Recently R. David Freedman has pointed out that the Hebrew word ezer is a combination of two roots: `-z-r, meaning "to rescue, to save," and g-z-r, meaning "to be strong." So woman was an EZER – a power, strength, help for the man. In his book Man and Woman: One in Christ, Philip Payne puts it this way: "The noun used here [ezer] throughout the Old Testament does not suggest 'helper' as in 'servant,' but help, savior, rescuer, protector as in 'God is our help.' All rights reserved. The Greek translation ofezer in the … The Hebrew lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the "Theological Word Book of the Old Testament." In the Old Testament, God uses the word ezer when he creates the first woman. Think of one thing or area in which you have held yourself back -believing that you shouldn’t or couldn’t do it because you are a woman. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org. This is incorrect. The difference between the two is the first letter in Hebrew. The Ezer is a warrior. This word therefore merits some greater attention. Two Hebrew terms in this verse provide important information to better understand the creation of Eve as the first woman. It is a word used 21 times collectively in scripture. You are a strong warrior, complementary to man. While many devout Christians see a woman's function as a subordinate to a man, the word ezer in the original Hebrew overturns that idea. There is no indication of inferiority or of a secondary position in an hierarchical separation of the male and female "spheres" of responsibility, authority, or social position. ... Strong's Number H5828 matches the Hebrew עֵזֶר (`ezer), ... Women's Resources. There are two completely different names in the Bible that both transliterate into English as Ezer. The Daily Memo | January 14, 2021 | Fly the Kite, The Daily Memo | January 13, 2021 | Fallen Kings & Fallen Kingdoms, The Daily Memo | January 12, 2021 | Eat The Frog. The Hebrew expression ezer kenegdo appears, meaning "one who is the same as the other and who surrounds, protects, aids, helps, supports." God actually calls woman “EZER” “a HELP” the very same word that has been used to describe Himself. It is important that we understand it correctly and live up to our full potential. These files are considered public domain. The way I see it is that man and woman are like two hands. One is the quite common name עזר (Ezer) and the other one is אצר, which is usually transliterated as Ezer and sometimes as Ezar in English Bibles. Complementary is not what you become, you were born complementary to man. Ezer has two meanings in Hebrew, depending on the pronunciation: to rescue/to save and to be strong. The woman was to be a help to the man: (1) as a spiritual partner to assist the man in obeying the word of God and being active in spiritual ministry; (2) as man's partner in the divinely assigned process of procreation, in order to assure the continuation of the race (Ge 1:28); (3) as man's friend to offer comfort and fellowship (Ge 2:23, 24); and (4) as man's encouragement and inspiration. 18:4), Moses named one of his sons Eliezer, which in Hebrew means “My God is my help.” Ezer is the word the Holy Spirit had Moses use to describe the woman when God created her. This my dear sisters is a lie. ‘Ezer is a sign of strength and power. In the fourth century A.D., the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, and Persia were peopled by a ... Sign Up for our blog and periodic ministry updates. In the sixteen remaining cases the word refers to God as our help. Go back to that moment and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you can do to strengthen yourself in situations like that. And so God created woman to be an ezer to man. Eve was the solution to Adam’s deficiency. The second word, כנגדו (kenegedo) is a little more complex. The Daily Memo | September 30, 2020 | I Call Her Sparkles, The Daily Memo | September 16, 2020 | Denying Ourselves, The Daily Memo | January 18, 2021 | Setting Goals. It’s a difficult word to translate into English or any other language. “Ezer” (pronounced “eh-zer”) is a Hebrew word that means “help!” It is used 21 times in the Hebrew scriptures (the Christian Old Testament). I will make a helper ezer suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18, 21) I know we’ve always thought the ezer was the “helpmeet” — wife and mother — which leaves a lot of women permanently out of this discussion. And if married, this ezer is in a unique position to meet her husband’s insufficiencies with her own strengths. The word “help” in this scripture is “EZER” a Hebrew word meaning “help”. Produced by TOW Project, Theology of Work Project Online Materials, 10 Key Points About Work in the Bible That Every Christian Should Know, Beyond Rank and Power: What Philemon Tells Us About Leadership, God Created Woman as an Ezer Kind of Helper (Genesis 2:18), Shiphrah and Puah: Two Ezer Midwives Defy the King (Exodus 1:8-22), Rahab: Diverse Situations Require Ezer Work (Joshua 2), Deborah: An Ezer Woman Equipped to Lead (Judges 4-5), Abigail: An Ezer Ranch Wife Saves Her Household From Disaster (1 Samuel 25), Huldah: A Prophet and Teacher (2 Kings 22), Esther: A Harem Girl Grows Into a Powerful Queen (Esther 4), Lady Wisdom and the "Beginning of Wisdom" (Proverbs 1:20-32; 9:10), Lady Wisdom in Street Clothes (Proverbs 31), Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. In fact, the word is used in reference to God as our helper (Psalm 10:14; 30:10; 54:4; 70:5; 72:12; 121:2). A woman is no better or less than the man. Today I'm sharing an encouraging story sent to me by a long-time friend who's part of the ministry ... “Does anybody know what we are living for?” asked Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the rock ... You know that nickname you have for your spouse? How to say Ezer in English? Clearly God is not our subordinate. To this place in my life where things just don’t add up? We discovered that these words spoken by God about the creation of the woman are filled with royal language, … The first occurrence of the Hebrew word neqebah, the general word for female, is found in Genesis 1:27. Many opinions of working women have been shaped by the word in Genesis 2:18, "helper." “It is not good for the man to be alone. What these Bible verses have in common is that Ezer is used consistently in a military context. Now every daughter of Eve wants to "control her surroundings, her relationships, her … Both Ruth and the Proverbs 31 woman are called women of valor (hayil). Man and woman are equally and uniquely created, a perfect fit. Three times it refers to powerful nations Israel called on for help when besieged. No, I don’t think so. I believe this Scripture is misinterpreted by a lot of people, especially women. Understanding the ezer-kenegdo. But what does ezer mean and how was this word used elsewhere in the Old Testament? Does this mean you can only be whole with a man? God created the woman as an ezer. Women throughout Israel's history show what it really means to be an ezer knegdo, a helper equal to a man. But to understand woman we must understand help. But this word, translated as helper, is not about making brunch and darning a man’s socks. Modern day Ezer Kenegdo. The Ezer is a warrior. Because God is not subordinate to his creatures, any idea that an ezer-helper is inferior is untenable. You have bones, muscles, veins, skin, nails. We can roughly divide the different Scriptures in three ways the word “Ezer” is used: Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33:7; Deuteronomy 33:26; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 20:2; Psalm 33:20; Psalm 70:5; Psalm 89:19; Psalm 115:9; Psalm 115:10; Psalm 115:11; Psalm 121:1; Psalm 121:2; Psalm 124:8; Psalm 146:5; Hosea 13:9. But, YHVH's chosen word for "woman" in the garden is found in Genesis 2:18 ("I will make him a help-mate" - an 'ezer). With your gift of any size, you’ll enable us to continue equipping Christians with high-quality biblically-based content. Embracing Brokenness Ministries, the Hebrew word Kenegdo means opposite as to him is only to! Meaning “ help ” in this verse provide important information to better the! To powerful nations Israel called on for help when besieged 'eben-ezer, of. A hurting world, we covet your prayers a male deacon translate into English as ezer ''...,... women 's Resources ezer Kenegdo might be a helper equal to a man God and... 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