Gen 3:16: pain, desire, and "he will rule"
Says To the woman: הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה, "I will greatly increase," an infinitive absolute with the finite verb (OSHB), עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרֹנֵךְ, "your pain and your conception" (BDB "pain, toil"; "conception, pregnancy"), which the BSB renders "your pain in childbirth." בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָנִים, "in pain you will bear children," uses another noun for pain (OSHB). The noun in עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ returns for the man in 3:17, בְּעִצָּבוֹן. Then וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ, "and toward your husband your desire" (BDB "longing"), וְהוּא יִמְשָׁל־בָּךְ, "and he will rule over you" (BDB "rule, have dominion"). The noun occurs only here, Gen 4:7 and Song 7:10 (MT 7:11). Gen 4:7 has a similar sequence, וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל־בּוֹ, desire and then "rule," with sin as the one who desires. Swete has ἡ ἀποστροφή σου, "your turning," and αὐτός σου κυριεύσει; see var.Gen.3.16.desire-turning.
Uncertain What the desire is. (1) Longing for the husband; grounds: Song 7:10. Objection: Gen 4:7 is not affection. (2) A desire to master him; grounds: the sequence in 4:7. Objection: three uses are few, and Song 7:10 differs. (3) Dependence, a turning to him, as the Greek; Jub 3:24 has "thy return shall be unto thy husband." Objection: the Greek may interpret. No lean is taken here.
Uncertain Whether "he will rule" states what will happen or what ought to be; no lean is taken here, and no application is drawn.
Claims
- Saysהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה; עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרֹנֵךְ (BDB "pain, toil"; "conception, pregnancy"); another noun in בְּעֶצֶב; עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ returns in 3:17; תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ (BDB "longing"), only Gen 3:16; 4:7; Song 7:10; יִמְשָׁל (BDB "rule, have dominion"); similar sequence in 4:7; Swete ἡ ἀποστροφή σου.
- UncertainLonging, a desire to master, or dependence (the Greek; Jub 3:24); objections; no lean.
- UncertainDescription or prescription; no lean; no application.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 3:16–17 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVha, HVhi1cs, HVqi3ms; H6093 at 3:16, 17; H6089 at 3:16; H8669 in the OSHB only at Gen 3:16; 4:7; Song 7:11)
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 4:7; Song 7:10 (MT 7:11) (WLC/OSHB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H6093, p. 781, entry p.ei.af; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n804
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H2032, p. 248, entry e.cd.ae; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n271
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H8669, p. 1003, entry v.bz.ab; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n1026
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H4910, p. 605, entry m.dw.aa; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n628
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 3:16. LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 1 (1901), p. 5 (leaf n36).
- BSB public domain Gen 3:16
- APOT public domain vol. 2 (1913): Jub 3:24, p. 17 (n36); read on the page image; "thy return shall be unto thy husband" quoted
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-10
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