Priscilla Papers | Academic Journal | Autumn 2025
An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal exploring Bible interpretation, theology, church history, and other disciplines as they address a biblical view of women’s equality and justice in the home, church, and world.
"Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos more perfectly in the way of the Lord." (Acts 18:26)
Academic JournalsThe opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members.
Autumn 2025
Volume: 39 | Number: 4
Genesis 3:16
Genesis 3:16 is the main theme of this issue of Priscilla Papers. Five authors lend their expertise to understanding this verse of Scripture and its ramifications.
Contents
Genesis 3:16 is the main theme of this issue of Priscilla Papers. Five authors lend their expertise to understanding this verse of Scripture and its ramifications.
This article presents Katharine Bushnell’s argument that Genesis 3:16 has been misinterpreted to justify women’s subordination and suffering, contending instead that the passage warns Eve of Satan’s deception rather than declaring a divine curse. These lessons were later gathered and published as God’s Word to Women in 1921, a work reprinted by CBE [...]
Crane explains that Genesis 3:16 has often been mistranslated, causing misunderstandings about women and God’s character. Using early Hebrew sources and the research of Katharine Bushnell and Walter Kaiser, Crane shows that the verse describes the woman turning toward the man and the serpent’s deception rather than God punishing or subordinating women, revealing a [...]
Fleming compares two major translations of Genesis 3:16 and argues that the King James Version more accurately reflects the Hebrew text than later versions like the RSV, which wrongly portray the verse as a curse of pain in childbirth. She concludes that the passage reveals both sorrow and blessing, showing God’s recognition of human struggle [...]
Willett argues that Genesis 3:16 has long been mistranslated and misunderstood, suggesting it refers to increased work and pregnancies rather than pain in childbirth, and to mutual desire between man and woman rather than domination. She explains that the Hebrew word mashal means “to be like” instead of “to rule,” portraying the verse as a reflection [...]
Karen Strand Winslow interprets Genesis 3:16 as describing the ongoing toil, emotional suffering, and struggle for harmony that result from human disobedience, rather than a divine curse of childbirth pain or female subordination. She argues that the verse portrays the enduring “pain-love” of parenting and the human tension between love and control within relationships.
Janet Galante’s sermon draws on Proverbs to show that God’s wisdom for marriage involves cultivating love, faithfulness, and mutual delight while resisting the distractions and “upgrade culture” that pull couples apart. She emphasizes that healthy, enduring marriages grow through intentional care, intimacy, and equality grounded in God’s design.