Final answer:
The first two key characteristics of Satan when he tempted Eve were craftiness and deceit. Satan, depicted as the serpent, demonstrated craftiness by misrepresenting God's command, and deceit by falsely promising Eve that eating the fruit would grant her godlike knowledge.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first two key characteristics of Satan when he tempted Eve, according to the biblical account in Genesis 3, can be described as craftiness and deceit. Firstly, the serpent, which is often equated with Satan in Christian tradition, is described as “more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” This craftiness is evident in the way the serpent opens the conversation with Eve by twisting God's words, suggesting that God's command was in doubt (“Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?”). Secondly, the serpent's deceit comes through in Genesis 3:4-5, where he directly contradicts God by telling Eve, “You will not surely die.” He goes on to claim that eating the fruit would open their eyes and make them like God, knowing good and evil, which was a false promise designed to entice Eve into disobeying. These actions exhibit deception, as the serpent presents falsehoods as truth to achieve his objective.
To comprehend the concept of these characteristics better, look at the serpent's approach. The serpent leveraged Eve's innocence and lack of knowledge to insinuate that God's instructions were not meant for their well-being but to withhold something good from them, namely the knowledge of good and evil. This manipulation and the framing of lies as truth are fundamental aspects of the serpent's deceitful nature.