All Women are not Wives
Gender-Biased-Translation Theology in Zechariah
All the women in the passage below are called wives in most Bible translations. Check yours, and you’ll find this is likely the case in the Bible you read.
“And the land shall mourn every family apart The family of the house of David alone and the women of them [all women are not wives] alone the family of the house of Nathan alone and the women of them alone The family of the house of Levi alone and the women of them alone the family of Shimei alone and the women of them alone All the families that remain every family alone and the women of them alone” —Zechariah 12:12-14 HHBC
Comments: Call for the mourning women…. In his day, the prophet Jeremiah called for the mourning women to take up a wailing of intercession and repentance over God’s people. Later, in His Word to Zechariah, the Lord God describes the same thing happening on the Day Christ Returns, only this time, it is a mourning of repentance and intercession by all the people, both men and women.
Most Bible translators misclassify all the women in Zechariah 12:12-14 as wives. This is Gender-Biased-Translation-Theology, a holdover from the not-so-distant days when women were legally required to be identified by their marital status or lack thereof (Miss or Mrs.). This was never the case for men, who have only ever had one identifier—Mr.
In Hebrew, the word for women and wives is the same (as with men and husbands), so context must always decide which word is to be used in translation. If all the women in this passage are wives, then, all things being equal, all the men must also be husbands, but we know this is not the case. Bible translators know this is not the case either but persist in their practice of misleading gender-biased translation.
In Zechariah 12:12-14, the people in these verses are simply women and men of the tribes mentioned. Not all the women are married and should not be incorrectly identified as “wives.”
Jocelyn Andersen writes and speaks about a variety of topics with an emphasis on the subjects of domestic violence awareness and God and Women. She is working on her first novel and is the author of several non-fiction books including, "Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence" and "Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System." Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. She is open to requests for writing assignments, anthology contributions, and conference speaker.
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