Valiant or Virtuous? by Suzanne McCarthy

When she was alive, I frequently visited Suzanne McCarthy’s website (which is still online). I admired her knowledge of the ancient world and of ancient Greek. I learned a lot from her.

Suzanne died in 2015 from breast cancer, but not before almost completing her book Valiant or Virtuous?: Gender Bias in Bible Translation. Her book was then edited by her husband who also provides a beautiful introduction. And it was published recently (in July 2019) by Wipf and Stock.

I was honoured to write a recommendation for the book. In fact, I wrote two. The short one is included in the flyer below. Here is the longer one.

Suzanne McCarthy believed that “Women need to see themselves represented fairly in scripture.” To this end, she has used her expertise as a linguist to discover what the original authors of the Bible say about women. Suzanne is faithful to the Hebrew and Greek texts while highlighting shortcomings in translations and interpretations. Valiant or Virtuous? is like no other book I have read and I am happy to recommend it.

Suzanne’s book is on a topic close to my heart. Like her, I am dismayed by some Bible translations and interpretations that discriminate against women—by minimising their actions and attributes, or by obscuring their presence—when the original authors did not.

One way this happens is by translating the same Hebrew or Greek word differently depending on whether the subject is male or female. Suzanne discusses that the Hebrew words that mean “beautiful” and “valour,” as just two examples, are translated differently in most English Bibles depending on whether these words are describing a man or a woman. This difference in translation perpetuates cultural stereotypes and creates a gender bias, rather than accurately conveying what the biblical authors wrote.

The title “Valiant or Virtuous?” comes from the idea that the Hebrew word chayil, which can describe someone who is courageous, strong, capable, and/ or wealthy, is often translated as “valour” when referring to a man but “virtuous” (or “excellent”) when referring to a woman (Ruth 3:11; Prov. 31:10). (I have more on this in my article Revisiting Eshet Chayil: Woman of Valour .)

Even though Suzanne refers to Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Bible, Valiant or Virtuous? is not a technical or academic book, and most readers will readily be able to understand the arguments. And there are personal anecdotes that, overall, give the book a warm, friendly and homey tone.

At times, however, Suzanne is relentless in her critique of interpretations given by certain ministers, especially some prominent Southern Baptist pastors and professors. For example, she shows convincingly that a common interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:8—that men need to be the providers for their families—has no basis in the Greek grammar of this verse; this verse has no masculine markers whatsoever. Yet she is always respectful.

Because Suzanne refers to several North American ministers, this book is especially relevant to North American readers. But as an Australian, I enjoyed Valiant or Virtuous. It is a unique book and I learned still more from its author.

Suzanne’s book is available at Book Depository, on the Wipf and Stock website, on Amazon, and elsewhere.

Here is the flyer provided by Wipf and Stock.

Explore more

Manhood and Masculinity in the ESV
Gender Bias in the New Living Translation (NLT)
Which Bible Translation is Best?
A List of the Beautiful People in the Hebrew Bible
Revisiting Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valour)
King Lemuel’s Mother: The Other Proverbs 31 Woman

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