Language and Gender in the Bible: The Importance of Accurate Biblical Hermeneutics

1 Corinthians 10:31

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

I recently wrote and presented this paper for a very liberal linguistic philosophy class. In a room filled with raging feminists, a gay student, and others that support the gender neutral Bible, I truly felt as a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves. I was reminded that God is infinitely faithful to sustain those that are His (Psalm 55:22, 1 Corinthians 1:5-9).

When looking at languages, the impossibility of removing gender is similar to that of trying to remove the fact that there are two distinct sexes in the human race. Biologically, one can see the distinctions between men and women. Thus, distinct roles, such as carrying a child within a womb or fathering a child with sperm are limited to sex. Why not then, should there be a modality in which to communicate the created distinctions between the sexes? The answer remains for some that gender distinctions allow for sexism.[1] The viewpoint of seeing language distinction as sexist and domineering has manifested itself most clearly and erroneously through the attempts of postmodern scholars to make a neutral gender Bible. To the ancient Hebrew and Greek mind, this attempt would be unthinkable.[2] When looking at the gender distinctions voiced through Scripture, one must take into consideration the Biblical mandate of manhood and womanhood, the contexts of the verses in relation to other verses, the Hebrew and Greek mind, and how changing the gender to neutral ultimately perverts and distorts the theology behind the original meaning.

In today's postmodern feminist society, many feel constrained and discriminated against when gender distinctions are made through language, but these distinctions in nouns and adjectives appear to be inevitable across the board. European, Latin, German, Greek, Slavic, Japanese, and Semitic languages thoroughly exhibit gender distinctions.[3] The problem, as opposed to what Shan Wareing says in Language, Society and Power, is viewing such distinctions as negative and “sexist.”[4] The Biblical mandate of manhood and womanhood as created by God in Genesis 1:27 points the reader to what it means to be a man or woman.[5] Because both men and women are equally created in the image of God, they share equal importance and value to Him.[6] Any trace of oppressive superiority from either sex is a result of sin. Thus, there are ways that language can demean a man or woman, but this behavior is a result of fallen man, and not seen in Scripture or condoned by God, who Himself, created both male and female equally in His image and possible recipients of salvation (Gen. 1:27., Galatians 3:28).[7] The next aspect of this mandate rests in the divine creation and order of God given roles between sexes. Though both men and women share equal importance in the eyes of God, they were created distinctly different from one another. These distinctions exemplify a God ordained headship of man over woman in a good, God glorifying manner, pre-Genesis 3:16 (which explains the headship distortion after the Fall).[8] Scripture says in Gen 2:7 and 2:18-23 that God created Adam first, and then Eve. Paul goes on to comment in 1Timothy 2:12-13 that he does not permit women to teach or hold authority over men because Eve was created after Adam.[9] Biblical distinctions between men and women are also seen in Adam’s unique representation of the human race. Though Eve ate of the fruit first, the New Testament does not explain humanity’s sin nature as a result of her actions, but Adam’s. 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” God gave Adam a special role as leader in representing humanity, which Eve was not given.[10] Another distinction is the authority that Adam was given by God to name the woman God presented him with (Genesis 3:23).[11] This essential naming feature is also presented when God names the human race “Man,” which in Hebrew is 'adam.' In Genesis 5:1-2 it says, “When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.” Thus, the divine order in creation and naming bestows leadership and headship on the man with this non-neutral term “adam” representing both the man and the woman. This distinction is clear in Genesis 5:1-2, because other verses (Genesis 2:25, Genesis 3:9, Genesis 3:12, Genesis 3:20), use the word “adam” not in reference to the woman, but distinctly in reference to the man. Another distinction between Biblical manhood and womanhood is the chief accountability God placed on Adam after the Fall. In Genesis 3:9, it says, “But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ Picture it like this. Your kids, who are ages 8, 6, 4, and 2 are playing in the living room and end up destroying it. As a parent, if you are like most, you will summon the oldest child first to get the reason for all the chaos. Why ask the oldest, when all the children contributed to the damage? It’s a similar idea to the leadership and prime responsibility God placed on Adam.[12] Finally, the Biblical distinctions between manhood and womanhood can be seen in Eve’s role as Adam’s helpmate (Genesis 2:18), the judgments of God over Adam and Eve’s relationship after the Fall (Genesis 3:16), God’s restoration of marriage roles through Christ (Colossians 3:18-19), the mysterious parallel of marriage between man and woman reflecting Christ’s relationship with the Church based on the pre-Fall days (Ephesians 5:31-32, Genesis 2:24), and the similarity between the “equality, differences and unity” within the Trinity and between men and women.


When doing Biblical hermeneutics, consideration of context must be applied to exegete the text accurately. Some erroneously use Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” to condone the gender neutral versions of the Bible. When the verse is viewed within its context, the reader is shown that the overall issue being discussed is that there is no spiritual inequality before God, not that there are no sexual distinctions within God’s creation. When compared with other verses, the message of Galatians 3:28 is made even more explicit. We see the divine order of headship of man over woman in 1 Corinthians 11: 3, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ,” also in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.” At the beginning of chapter 11, Paul is discussing the cultural customs of the church. The men in the Corinthian church began imitating the fourth century Jewish custom of wearing head coverings. Paul goes into such depth about the headship of men over women, because within the Corinthian society, a man’s uncovered head (instead of a covered head) signified his authority over women, and they were conducting themselves in the opposite manner. Without viewing the passage in its historical, cultural and Biblical context, many have mistakenly taken this whole chapter as only being relevant to the early church. On the contrary, the verses concerning the headship of man over woman coincide with the rest of Scripture concerning God’s created order and mandate of manhood and womanhood.[13]


To the Hebrew and Greek mind, a neutered language would be quite a paradoxical idea. The Hebrew language is very much concerned with masculine and feminine connotations within its words, in fact, Hebrew is more gender oriented than even the gender conscious European languages.[14] This high gender distinction would only make sense, given the Biblical mandates established by God concerning manhood and womanhood. In opposition of the Whorfian Hypothesis (or language determinism), linguist Nida comments in regards to Hebrew thought, “It is certainly true that language reflects certain aspects of a social structure…For the most part, language follows society rather than determining it.”[15] For example, the ancient Hebrew mind would have understood that when Adam named the woman, this signified authority. Just as readers understood the authority of God over His creation when he named everything, they understood Adam’s authority over Eve when he named her. The exact Hebrew verb is used for both instances (‘qara’=to call), because both instances signify a divine headship of authority.[16] Another example of the tendencies of the Hebrew and Greek mind to use gender distinctive language is exemplified in traditional wedding vows. In Hebrew, the bride vows to “love, to cherish, to obey her husband.” Greek vows are even more emphatic on the role of the woman, traditionally saying, “This woman will subject herself to this man.”[17] A gender neutral language would not be a Hebrew or Greek friendly translation.


Languages indeed have gender, which in turn helps identify meaning. When gender neutral language is placed over what is in the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, the meaning is ultimately changed. To realize that the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant Word, and originally communicated by God in a specific way to benefit His people and glorify His name, creates a demand for proper translation. Sloppy, careless and biased translations are a form of isigesis, which alters the original intent of the author as inspired by God. Rarely do any two words in Hebrew and Greek translate exactly into English (Hebrew 'adam,' English 'man,' Hebrew meaning in Gen.1-5 is 'human race,' Greek 'anothen,' English 'born again,' Greek meaning in John 3:7 is 'born again from above'). Thus, the intent of proper hermeneutical translations are to find the English words that best match the Hebrew meaning in specific contexts. Regarding gender, when Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek use singular personal pronouns in reference to human beings, the sex and gender line up.[18] The Bible indeed uses gender-based distinctions between men and women, and especially uses the male form to communicate general truths. There is a God-ordained reason for this. Though men and women are equally created in the image of God and share equal dignity in God’s eyes, there are distinct differences in the gifts and roles that God has assigned to both. The neutral translations are fighting against this God-ordained order. For example, in Genesis 1, the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning God in English, is in the masculine, plural form. Though God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, the Godhead has been manifested in Scripture in masculine form, and manifested in the flesh as a man. Image what trying to change this distinction would do to the entire theology of the Bible. An accurate hermeneutical approach to translation is most important to get the intended message behind the original text.


In looking at Biblical manhood and womanhood, verses in contexts to each other, the Hebrew and Greek mind, and how gender neutral translations distort the Bible’s original meaning, we see the importance of proper exegesis and translation. Though the changes may appear to be small, the gender saturated language of the Bible does convey a message that these changes would inhibit. God created a divine order between men and women of authority and headship, not of oppression or superiority, which came after the fall. Thus, changing the gender to neutral ultimately perverts and distorts the theology behind the Bible’s original meaning.[19]




[1] Wareing, Shan. Language, Society and Power: Language and Gender. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. (pgs. 76-77)
[2] Berlitz, Charles. Native Tongue. Edison, NJ: Castle Books, 1982. (pgs. 33,39)
[3] Berlitz, Charles., ibid. (pgs. 33,39)
[4] Wareing, Shan., ibid. (pgs. 76-77)
[5] Grudem, Wayne. Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002. (pgs. 19-20)
[6] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 21)
[7] Grudem, Wayne., ibid (pg. 21-22)
[8] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 35)
[9] Grudem, Wayne., ibid (pg. 25)
[10] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 26)
[11] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 26)
[12] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 31)
[13] Berlitz, Charles., ibid. (pg. 39)
[14] MacArthur, John, Dr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible Updated Edition. La Habra, CA: Thomas Nelson, 2006.
[15] Finley, Thomas J. and Peter J. Silzer. How Biblical Languages Work: A Student’s Guide to Learning Hebrew and Greek. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2004. (pg. 35)
[16] Grudem, Wayne., ibid. (pg. 27-28)
[17] Berlitz, Charles., ibid. (pg. 38)
[18]Poythress, Vern S. and Wayne Grudem. The Gender Neutral Bible Controversy: Muting the Masculinity of God’s Words. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2000. (pg. 143)
[19] Poythress, Vern S. and Wayne Grudem., ibid. (pg. 52, 58, 67)