מראה־מקום אויף קהלת 7:26

The reason for his return to Babylonia, it seems, was his desire to be married. Although it is not expressly stated, one can infer it from his leave-taking from R. Chiya. R. Chiya said to him in farewell, when he left his uncle to return to Babylonia, “May the Almighty protect you from a fate worse than death!” Later Rav wondered what could be worse than death, until he remembered the verse in Ecclesiastes (VII, 26) which states that “Woman is more bitter than death.” One may infer therefore that his uncle wished to warn him to be very careful in picking his wife.⁴³⁾יבמות ס״ג א׳.