Mr. John Smith
What is the ‘desire of women?
There seems to be many different views on what the meaning of ‘desire’ means as spoken of in Genesis 3:16. Our text by Davis would indicate that, ‘the wife would have a deep natural attraction to her husband: ‘… they desire [the Hebrew noun comes from the verbal root Suq] shall be to thy husband,’ Suq connotes a desire so strong for something that one would run after, or violently crave it.” (1)
Another view is, ‘a prominent interpretation is that, as a punishment for the fall, that a woman’s desire would be subjected to her husband,’ (2) indicating that her desire would not be her own. The second interpretation is that the woman will have a longing for the man. (3) And finally, if we look to Genesis 4:7 we find that the woman will desire to dominate the relationship between her husband and herself. (4)
Another example we can find in Psalm 119:20 when David referrers to the word ‘longing’… but in this sense the word does not mean ‘desire’ but the continuation of life in light of death. There is no correlation between the word ‘desire’ as in the content of Genesis 3:16. This is the same focal point as in Genesis 4:17-19 but is the element of Genesis 3:16, here the judgment is on the woman and her descendants not on Adam. This is a figurative meaning in this verse not a desire like unto the woman.
We have to look at Genesis 3:16 from this view point, which if it is meant to be the woman is to control and dominate the husband, than the text would no longer be a judgment from God Upon the woman. A woman may ‘desire’ to rule and dominate the male but it is not part of her punishment, but a character and result of the woman from the sin. The text in question would have to be that the woman is now alienated and corrupted to submission of the wife from her husband because of her sin against God not man.
(1)Davis, John j. Paradise to Prison, studies in Genesis. p. 94.
(2)E.J. Young, Genesis 3 (London; Banner
There seems to be many different views on what the meaning of ‘desire’ means as spoken of in Genesis 3:16. Our text by Davis would indicate that, ‘the wife would have a deep natural attraction to her husband: ‘… they desire [the Hebrew noun comes from the verbal root Suq] shall be to thy husband,’ Suq connotes a desire so strong for something that one would run after, or violently crave it.” (1)
Another view is, ‘a prominent interpretation is that, as a punishment for the fall, that a woman’s desire would be subjected to her husband,’ (2) indicating that her desire would not be her own. The second interpretation is that the woman will have a longing for the man. (3) And finally, if we look to Genesis 4:7 we find that the woman will desire to dominate the relationship between her husband and herself. (4)
Another example we can find in Psalm 119:20 when David referrers to the word ‘longing’… but in this sense the word does not mean ‘desire’ but the continuation of life in light of death. There is no correlation between the word ‘desire’ as in the content of Genesis 3:16. This is the same focal point as in Genesis 4:17-19 but is the element of Genesis 3:16, here the judgment is on the woman and her descendants not on Adam. This is a figurative meaning in this verse not a desire like unto the woman.
We have to look at Genesis 3:16 from this view point, which if it is meant to be the woman is to control and dominate the husband, than the text would no longer be a judgment from God Upon the woman. A woman may ‘desire’ to rule and dominate the male but it is not part of her punishment, but a character and result of the woman from the sin. The text in question would have to be that the woman is now alienated and corrupted to submission of the wife from her husband because of her sin against God not man.
(1)Davis, John j. Paradise to Prison, studies in Genesis. p. 94.
(2)E.J. Young, Genesis 3 (London; Banner