God now speaks to the woman.
Childbearing would involve sorrow and pain. Eve would still have the privilege of bearing children, but sin would bring multiplied sorrow into that experience.
The verse also says, “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
There is some disagreement about the meaning of “desire.” Genesis 4:7 uses similar language when God says to Cain, “sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” There, the idea seems to be control.
This may mean that the woman would desire to control or take the man’s role, while the man would rule over her. Others understand it as her desire being toward her husband in the marriage relationship.
Either way, the harmony of the first marriage was affected by sin. Roles remained, but sin would now create struggle, tension, and sorrow.
Submission speaks of role, not value. Jesus submitted to the Father, yet He is equally God. Likewise, biblical order in the home does not mean woman is less important or less valuable than man.
The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride. Sin brought sorrow into the world; that made the world a vale of tears. No wonder our sorrows are multiplied, when our sins are so. He shall rule over thee, is but God's command, Wives, be subject to your own husbands. If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and
love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. Adam laid the blame on his wife; but though it was her fault to persuade him to eat the forbidden fruit, it was his fault to hearken to her. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, be turned against them. God put marks of displeasure on Adam. 1. His habitation is cursed. God gave the earth to the children of men, to be a comfortable dwelling; but it is now cursed for man's sin. Yet
Adam is not himself cursed, as the serpent was, but only the ground for his sake. 2. His employments and enjoyments are imbittered to him. Labour is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; it is part of man's sentence, which idleness daringly defies. Uneasiness and weariness with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than our iniquity deserves. Man's food shall become unpleasant to him. Yet man is not sentenced to eat dust as the serpent,
only to eat the herb of the field. 3. His life also is but short; considering how full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they are few. Yet death being dreadful to nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. Sin brought death into the world: if Adam had not sinned, he had not died. He gave way to temptation, but the Saviour withstood it. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings, answered the sentence passed on
our first parents! Did travailing pains come with sin? We read of the travail of Christ's soul, ; and the pains of death he was held by, are so called, . Did subjection came in with sin? Christ was made under the law, . Did the curse come in with sin? Christ was made a curse for us, he died a cursed death, . Did
thorns come in with sin? He was crowned with thorns for us. Did sweat come in with sin? He sweat for us, as it had been great drops of blood. Did sorrow come in with sin? He was a man of sorrows; his soul was, in his agony, exceeding sorrowful. Did death come in with sin? He became obedient unto death. Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Blessed be God for his Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
God now speaks to the woman.
Childbearing would involve sorrow and pain. Eve would still have the privilege of bearing children, but sin would bring multiplied sorrow into that experience.
The verse also says, “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
There is some disagreement about the meaning of “desire.” Genesis 4:7 uses similar language when God says to Cain, “sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” There, the idea seems to be control.
This may mean that the woman would desire to control or take the man’s role, while the man would rule over her. Others understand it as her desire being toward her husband in the marriage relationship.
Either way, the harmony of the first marriage was affected by sin. Roles remained, but sin would now create struggle, tension, and sorrow.
Submission speaks of role, not value. Jesus submitted to the Father, yet He is equally God. Likewise, biblical order in the home does not mean woman is less important or less valuable than man.
The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride. Sin brought sorrow into the world; that made the world a vale of tears. No wonder our sorrows are multiplied, when our sins are so. He shall rule over thee, is but God's command, Wives, be subject to your own husbands. If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and
love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. Adam laid the blame on his wife; but though it was her fault to persuade him to eat the forbidden fruit, it was his fault to hearken to her. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, be turned against them. God put marks of displeasure on Adam. 1. His habitation is cursed. God gave the earth to the children of men, to be a comfortable dwelling; but it is now cursed for man's sin. Yet
Adam is not himself cursed, as the serpent was, but only the ground for his sake. 2. His employments and enjoyments are imbittered to him. Labour is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; it is part of man's sentence, which idleness daringly defies. Uneasiness and weariness with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than our iniquity deserves. Man's food shall become unpleasant to him. Yet man is not sentenced to eat dust as the serpent,
only to eat the herb of the field. 3. His life also is but short; considering how full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they are few. Yet death being dreadful to nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. Sin brought death into the world: if Adam had not sinned, he had not died. He gave way to temptation, but the Saviour withstood it. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings, answered the sentence passed on
our first parents! Did travailing pains come with sin? We read of the travail of Christ's soul, ; and the pains of death he was held by, are so called, . Did subjection came in with sin? Christ was made under the law, . Did the curse come in with sin? Christ was made a curse for us, he died a cursed death, . Did
thorns come in with sin? He was crowned with thorns for us. Did sweat come in with sin? He sweat for us, as it had been great drops of blood. Did sorrow come in with sin? He was a man of sorrows; his soul was, in his agony, exceeding sorrowful. Did death come in with sin? He became obedient unto death. Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Blessed be God for his Son our Lord Jesus Christ.