Is Genesis 3:16-17 A Public Law Relevant Today?

Genesis 3:16-17 KV:

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life"

When we look at the punishment given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:16-17, there are important factors that we must acknowledge in understanding its application and relevance to man today. The first factor that we must acknowledge is that God is the righteous Judge. This point is evident and known by the men of God in the scriptures, e.g., when the Lord told Abraham in Genesis 18:20-21 KJV:

"Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."

Abraham responded by acknowledging the perfect righteousness of the Lord, as seen in Genesis 18:25 KJV:

"That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

The second factor that we must acknowledge is that because God is the righteous Judge, His official decision given in all situations is based on His law that was already in existence. God's law is based on His perfect character, which is eternally holy. This is acknowledged in various scriptures throughout the Bible; yet two examples are seen in Psalm 90:2 KJV:

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

And 1 Peter 1:15-16 KJV:

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Therefore, as we look at the punishment given to Adam and Eve, we must acknowledge that the perfect, righteous eternal Judge made a decision regarding the actions of these two individuals based on His standard that was already in existence; thus, the punishment rendered to Adam and Eve was law according to God. This confirms the third factor that we must acknowledge, the punishment given to Adam and Eve was to be publicly applied to generations beyond Adam and Eve. This is evident in what we see in scripture in the chapters immediately after God spoke His decision to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

When we look at the punishment given to Adam and Eve, it is to be noted that the punishment was given at the same time to both individuals in response to the sinful act that both were guilty of committing simultaneously, and the punishment was not limited to just these two individuals. The punishment that God gave to Adam and Eve was a law that encompassed the entirety of humanity, thus it emphasizes the authority of the man over the woman. The punishment that God gave to Eve extended to every woman (i.e. he shall rule over thee in Gen. 3:16), and the punishment that God gave to Adam also extended to every man (i.e. cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life in Gen. 3:17). The punishment given by God pertains to the quality of being in both individuals; this is based on the order of creation of male and female and the realm of responsibility given to each individual in God's divine order. Furthermore, it is after this order that God approached Adam and Eve, evident in the fact that God calls for Adam and speaks with Adam first, though Eve was the first to commit the sin against Him, as seen in Genesis 3:9 KJV:

"And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"

This acknowledgment by the men in scripture, along with its implementation by God, illustrates the areas covered by the punishment defined by the law. This is evident in two factual statements seen in two scriptures; the first is seen in Genesis 5:29 KJV:

And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

The second is in Genesis 8:21 KJV:

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

There are two points that are scripturally evident in these two verses. First, as it pertains to Lamech in Genesis 5:29, there is an acknowledgment of the God-given curse of the ground that was only previously mentioned in Genesis 3:17; therefore, Lamech recognizes that the curse of the ground which God stated to Adam extended not only to Lamech but also to every individual whom Noah was to comfort concerning the work and toil of their hands due to this curse, as stated by Lamech. This is an acknowledgment that this curse extended to every generation between Adam and Noah.

Second, as we look at Genesis 8:21, after the days of the flood that destroyed every person on the face of the entire earth, save Noah and the seven souls with him, God says that He will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake. This curse that God initially spoke to Adam, due to Adam listening to his wife and not God, was implemented by God Himself to all of man; though it was originally spoken to Adam, what is acknowledged by God is His enforcement of the curse through every generation proceeding from Adam to the destruction of the world by the flood. This is evident by God's very own statement acknowledging the extent of the curse. Furthermore, with the nature of the flood being worldwide and the removal of the curse after the worldwide flood, there is recognition that this law, which was a curse from God to the men in their work and toil of the ground, was public in nature. This encompassed a facet of life that was a public responsibility of the men.

As it pertains to the punishment given to Eve and the women after her, its equivalence in public nature and extension to every generation is seen by the punishment given to Adam and the men that followed him, as the punishment given is to the quality of being in Adam and Eve (i.e. male and female) to encompass the time periods sanctioned by God. However, God placed a limit on the curse of the ground stated to Adam, evident in its scriptural cessation by God after the flood in Genesis 8:21; yet scripturally, we do not see an equivalent statement from God to cease the law He gave to the woman in Genesis 3:16, although it was given at the same time as the punishment given to Adam. What we do see is a scriptural continuation by God of the law given to Eve and the women after, enforced by God for all time, as evident under the gospel of Christ seen in 1 Timothy 2:11-15.

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

To what extent is this law from God regarding women to be applied? For a detailed scriptural study on this topic, we have written the book Scripturally Can Women Use Public Platforms to Teach Men The Gospel of Christ? Examining God's Implementing of "As Also Saith The Law." It is available for purchase in ebook or hardcover in our store section.