One of the most respected and revered Roman Catholic saint was Alphonsus de Liguori who has written so much about her devotion to Mary saying, “she is truly a mediatress of peace between sinners and God.”1​ ​He also wrote, “The Holy Church commands a worship peculiar to Mary.”2​ ​Liguori also explained, “Mary is called… the gate of heaven because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through her.”3​ ​These are bold statements coming from a church authority.

For all 1.2 billion Roman Catholic people to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through Mary along with her divine-human Son Jesus Christ is unthinkable. One of the several passages that Roman Catholics use as a proof-text for Mary is found in Genesis 3:15. This passage has been debated between Roman Catholics and Protestants for many centuries whether who is being referred to by the Hebrew pronoun. The Roman Catholic version of the Bible namely Dhouay-Rheims translated that verse in this way.

1st Clause: ​I will put enmities between thee and the woman,

2nd Clause: ​and thy seed and her seed:

3rd Clause: ​she (Hebrew feminine pronoun) shall crush thy head,

4th Clause: ​and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

Genesis 3:15, DR

This is to show that for the Roman Catholic authorities, the feminine היא pronoun “she” refers to Mary herself. Interestingly, the Hebrew pronoun can be translated either as masculine, neuter, or feminine. However, the context of this verse will surely help us in determining the possible rendering for this Hebrew word. The Christian versions like NIV, CSB, ESV, and NASB rendered this pronoun in the masculine.

Does the pronoun refer to Mary? Although the pronoun can be rendered in the feminine, it is not Scripturally correct to understand this as Mary since we know for a fact that only God the Messiah can defeat the enemy (see Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:2). The woman’s significant role is only that of being an instrument for giving birth to the human-divine Messiah.

Is it possible to translate the pronoun as feminine to refer it to Eve? Possibly, because the only feminine person in the context is Eve where the writer is referring to her future generation. The Dhouay-Rheims rendering of “she shall crush thy head” can also be understood as Eve’s offspring. This is because the Hebrew word for “seed” can be understood in the plural sense referring to the church who believes in the Messiah that will finally overcome the enemy. After all, the church in the Greek is in the feminine gender (see Matt. 16:18).

Is it possible to translate the pronoun in the masculine gender referring to Jesus Christ? Yes. This is more plausible than the two. Since the Hebrew for seed or offspring can be also be rendered in the singular, it is possible that this Seed strike the head of the serpent. And since the pronoun in the third clause can also be rendered in the masculine sense, it is doctrinally correct to understand this as referring to Christ who will finally crush the enemy under our feet. (see Rom. 16:20; Rev. 12:9-10)

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.

Genesis 3:15, CSB

Footnotes:

1 Alphonsus de Liguori, ​“The Glories of Mary,”​ (82-83).

2 Liguori, ​Glories.​ 130.

3 Liguori, ​Glories.​ 160.