I look at how the word ezer is used in the Hebrew Bible, including how it is used in people’s names in the Bible. And I show that being an ezer is not an especially feminine role or obligation.
Here’s a 500-word biblical defence for Christian egalitarianism/ mutualism. Plus a link to a podcast I did with James Pruch on “Mutuality in the Garden.”
Gen 3:16, about Eve, and Gen 4:7, about Cain, both contain the Hebrew words teshuqah (“desire”) and mashal (“rule”). Does 4:7 help us to understand 3:16?
In this article, I briefly explain what I think it means to be made in the image of God and why it doesn’t have much to do with either God’s gender or ours.
Eve’s reason for eating the forbidden fruit was that she was deceived. What was Adam’s excuse? Suzanne McCarthy suggests Adam gives a reason in Genesis 3.
The role of the Holy Spirit as helper (given in John’s Gospel) does not inform our understanding of Eve as helper/ ezer (in Genesis 2), and vice versa. Here’s why.
The creation order given in Genesis 2 is often brought up in discussions about ministry and marriage. What significance did Paul place on man being created first?
Does the Old Testament teach that husbands are to be the leaders of their wives, or that men have authority over women? Are some roles forbidden to women? This is part 1 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
The stance of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to mutual submission in marriage is much more egalitarian than the stance of many evangelicals.
Does helping someone require that you subordinate yourself to that person? Three men whose essays I’ve read recently answer this question with “yes”.
What did Eve do to help Adam? Here are two very different views from three top scholars about Eve’s role as helper in Genesis 2.
Here’s a paper I presented back in 2015 and which is included in the book “The Gender Conversation.”
Does the Genesis story that Adam was created first mean that men have greater authority than women? Does primogeniture have a place in Christian relationships?
Complementarians believe that men have authority over women and that this principle is rooted in creation and therefore timeless in application. Cynthia Westfall exposes the faults in this thinking.
Who will strike the serpent’s head? Some translations of Genesis 3:15 have “he,” “she,” “it,” or “they.” Is it us?
Is the Hebrew word teshuqah, traditionally translated as “desire” in Genesis 3:16, better translated as “single-minded concentration” or “devotion”?
Does “a suitable helper for him” (ezer kenegdo) in Genesis 2:18-20 speak about a defining gender role for women? Are all women “helpers” of men?
The Hebrew word teshuqah is usually translated as “desire” in Gen. 3:16: “your desire will be for your husband.” What does this mean?
This brief post looks at the telling way the Hebrew word kenegdo—used in the context of the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:18 & 20—is translated in a respected Afrikaans version of the Bible.
Are men accountable for their wives’ actions? This article looks at the accountability of Adam and Eve (pre-patriarchy) and of Ananias and Sapphira (post-Pentecost)
Is the concept of “male headship” present in Genesis chapters 1-3 as some complementarians argue? How is the Hebrew word for “head” (rosh) used in these three chapters?
Does Romans 5:12-21 teach that God holds only Adam, and not Eve, ultimately responsible for the first sin? How does Paul use the example of Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15?
Did God give Adam the responsibility of telling Eve about the forbidden fruit? And what if Eve didn’t misquote God?
Andrew Perriman critiques the complementarian notion that Adam naming Eve displays man’s authority, or male headship, over woman.
How are we to understand “man was not created for woman, but woman for man”? Does 1 Corinthians 11:9 indicate that service or submission is the role of women and not men?
I love this powerful image of Mary consoling Eve. Just look at their feet!
Was the first man authorised by God to relay the command about the forbidden fruit to the first woman? What does the Bible say about Adam’s responsibility and authority?
This article addresses 5 questions about Adam’s role and prominence in Genesis chapters 2 and 3. For example, did God only call Adam in Genesis 3:9?
What does the Hebrew word “kenegdo” mean in Gen. 2:18 & 20? Was the woman made to be subordinate, suitable, or similar to the man?
Was Eve alone when the snake spoke to her? Here is a summary of Julie Parker’s essay, “Blaming Eve Alone: Translation, Omission, and Implications of עמה in Genesis 3:6b.”
In this post, I’ve highlighted the words for human, man, and woman in the Hebrew text of Genesis 2 to help non-Hebrew readers see that the first human in Eden was not necessarily male.
Genesis 1 tells us about God’s creation of humanity and the equal status and authority of men and women. This message of equality is lost in some interpretations tainted by influences from the ancient Greeks.
Why are Adam and Eve mentioned immediately after Paul’s prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12? What does Paul mean by salvation and childbirth in 1 Timothy 2:15?
Mary Kassian places a great deal of importance on the created order of man first, woman second, given in Genesis 2. Is she correct?
Are women more easily deceived than men? What does the Bible, including 1 Timothy 2:14, say about Eve and women and deception?
How does the Septuagint translate “a helper suitable/ meet for him” in Genesis 2:18 and 20? In particular, what is the Greek word translated as “helper” here?
Many people have had a narrow and lowly view of the meaning of “helper” (ezer) used for Eve in Genesis 2:18 & 20. How is ezer used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible?
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko