After God deals with the Serpent, Satan, he turns his attention to the woman. Genesis 3:16 begins, “To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.’” Some translations say “greatly multiply your pain.” I’ve heard it said that there is nothing as painful as delivering a baby not to mention the discomfort that comes along the way during the gestation period. Here is the testimony of a couple of women I found on a web blog about it: “I was told it would feel like very bad menstrual cramps, but that’s not what it felt like to me. It was much more intense, and it was almost all in my lower back. Every time a contraction would come, my lower back would slowly begin to seize up. It was kind of like the muscles inside were slowly twisting harder and harder until it became almost unbearable, and then it would slowly subside. This is what back labor felt like for me, and it was still much more painful than I had imagined it would be.” – Angelina, Ellicott City, MD. “To me, labor felt like the worst menstrual cramp or gas pain that you’ve ever had, combined with someone stabbing you in the stomach! It would subside and come back until the beautiful epidural lady came to save me.” – Rebecca, Indianapolis, IN
There are numerous discussions about the possibility of pain before the fall. Many argue that since the text says “multiply” your pain, it must be referring to some pain that existed because there must be some pain in order for it to be “multiplied.” Anything times 0 is always zero. Yet that Hebrew word doesn’t mean a mathematical multiplication, it is best to understand it as “increase” of pain. In that case any pain at all is more than no pain. But if you consider that there, be both an increase in the physical pain involved of course but it also added another element related to childbirth and child bearing. One blogger said, “But really there is a two-fold aspect to this pain. There is physical pain in the actual birthing process (most mothers can attest to this) and mental anguish (e.g., sorrows) associated with having children in a sin-cursed world. Consider that Eve not only went through the pain of childbearing during delivery, but she also had to endure the loss of Abel, her own son, slain by his own brother. Consider also Mary, who saw her son Jesus die on the cross.”[1] This is not to mention all the emotional and mental suffering mothers have endured when their children suffer in numerous ways.
But the curse on the woman that involves the pain associated with childbearing is reversed in the victory won on behalf of all mankind on the cross of Calvary. It will all be gone. Revelation 21:4 tell us that in the Kingdom of God, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
[1] https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/was-there-pain-before-the-fall/