"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow (esteb) and thy conception (herown); in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire (teshuqah) shall be to thy husband, and he shall (mashal) over (bet) thee."
So, to Eve, he said that he would greatly increase her Sorrow (esteb) and her conception (herown).
`itstsabown is used in the Bible three times and was translated as sorrow (2) or toil (1). It can mean hardship, toil, labor, pain, or sorrow, in other words grief.
Herown means pregnancy, physical conception, or conception.
Eve is a representation of all women. When we give birth to children, it is a labor of hard work! It is also hard work to spiritually and physically rear them, prepare them for life and lead them to the path to eternal life, and guard the family.
"and thy desire shall be to thy husband,"
Woman's desire (teshuqah) shall be towards her husband. Teshuqah means longing or desire. This is as it should be, wives desire and longing should be for their own husbands, for whom they are to be an ezer k'negdo.
" and he shall rule (mashal) over (bet) thee."
Mashal- is to rule, govern, or have dominion. How does God expect our husbands to rule or govern over us? I believe the man will have to give an accounting before God on how he used his dominion. For Paul told the Ephesians "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it... This is a sacrificially protective governance, a protective watch care. As discussed last week, this dominion included being a keeper, giving watch care, nurture, and protection.
Bet- literally means home, house, or household (wife and children) and the number two; it also means Temple, or God's house. As a preposition it means in, at, or with.I can see how that is, as we live "in," "with" our families, and when people come to visit they visit us "at" our homes. "Ruling over" just does work for a clear meaning of "mashal bet." "Over" is not what bet means.
I believe we, as husband and wife, are to rule in our homes, be keepers of our home, and this planet- together. For through marriage we become as "one flesh."
In Ephesians 5:18 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." If we are to rule with or together, and we are to submit ourselves to one another, this is a humble, united leadership, that is watchful care, not dictatorial, iron fisted, manipulative, or agency violating. Yes, parents need to work to find common ground on which to stand, and then present a unified vision to their families.
How many women have been abused physically, emotionally, and spiritually, because their husbands have been taught that they were to "rule over" their wives, and did so unrighteously, not as Christ loved the church, and did not submit one to another? The idea of "rule over thee," combined with ezer k'negdo being translated as help meet, has caused much misery to women and has destroyed many homes. Yet, in their purity these glorious concepts should uplift, unite, and strengthen families. When families are strong, our communities are strong, and when communities are strong our nation is strong.
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