What does it mean that the serpent will bruise the seed's heel?
The bruising of the seed’s heel means the serpent would cause the suffering that Christ, the woman’s seed, endured through the ordeal of the cross. Although Christ defeats Satan by bruising the serpent’s head at the cross, the serpent would bruise the Redeemer’s heel by bringing about His suffering.
Les explains that this verse is the first promise concerning Christ in the flesh. The seed of the woman is Christ, as Galatians explains, and God is speaking to the serpent. Christ bruised and defeated Satan at the cross, which is the bruising of the serpent’s head. The serpent bruising the seed’s heel refers to the suffering that Christ went through in the ordeal of the cross. So the verse teaches that the woman’s seed will defeat the serpent at the cross, but the serpent will cause the suffering of the cross and consequently bruise the heel of the Redeemer.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
More Questions
Why does crushing the serpent's head matter in Genesis 3:15?
Bruising the serpent's head is the fatal blow because the head is the only place you can really kill a snake, so the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head while the serpent only got his licks in by causing Christ to suffer.
What does it mean that Satan would bruise his heel?
Satan would still come back and bruise Christ's heel, which means causing the suffering Christ had to go through for our salvation.