Bible scholars' mis-define words that give women authority
Matthew 23:16
16: Woe unto you blind guides which say Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple [invisible women in most Bibles] is a debtor
Comments: Matthew 23:16 How does a Greek word descended from a feminine noun and a neutral verb magically transform into a masculine noun? Because that is what scholars would have us believe happened to the word hodēgos (Strong’s G3595) translated as guide or leader in Matthew 23:16 (see root word etymology).
Hodēgos comes from two words: the word hodos (G3598), which is a primary root word and a feminine noun, meaning way, route, etc., and hēgeomai (G2233), which is a non-gendered verb meaning to esteem, to have rule over, to govern.
Ah, there’s the rub. The word literally translates as “esteemed” guide or leader, and most scholars simply cannot countenance a non-gendered verb that carries a meaning of high esteem and authority being married to a feminine noun—which logically produces another feminine noun—so they created out of whole cloth, their own linguistic mis-definition.
It doesn’t matter if the ancient Greeks [who held women in the lowest esteem] did it or if English scholars who shared the sentiment mis-categorized the word later, the etymology is clear—and James Strong should have caught it—that the word hodēgos is not a masculine noun. It is a feminine noun.
How is it that theologians, historically and up to the present time, tacitly agree together and show uncommon solidarity when it comes to God and women, by remaining silent when egregious mis-definitions such as this are published? How is it that no one speaks out against deliberately mis-defining certain biblical words as masculine when they are obviously feminine just because it would blow the doctrine of male governance to smithereens?
Jocelyn Andersen is author of, Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
For those who take the pursuit of truth seriously: This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener. When one is changed by the spirit of God and comes into right relationship with Him, through Jesus, then the words of the Bible come alive, and He is revealed on every page. The honest student of scripture will look into the Greek and Hebrew texts, to know what is said to understand "apparent" contradictions. The scripture was not written in English.... ~~ Elise (5-stars)