Curious Christian

I recently came across someone claiming Genesis 3:16 shows the Bible endorses misogyny. I get why it might sound that way, but that’s not what’s going on.

“To the woman he said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’” — Genesis 3:16

Genesis 3:16 isn’t a command, it’s a diagnosis. God isn’t saying, “This is how it should be,” but “This is what happens when sin takes over.” The harmony of Eden collapses into struggle, pain, and domination. It’s not divine approval, it’s divine grief.

The tension it names runs right through human history: relationships warped by pride and fear instead of love and trust. That’s the dilemma the gospel eventually resolves. In Jesus, we see what restored humanity looks like, where women are honoured, partnership is renewed, and love replaces control.

So Genesis 3:16 doesn’t justify misogyny; it reveals the brokenness that Christ came to heal.