Did you know that much of what Christians have been taught about male authority and female subordination comes not from Scripture itself, but from gender-biased interpretation, translation, commentary, lexicons, and theological tradition.
For example, even if it were correctly translated in our Bibles, which it isn’t, “helpmeet” theology does not establish female subordination.
If the Hebrew word, ezer— the word “helper” is translated from in Genesis chapter 2—inherently means subordinate assistant, then Scripture would have to portray God as David’s subordinate assistant.
It obviously does not.
The Hebrew word ezer describes powerful aid, including God’s aid, rather than a subordinate assistant. The word “helper” does not inherently encode hierarchy.
Genesis chapter one gives both the man and the woman dominion over the earth. And we see in Genesis chapter two, the Hebrew word ezer applied to the creation of the woman. Ezer means powerful aid.
We also see in Genesis chapter two, the Hebrew word kenegdo applied to the creation of woman. kenegdo means corresponding counterpart—an equal and opposite counterpart.
We see in Genesis chapter one, shared dominion.
There is no creation command giving men authority over women.
Genesis 3:16 describes male domination as a consequence of the Fall, rather than a divine institution.
God explicitly gives humanity dominion over creation. He does not explicitly give men dominion over women
Jocelyn Andersen is an author whose work lives at the intersection of faith, justice, history, and human dignity. She is a bridge builder between worlds. One minute she’s unpacking Daniel’s 70 weeks and Genesis 3:15, and the next she’s crafting a message about domestic violence, equality, challenging institutional failures, or turning a real-life story into something that might make people stop, think, and act.
Jocelyn writes and speaks on a variety of topics including Bible Prophecy, God and Women, and Christian response to domestic violence. Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television.
Links: Amazon Book Page … God and Women Column … Domestic Violence Awareness & Christian Response Column … The Hungry Hearts Bible Commentary … Media