Verses 16–19
The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments
of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride.
Sin brought sorrow into the world; that made the world a vale of tears. No wonder our sorrows are
multiplied, when our sins are so. He shall rule over thee, is but God's command, Wives, be subject
to your own husbands. If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love;
if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. Adam
laid the blame on his wife; but though it was her fault to persuade him to eat the forbidden fruit, it
was his fault to hearken to her. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, be
turned against them. God put marks of displeasure on Adam. 1. His habitation is cursed. God gave
the earth to the children of men, to be a comfortable dwelling; but it is now cursed for man's sin.
Yet Adam is not himself cursed, as the serpent was, but only the ground for his sake. 2. His
employments and enjoyments are imbittered to him. Labour is our duty, which we must faithfully
perform; it is part of man's sentence, which idleness daringly defies. Uneasiness and weariness
with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than
our iniquity deserves. Man's food shall become unpleasant to him. Yet man is not sentenced to eat
dust as the serpent, only to eat the herb of the field. 3. His life also is but short; considering how
full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they are few. Yet death being dreadful to
nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. Sin brought death into the
world: if Adam had not sinned, he had not died. He gave way to temptation, but the Saviour
withstood it. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings,
answered the sentence passed on our first parents! Did travailing pains come with sin? We read of
the travail of Christ's soul, Isa 53:11; and the pains of death he was held by, are so called, Ac 2:24.
Did subjection came in with sin? Christ was made under the law, Ga 4:4. Did the curse come in
with sin? Christ was made a curse for us, he died a cursed death, Ga 3:13. Did thorns come in with
sin? He was crowned with thorns for us. Did sweat come in with sin? He sweat for us, as it had
been great drops of blood. Did sorrow come in with sin? He was a man of sorrows; his soul was,
in his agony, exceeding sorrowful. Did death come in with sin? He became obedient unto death.
Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Blessed be God for his Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses 20 , 21
God named the man, and called him Adam, which signifies red earth; Adam named the woman,
and called her Eve, that is, life. Adam bears the name of the dying body, Eve of the living soul.
Adam probably had regard to the blessing of a Redeemer, the promised Seed, in calling his wife
Eve, or life; for He should be the life of all believers, and in Him all the families of the earth should
be blessed. See also God's care for our first parents, notwithstanding their sin. Clothes came in with
sin. Little reason have we to be proud of our clothes, which are but the badges of our shame. When
God made clothes for our first parents, he made them warm and strong, but coarse and very plain;
not robes of scarlet, but coats of skin. Let those that are meanly clad, learn from hence not to
complain. Having food and a covering, let them be content; they are as well off as Adam and Eve.
And let those that are finely clad, learn not to make the putting on of apparel their adorning. The