Common misinterpretations include scapegoating Eve or women as the primary cause of the curse, which undermines Adam's direct responsibility for his choice and the command given to him alone; others erroneously see it as divine cruelty without redemptive purpose, ignoring the 'for thy sake' phrase suggesting discipline toward restoration, or reduce it to mere farming hardship, missing its profound symbolism for the universal futility and frustration sin brings to all human efforts as echoed in the New Testament.
Genesis 3:17
King James Version (1769)
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
This passage articulates God's judgment on Adam for hearkening to Eve and disobeying the command not to eat from the forbidden tree, resulting in a curse on the ground that brings toil, sorrow, and thorns into his lifelong labor for sustenance, illustrating how sin disrupts humanity's harmonious relationship with creation and introduces persistent struggle as a consequence of rebellion against God's authority.