Concerning the sin in the Garden of Eden, we learn more detail in 1 Timothy 2.
Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor (1 Timothy 2:14 cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3).
Eve is fooled by the snake’s lie. But Adam is “not deceived.” He knows the truth and recognizes the lie for what it is. If he knows better, why does he disobey God? Because he makes a conscious choice to follow his wife’s lead instead of God’s lead. His rebellion is deliberate and he bears the primary responsibility for bringing death into the world.
Despite Adam’s rebellion, God states the male’s role in the family in this way: “your husband… shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). The Hebrew term for “rule” here is mashal. This word is first used earlier in the creation.
God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule [mashal] the day and the lesser light to rule [mashal] the night—and the stars (Genesis 1:16).
We also see a similar concept—using another Hebrew word radah—in the goodness of the original creation of humanity.
Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion [radah] over [all creatures on earth]…. God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion [radah] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:26, 28).
Where this version says, “have dominion,” other translations have “rule.” Human rule over earthly creatures is part of God’s original plan. Whether mashal or radah, these first mentions of ruling are part of God’s good order. They are part of His blessing, leading to His approval: “God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).