true about the “tree in the middle.”
Thus, the snake never lies.
Deception is giving a false impression
Ambiguity is the breeding ground for deception.
“How’s the recovery going?” You look up and feign a smile. “Bro, I can’t even remember the last time I used!” You’re not lying — you really don’t remember what happened the last time you used. It’s all fuzzy.
This is how we actually deceive ourselves and others.
“Why were you late getting home?” your spouse asks you. “I had to work late. There’s a big project I’m trying to finish up.” Of course, you keep back the part about your coworker. There is a big project, and you did some work, but you could have done it tomorrow.
You share a few truths but keep the rest tucked away and out of sight.
We love to hide behind the veil of ambiguity, where the billowing cloth obscures the bold lines and varied colors until you can only see a grey square where there was once a Mona Lisa or a Starry Night.
You give the wrong impression but you never lie.
How to not deceive
If we want to avoid deceiving ourselves and others, we must push through the haze of mere truth-telling. Here are some starters on how to move towards integrity.
- Be specific, not vague
- Reveal facts instead of hiding them
- Ask clarifying questions
- Clarify whenever there is possible ambiguity
- Tell the whole truth
Once you begin to eliminate ambiguity in your thoughts, words, and deeds, you will live a more honest life and have more satisfying relationships with yourself, others, and God.
I enjoy reading and writing about theology, philosophy, and literature. If you enjoyed this article or wish I would explore another subject, leave a comment or a clap. Thank you!
Footnotes:
- Some cite two reasons to think that she was confused: 1) She wasn’t yet created when God gave the command, so she didn’t hear it directly; 2) She added “we can’t touch the tree” to the command.
- Some suggest that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was bad, and so the snake is lying.
- Since Eve added “and you must not touch it,” the snake is also allowed to deny the certainty of death even if they were to agree they were talking about the tree of knowledge.
- The tree of the knowledge of good and evil does exactly what the snake said it would do — it opens the eyes of Adam and Eve and makes them like God, knowing good and evil. See Genesis 3:7, 22.
