their allegiance to their Creator. And that is very much the light in which serpent-worship must have appeared to a believer in the holy and righteous God of the OT.—The conjecture of Gu., that originally the 'seed of the woman' and the 'seed of the serpent' may have been mythological personages (cf. ATLO2, 217 f.), even if confirmed by Assyriology, would have little bearing on the thought of the biblical narrator.
16. The doom of the woman: consisting in the hardships incident to her sex, and social position in the East. The pains of childbirth, and the desire which makes her the willing slave of the man, impressed the ancient mind as at once mysterious and unnatural; therefore to be accounted for by a curse imposed on woman from the beginning.—I will multiply, etc.] More strictly, 'I will cause thee to have much suffering and pregnancy' (see Dav. § 3, R. (2)). It is, of course, not an intensification of pain to which she is already subject that is meant.—For (
Hebrew characters), G read some word meaning 'groaning' (v.i.); but to prefer this reading on the ground that Hebrew women esteemed frequent pregnancy a blessing (Gu.) makes a too general statement. It is better (with Ho.) to assume a hendiadys: 'the pain of thy conception' (as in the explanatory clause which follows).—in pain . . . children] The pangs of childbirth are proverbial in OT for the extremity of human anguish (Is. 213 138, Mic. 49, Ps. 486, and oft.: Ex. 119 cannot be cited to the contrary).—to thy
16. (Hebrew characters)] Read (Hebrew characters), with [E]GS.—(Hebrew characters)] So 1610 2217. On the
irreg. form of inf. abs., see G-K. § 75 ff.—(Hebrew characters)] (317) 529† [J]). G (Greek characters)
(= (Hebrew characters) ?).—(Hebrew characters)] ([root] (Hebrew characters)): [E] (Hebrew characters) (Ru. 413, Ho. 911). Ols. (MBA,
1870, 380) conj. (Hebrew characters), to avoid the harsh use of (Hebrew characters). G (Greek characters)
probably = (Hebrew characters); (Hebrew characters) ('sorrow') has also been suggested (Gu.);
and (Hebrew characters) (Di. Ho. al.). The other Vns. follow MT.—(Hebrew characters)] [E] (Hebrew characters);
G likewise repeats (Greek characters).—(Hebrew characters)] Probably connected with Ar.
šauḳ, 'ardent desire' (Rahlfs "(Hebrew characters) und (Hebrew characters)," p. 71); cf. (Hebrew characters), Is. 298,
Ps. 1079. Aq. (Greek characters), Σ. (Greek characters). Although it recurs only 47 and Ca. 711,
it is found in NH and should not be suspected. G (Greek characters)
and S (Syriac characters) point to the reading (Hebrew characters), preferred by many, and
defended by Nestle (MM, 6) as a technical expression for the relation
here indicated, on the basis of G's text of 2 Sa. 173. His parallel between
the return of the woman to her source (the man) and the return of the
man to his source (the ground, v.19) is perhaps fanciful.
