.
†. Gen 3:15a . . I will put enmity between you and the woman,
The enmity was for Eve's own good. If she got all sappy and forgave the
Serpent, and kissed and made up, it just might pull another stunt on her; as
ruinous as the first. The Serpent was, after all, the father of all con men;
and more cunning than any beast of the field.
†. Gen 3:15b . . And between your offspring and her offspring.
The word for "offspring" is from zera' (zeh'-rah) and technically means:
seed; but can also mean a product and/or a result, fruit, plant, sowing-time,
and/or progeny. Zera' is one of those words that can be either singular or
plural, depending upon the context. Other words like that are deer, sheep,
Man, and head (as in head of livestock). Every kid in a family can be called
the parents' zera' whether there's eight kids or a lone child.
†. Gen 3:15c . . He will pound your head, and you will bite his heel.
From that point onwards the Serpent has made it his mission in life to
prevent Eve's seed from doing the very thing God predicted; eventuating in
Herod's slaughter of Jewish toddlers and the Lord's murder on the cross.
Who are the Serpent's progeny? Liars and Murderers; for starters (John
8:44). Additional Serpentary seed are people who exist solely to satisfy their
passions and desires (Eph 2:1-3). And people given to rivalry and strife (Jas
3:14-15). Those kinds of seed are progeny from the aspect of being products
of the Serpent's handiwork-- in other words, there's some truth to the old
saw: The Devil made me do it.
Unfortunately, the Serpent no longer allows itself to be seen in the open like
it did that time in the garden with Eve. So it can easily manipulate the minds
of its progeny covertly, out of sight, and completely undetected. Since
people can't see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, nor feel it; the Serpent's seed
are powerless to tell when they're being victimized by one of their master's
schemes.
†. Gen 3:16a . . And to the woman He said: I will make most severe
your pangs in childbearing;
For many women, the pregnancy stage of motherhood is often characterized
by bloating, illness, nausea, depression, anxiety, insecurity, suspicions, and
irritability. For them, pregnancy is more like a curse than the intended
blessing of Gen 1:28.
†. Gen 3:16b . . in pain shall you bear children.
It's difficult to imagine childbirth without pain because that's the way it's
always been right from the beginning, even with Eve's very first child.
Apparently before Man's fall, having a baby would have been no more
painful than doing one's business in the ladies room-- and just as lacking in
danger to mom and baby.
The thing to note is: this particular punishment was unexpected; viz: it isn't
specifically listed in Gen 2:17 as a consequence for tasting the forbidden
fruit.
Something else that's notable is that neither the Serpent nor the tree's
chemistry, played a role in Eve's new circumstances. God said "I will make".
In other words; the physical and emotional unpleasantries associated with
bearing children came about via the hand of God.
There's more.
†. Gen 3:16c . .Yet your urge shall be for your husband,
The Hebrew of that passage is very difficult; not even the great rabbis Rashi
and Ramban were in agreement how best to interpret it. But it appears to
me simply the very first prohibition against adultery.
†. Gen 3:16d . . and he shall rule over you.
That is probably one of the most hated verses in the whole Bible. Eve's
daughters do not like to be subjugated to and/or dominated by, men. It
really goes against their grain.
That rule isn't restricted to marriage. It regulates women's place in church
too.
†. 1Cor 14:33-35 . . As in all the congregations of the saints, women should
remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in
submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they
should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to
speak in the church.
†. 1Tim 2:11-15 . . Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire
submissiveness. I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over
a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then
Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite
deceived, fell into transgression.
Incidentally, the worship area of the Temple compound was divided into
three sections beginning in front of the altar, which was located at the base
of the steps leading up to the Temple itself.
The first section of the worship area, closest to the Temple, was designated
for Jewish men. The second section, behind the men's section, was
designated for Jewish women. The third section, behind the women, and
thus furthest from the Altar, was designated for non Jews; viz: Gentiles;
a.k.a. gowy. The location of the women's section of the courtyard was no
doubt in accordance with the rule that "he shall rule over you".
Fun Fact : the tax collector at Luke 18:13 stood "far off"; in other words:
way back in the gowy section.
How long the Adams lived together sans the imposition of the subjugation
rule isn't stated; but evidently there was no need for it prior to the fruit
incident. But the incident aptly demonstrates that manipulative women can
quickly lead men to ruin in no time at all because it's all too easy for them to
persuade men to behave themselves in ways contrary to their own better
judgment; which reminds me of a really cute line from My Big Fat Greek
Wedding.
Toula Portokalos complains to her mother: Ma, dad is so stubborn. What he
says goes. Ah, the man is the head of the house!
Toula's mom, Maria Portokalos, responds: Let me tell you something, Toula.
The man is the head, but the woman is the neck; and she can turn the head
any way she wants.
That's humorous but it's not a laughing matter. Many a man has been led
like sheep to the slaughter by women who got them to do things contrary to
their own better judgment.
Cont.
/
†. Gen 3:15a . . I will put enmity between you and the woman,
The enmity was for Eve's own good. If she got all sappy and forgave the
Serpent, and kissed and made up, it just might pull another stunt on her; as
ruinous as the first. The Serpent was, after all, the father of all con men;
and more cunning than any beast of the field.
†. Gen 3:15b . . And between your offspring and her offspring.
The word for "offspring" is from zera' (zeh'-rah) and technically means:
seed; but can also mean a product and/or a result, fruit, plant, sowing-time,
and/or progeny. Zera' is one of those words that can be either singular or
plural, depending upon the context. Other words like that are deer, sheep,
Man, and head (as in head of livestock). Every kid in a family can be called
the parents' zera' whether there's eight kids or a lone child.
†. Gen 3:15c . . He will pound your head, and you will bite his heel.
From that point onwards the Serpent has made it his mission in life to
prevent Eve's seed from doing the very thing God predicted; eventuating in
Herod's slaughter of Jewish toddlers and the Lord's murder on the cross.
Who are the Serpent's progeny? Liars and Murderers; for starters (John
8:44). Additional Serpentary seed are people who exist solely to satisfy their
passions and desires (Eph 2:1-3). And people given to rivalry and strife (Jas
3:14-15). Those kinds of seed are progeny from the aspect of being products
of the Serpent's handiwork-- in other words, there's some truth to the old
saw: The Devil made me do it.
Unfortunately, the Serpent no longer allows itself to be seen in the open like
it did that time in the garden with Eve. So it can easily manipulate the minds
of its progeny covertly, out of sight, and completely undetected. Since
people can't see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, nor feel it; the Serpent's seed
are powerless to tell when they're being victimized by one of their master's
schemes.
†. Gen 3:16a . . And to the woman He said: I will make most severe
your pangs in childbearing;
For many women, the pregnancy stage of motherhood is often characterized
by bloating, illness, nausea, depression, anxiety, insecurity, suspicions, and
irritability. For them, pregnancy is more like a curse than the intended
blessing of Gen 1:28.
†. Gen 3:16b . . in pain shall you bear children.
It's difficult to imagine childbirth without pain because that's the way it's
always been right from the beginning, even with Eve's very first child.
Apparently before Man's fall, having a baby would have been no more
painful than doing one's business in the ladies room-- and just as lacking in
danger to mom and baby.
The thing to note is: this particular punishment was unexpected; viz: it isn't
specifically listed in Gen 2:17 as a consequence for tasting the forbidden
fruit.
Something else that's notable is that neither the Serpent nor the tree's
chemistry, played a role in Eve's new circumstances. God said "I will make".
In other words; the physical and emotional unpleasantries associated with
bearing children came about via the hand of God.
There's more.
†. Gen 3:16c . .Yet your urge shall be for your husband,
The Hebrew of that passage is very difficult; not even the great rabbis Rashi
and Ramban were in agreement how best to interpret it. But it appears to
me simply the very first prohibition against adultery.
†. Gen 3:16d . . and he shall rule over you.
That is probably one of the most hated verses in the whole Bible. Eve's
daughters do not like to be subjugated to and/or dominated by, men. It
really goes against their grain.
That rule isn't restricted to marriage. It regulates women's place in church
too.
†. 1Cor 14:33-35 . . As in all the congregations of the saints, women should
remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in
submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they
should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to
speak in the church.
†. 1Tim 2:11-15 . . Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire
submissiveness. I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over
a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then
Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite
deceived, fell into transgression.
Incidentally, the worship area of the Temple compound was divided into
three sections beginning in front of the altar, which was located at the base
of the steps leading up to the Temple itself.
The first section of the worship area, closest to the Temple, was designated
for Jewish men. The second section, behind the men's section, was
designated for Jewish women. The third section, behind the women, and
thus furthest from the Altar, was designated for non Jews; viz: Gentiles;
a.k.a. gowy. The location of the women's section of the courtyard was no
doubt in accordance with the rule that "he shall rule over you".
Fun Fact : the tax collector at Luke 18:13 stood "far off"; in other words:
way back in the gowy section.
How long the Adams lived together sans the imposition of the subjugation
rule isn't stated; but evidently there was no need for it prior to the fruit
incident. But the incident aptly demonstrates that manipulative women can
quickly lead men to ruin in no time at all because it's all too easy for them to
persuade men to behave themselves in ways contrary to their own better
judgment; which reminds me of a really cute line from My Big Fat Greek
Wedding.
Toula Portokalos complains to her mother: Ma, dad is so stubborn. What he
says goes. Ah, the man is the head of the house!
Toula's mom, Maria Portokalos, responds: Let me tell you something, Toula.
The man is the head, but the woman is the neck; and she can turn the head
any way she wants.
That's humorous but it's not a laughing matter. Many a man has been led
like sheep to the slaughter by women who got them to do things contrary to
their own better judgment.
Cont.
/
