Genesis 3:16

“To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your toil and your pregnancies; with pain you will give birth to children; and toward your husband will be your desire, and he will rule over you.””
Genesis 3:16 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

To the womanאֶל הָאִשָּׁהhe said,אָמַר“I will greatlyהַרְבָּהmultiplyאַרְבֶּהyour toilעִצְּבוֹנֵךְand your pregnancies;וְהֵרֹנֵךְwith painבְּעֶצֶבyou will give birthתֵּלְדִיto children;בָנִיםandוְtowardאֶלyour husbandאִישֵׁךְwill beyour desire,תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְandוְheהוּאwill ruleיִמְשָׁלover you.”בָּךְ

Allusion · Genesis 4:7

Go to Genesis 4:7

Both verses use the same construction: “toward… will be the desire (teshuqa)” and “will rule (mashal).” Teshuqa appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible: here, in Genesis 4:7, and in Song of Songs 7:10.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

תְּשׁוּקָתֵteshukateH8669תְּשׁוּקָתteshukatH8669“desire”
יִמְשָׁלyimshalH4910תִּמְשָׁלtimshalH4910“govern, rule”

Genesis 3:16, word by word

To the womanאִשָּׁהisha

woman

An adult female person: single, married or widowed.

Where else “isha” appears

he saidאָמַרamar

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “amar” appears

“I will greatlyהַרְבָּהharba

greatly

Used to say 'in great quantity' or 'very much'.

Where else “harba” appears

your toilעִצְּבוֹנֵitsvone

painful toil

Toil, labor that hurts and wearies; pain. The same word is used for the pain of the woman in childbirth and for the man's labor with the ground (Genesis 3:16-17).

Where else “itsvone” appears

and your pregnanciesהֵרֹנֵherone

pregnancy

Pregnancy, conception.

Where else “herone” appears

with painעֶצֶבetsev

pain

Suffering, labor; a wounding word.

Where else “etsev” appears

you will give birthתֵּלְדִיteldi

bear

To bring a child into the world, giving birth after pregnancy.

Where else “teldi” appears

to childrenבָנִיםvanim

son

The male born of a father and mother; in the plural, also sons and daughters.

Where else “vanim” appears

your husbandאִישֵׁishe

husband

Literally "her man": the one married to her.

Where else “ishe” appears

your desireתְּשׁוּקָתֵteshukate

desire

Strong desire toward someone. It appears only three times in the Bible (Genesis 3:16; 4:7; Song of Songs 7:10) and its exact shade is debated.

Where else “teshukate” appears

will ruleיִמְשָׁלyimshal

rule

To hold sway over something or someone.

Where else “yimshal” appears

The context

15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.”

16 · This verse (above)

17And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; with toil you will eat from it all the days of your life.

Read all of Genesis 3

To study Genesis 3 in a group

1. What it says
What did the serpent say to the woman, and what did she and the man do afterward (vv. 1-6)?
2. What it means
What changed between the man, the woman, and Elohim after they ate the fruit (vv. 7-10)?
3. How I live it
When you fail, how can you come near to Elohim instead of hiding, as the man did (v. 8)?

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