Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Ver. 16. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow.] The greatest of sorrows this is, as we are given to understand, both out of divine and human writings. "I had rather die in battle ten times over, than bring forth but once only," said Medea in the tragedy. a But we have a better example, in the Ecclesiastical History, b of a Roman lady, called Sabina; who, being great with child, was cast in prison for the profession of Christ's truth. Now when the time came that she should be delivered, and she cried out for extremity of pain, the keeper of the prison asked her why she made such a stir now; and how she would, two or three days hence, endure to die at a stake, or by the sword. She answered, "Now I suffer as a woman, the punishment of my sin; but then I shall not suffer, but Christ shall suffer in me." In peace offerings there might be oil mixed, not so in sin offerings. In our sufferings for Christ there is joy, not so when we suffer for our sins.
In sorrow thou shalt bring forth.] And in sorrow shalt thou bring up, after the birth. as Gen 50:23 Children are certain cares, but uncertain comforts. c Eve had a great catch of it, when she had got a man-child of the Lord, she called him Cain, a possession, as David did Absalom, his father's peace. But
“ Fallitur augurio spes bona saepe suo .”
Excellently St Gregory, Ante partum liberi sunt onerosi, in partu dolorosi, post partum laboriosi .
And he shall rule over thee בפדך .] Yet not with rigour. She must, though to her grief and regret, be subject to all her husband's lawful commands and restraints. But he must carry himself as a man of knowledge towards her, and make her yoke as easy as may be. It is remarkable that when the apostle had bid "wives, submit to your own husbands," &c.; Col 3:19 he doth not say, Husbands, rule over your wives, for that they will do fast enough without bidding; but, "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter unto them."
a Decies in bello mort mallem quam parere vel semel adhue. - Euripid .
b Job. Manlii, loc. com ., p. 124.
c Liberi sunt dulcis acerbitas, seu - ut Tertul. loquitur - amarissima voluptas