Online discussion of Genesis 3:16

See the comments to this thread at Patriactionary.
Traditional Christianity
One of the original sparks to the discussion.

Some have tried to explain Genesis 3:16 in terms of how domestic rule occurs and its circumstances, and the difference between what obtained before the Fall and what is "normal" afterwards - there is tension and conflict, a hesitation on the part of women to submit and obey, and so on. Instead of domestic harmony arising from rightly ordered appetites, there is something more along the lines of the imposing of one's will. This is a plausible interpretation. That the rule of the husband is natural and ordained by God, I don't think any of the participants in the discussion would dispute.

Instead of looking at how rule is accomplished, I prefer the following understanding of the curse on the woman. I'd have to look up the original words in Hebrew and Greek but I suspect that what is translated as "rule" in Gen 3:16 is aking to "lord" in Matthew 20:25 - to tyrannize or dominate, lording it over like the Gentiles. Using women for gratification falls under this - taking the lead of a woman and exploiting it for a perverse end. Instead of ordering the affairs of the household for the benefit of the household (the domestic common good), the man orders it for his own good.

But another thing that should be looked at is the woman's desire for the man. Is there no moral evaluation of it, or is it disordered as well. I am aware of the danger of applying a contemporary understanding of hypergamy and so on in understanding Sacred Scripture, but as real-world data, it may be a legitimate way of interpreting what is being said in Scripture. The desire is more than just [sexual] concupiscence -- it is also a statement about the sort of man to which she will be attracted, and what she is willing to do to obtain him. (Disobeying God's law?)

But is there a parallel between what is said for Adam and what is said for Eve? Is it the case that the woman will perceive obedience as unpleasant or difficult? Or the sort of leadership she will experience?

Related:
Dark Brightness: We are not sheep or cows. Divorce and covenant
See also Feminism is an idol. and To who should we submit?

CL: If you don’t claim her, someone else will.