#genderandlanguage

God’s Gender in Contextual Theology: Should We Preserve the Biblical Text in Light of New Age Interpretations?

By Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓

I’m all for women’s rights, and I admit that in heaven there is no gender (Gen. 1:26-27; Mk. 12:25). I also know that many members of the LGBTQ+ community have been **reborn** in God. It’s also true that the masculine form of God is sometimes added to the English Bible translations, as Bruce Metzger argues.

However, from a textual perspective, I disagree with the idea that every name of God in the Bible means God/dess in its original language, as some feminist theologians contend. Although conventional Jewish theology doesn’t ascribe the notion of sex to God, it’s clear that the gender of God in the Tanakh is presented with masculine grammatical forms & imagery. For example, in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is masculine in form. Also, when referring to YHWH, the verb vayomer (“he said”) is definitely masculine; we never find vatomer, the feminine form. In Psalms 89:26, God is explicitly referred to as “Father”:

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.

In Isaiah 63:16, God is directly addressed as “our Father":

Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father; our

Redeemer from everlasting is thy name.

The same holds true in the Greek New Testament. For example, Κύριος (Kyrios) is a Nominative Masculine Singular noun which means “Lord.” Θεὸς (Theos) is a Nominative Masculine Singular noun which means God. In Luke 1:68, the definite article ὁ (ho), which refers to the God of Israel (ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ), is a Nominative Masculine Singular (he). None of these phrases referring to the Lord (ό Κύριος) or to God (ό Θεός) have feminine forms in the original Koine Greek. Even the incarnated God is said to be male (see Rev. 12:5)!

However, many modern Bible translations furnish us with new additions, paraphrases, and grammatical forms that clearly deviate from the Biblical texts. They do not remain faithful to the original biblical languages in preserving their literal meanings. For example, there are numerous modern Bible translations——such as the NLT, the CEV, and the NRSV——which attempt to reword the original texts by adopting gender-neutral language. This is not simply a benign translation philosophy based on a feminist biblical interpretation, but it can also be seen as a tool for political activism in trying to change gender perceptions and alter the Bible’s authorial intent. This is theologically dangerous because when we tamper with the Bible’s grammatical structures we gradually lose the precise words of the revelations as they were given in their original forms. According to Wayne Grudem, the translator’s job is to translate the original language accurately and precisely rather than to offer opinions regarding gender-related questions.

The doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration——the notion that each word was meaningfully chosen by God——supersedes the cultural milieu by virtue of its inspired revelation. Therefore, the language from which the text is operating must be preserved without additions, subtractions, or alterations (cf. Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19). Accordingly, it is incumbent on the Biblical scholars to maintain the integrity of the text.

Gender and Language

1, Who speaks more often?

I evaluated a Spanish 101 class that contained 11 women and 5 men. In comparison, the women spoke more than the men. The women spoke 36 times and the men spoke 7 times.

2. How long do they speak on average?

Male students said an average of 12 words and spoke for about 8 secs. Female students said an average of 20 words and spoke for about 15 secs.

3. What tendencies do you notice in the way women and men present themselves when speaking?

In a language class, it depends a lot on interacting, going back and forth, as well as making mistakes. The women were more likely to raise their hands and volunteer to read or answer questions in Spanish. Although all student are beginners, the women were more comfortable with being wrong which lead to more attempts made. The men were more laid back, quiet, and less participatory. On occasion they would have confident moments. All the students answered with a similar timidness and hesitation, often prefacing their answers with “I don’t know if this is right but...”. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are being taught a subject that is foreign to everyone.

4. What is the instructor’s role in encouraging or discouraging communication, either through words or through body language?

The instructor provides a very energetic environment and encourages all the students to participate. The instructor often uses the volunteer system. After that, he will call on those who make eye contact with him or on students who tend to participate or have participated earlier. On occasion he will try to choose those who have not participated at all.

5. How often does the instructor call on women? Men?

The instructor calls on women more. This is  mostly because, women are the won who voluntarily raise their hands or the ones who try to participate.

6. Does the instructor’s own gender seem to influence the way he or she interacts with members of the class?