Genesis 3:17
“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;”
KJV
Read in Genesis 3Meaning
The man's calling to cultivate the earth continues, but its conditions change. The productive relationship between human labor and the ground is now marked by toil and frustration.
Read carefully
Work was already present before the fall in Genesis 2:15. The curse falls on the ground and changes the experience of labor; the verse does not teach that all work is itself a curse.
Reflection
A good vocation can become difficult in a damaged world without becoming meaningless. The verse explains frustration in labor without erasing the dignity of responsible work.