I was recently corresponding with an uncle of mine, who is a professor of Biblical languages, in order to consult with his expertise before publishing my previous post citing Matthew 25, and the discussion turned to focusing on my teaching that the image of God is only ever attributed to men in the Bible. The Doctor of Biblical languages admitted that, “there is no specific verse that states that ‘women are made in God’s image’”, yet he tried to sway me back towards that view with a variety of reasonings, most all of which I have already dealt with here at this site. However, he did offer one scripture-based attempt to sway me, which I hadn’t addressed before, which I will also now address here.
He wrote:
‘Adam’ is a collective singular noun. Of the 540 occurrences of the word it is never found in the plural [Lisowsky, Gerhard: Konkordanz zum Hebräischen Alten Testament, 2nd ed. Stuttgart, pp.20-23], though it can be found in parallel with plural words. [I.e. Isaiah 43:4 where the singular ‘adam’ [men] is placed parallel to ‘li’mim’ [peoples]. I would therefore argue that ‘adam’ of Genesis 1:26 is not limited to the male partner only as can be seen by God’s use of the plural ‘let them rule’ but this must include the female half of His creation: [Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Koehler, Ludwig, Baumgartner, Walter, Stamm, Johann, Hartman, Benedikt, Ben-Hayyim, Ze’ev, Kutcher, Eduard, Reymond, Philippe, trans. by Richardson, M.E.J. (E. J. Brill, 2001) pp.14-15].
For your reference:
Genesis 1:26(KJV) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
At first glance that seems like a well backed up assertion, especially as it comes footnoted with some very scholarly sounding footnotes. But upon closer examination you’ll see that his assertion really winds up being very inconclusive at best, and the Hebrew Bible text is more likely speaking of men there and it is clearly speaking of a single male in the very next verse, Genesis 1:27, when the Bible says: God made “the man” (hā·’ā·ḏām) הָֽאָדָם֙ (the definitive article, noun – masculine singular) in His own image, in the image of God created He “him” (’ō·ṯōw;) אֹת֑וֹ (direct object – masculine singular). You can further investigate that at the following link: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1.htm
I responded as follows:
Regarding ( וְיִרְדּוּ֩) ‘let them rule’ in Genesis 1:26 the root word is said to be (third person masculine plural). There are only two personages mentioned in that verse, Elohim and Adam. The phrasing of that particular verse of the creation account also seems as if it reveals a discussion that happened before anyone was created, so to say that “them” “must include the female half of His creation” doesn’t necessarily follow. I think the far more likely implication, based upon God’s use of a masculine plural word and in keeping with Adam’s eventual role as head gardener, and other scripture, is that God intended and foresaw all men as being delegated God’s natural dominion over God’s own earth, and all women were created for men to be their helpers and like the rest of the creatures, which Adam also named, women fall under men’s dominion. The following translators, in the verses below, made that word “rule” refer back to Adam either as an individual or as the father of all men:
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition: And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.
New Life Version: Then God said, “Let Us make man like Us and let him be head over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that moves on the ground.”
Wycliffe Bible: and said, Make we man to our image and likeness, and be he sovereign to the fishes of the sea, and to the volatiles of (the) heaven(s), and to [the] unreasonable beasts of [the] earth, and to each creature, and to each creeping beast/each reptile, which is moved in [the] earth. (and said, Let us make man in our image and likeness, and be he sovereign over the fishes of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the unreasoning beasts of the earth, yea, over each creature, and over each reptile which creepeth on the earth.)
But we really need not speculate as to whom God granted the dominion over all the creatures of the earth to, because the Bible tells us that plainly elsewhere.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
If you check the original Hebrew, at the following link, it is unequivocable that the language there is all singular and speaking about one single man: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/psalms/8.htm
So, the Psalm 8 text shows either that God granted the dominion to Adam alone before God created the woman and gave her to Adam to also be under his dominion, or else, after God created the woman, God still chose to only give the dominion over all the other creatures of the earth solely to Adam. And since the Psalm 8 passage does not show God giving the woman dominion, then the most likely interpretation of Genesis 1:26, which is speaking from before men’s creation looking forward in time, is that the masculine plural “let them rule” (wə·yir·dū) וְיִרְדּוּ֩ is referring to Adam and his sons after him. And Psalm 8 divinely throws in the phrase, “and the son of man” indicating that there are sons issued from that one man, being granted that same favor of God.
So, just as all dominion over creation was first given (singularly) to the first Adam, who fell into sin and under the power of death, through hearkening unto the voice of the woman, so also all dominion over all creation will finally be returned to the Last Adam who overcame sin and death and is a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45) All dominion over all creation will be passed down patriarchally from the father of all mankind to the Son of man.
So, according to proper hermeneutics, if we believe the Old Testament to be the infallible words of our God, who will not contradict Himself, then if we are clearly told that only a singular man, the first, Adam, was granted dominion, and yet earlier in a forward-looking statement God said “let them rule”(masculine plural), then the most reasonable explanation is that God gave dominion over all the earth only to Adam, as the Psalms 8 text explains, and not also to the woman, but that God foresaw that dominion being passed on patriarchally to the sons of mortal men, ultimately getting passed on to Jesus Christ, “the Son of man”, the Last Adam, whose dominion is eternal.
The woman was never intended to rule over the earth but was instead made to be a helper, staying subject to her husband, as the Bible clearly teaches us.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
As for present day dominion, perhaps it is hiding in plain sight. That is, the Dominion voting machines people
I’ve always believed that the move to computerized voting, away from hand marked paper ballots, was unnecessary and was primarily done in order to facilitate election fraud on a grand scale. I always insist on getting a paper ballot and filling it out, so that my vote gets counted, even if they then cancel it out with a fake digital vote.
“The woman was never intended to rule over the earth but was instead made to be a helper, staying subject to her husband, as the Bible clearly teaches us.”
Exactly; and women have resented men and God ever since. But let us not forget; Eve was deceived and Adam waded right into the sin. I would add however: modern day women are, like their grandmother Eve, still more easily deceived. There is nothing new under the sun.
You are falling into the radfem trap now. Male and female were not made to compete or lord it over each other, they were made to be both inferior and superior to each other in different ways with the strengths of one over lapping the weaknesses of the other and vice versa.
That is what Gloria Steinim, Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan planned and it worked and you are just aiding and abetting that end. COOPERATION is the key that God wanted.
To be honest, in battling the radfems one has to see the truth that each has abilities and that we are to cooperate in everything. You are falling into the leftist trap of being divisive.
Consider this. It is the trick the left always does in any way and capacity. The enemy is laughing at you.
Who did Jesus appear to first? Who betrayed Him three times? Who stayed at the cross to the end?
Always Edward
edward kennedy,
From my perspective, it is you who are defending females from being rightly put back in their appropriate place, as described in the Bible, and you who are cooperating with Feminism more than I. The radical Feminists you mentioned, need men to cooperate with their own usurping. The Feminists would have accomplished very little if all men had resisted them and not cooperated with their encroachment on men’s dominion, at every step.
Feminism is militant, and ”COOPERATION is the key” to the Feminists being able to defile men and our society. Remember, man’s first sin was hearkening unto the voice of his woman and cooperating with her command to eat the fruit which God had forbidden. Our whole life is a test, and women are part of that test of our loyalty to God, from the very beginning.
Male superiority is categorical, and men’s dominion is divinely ordained, it is not dependent on individual strengths and weaknesses. Dogs generally have a much stronger sense of smell than people, but that doesn’t mean that they should rule alongside men based upon their superior sense of smell, or that we should consequently defer to their judgement, or that we should try to lighten their load by occasionally sniffing some poop for them.
”Who did Jesus appear to first?”
Most likely some gnat or mosquito saw Jesus first before Mary Magdalene looked up from her crying. And quite likely Jesus stepped on an ant before he had even walked all the way over to Mary. But just because the gnat saw Jesus first, or the ant made first contact, while Mary was told, “Touch me not” by our Lord, does nothing to alter men’s preeminent creation or their God-given dominion. The things you mentioned are just Christo-Feminist talking points, intended to cloud the issue of men’s God-breathed and God-created superiority.
Furthermore I don’t see women as superior to men at anything critical, except for at things that men cannot do, like gestating their own progeny, and breastfeeding them. Some folks might say that most women are better nurturers, but I say that most women are just mentally more relatable to children than men. And having a father present in a child’s life is far more statistically linked to all positive outcomes, than having a mother present is. So, despite all of society’s flattery of women and their skills, an unbiased examination of the evidence shows that fathers usually have far more of a positive impact on children even though fathers generally expend less of their time on child rearing. Obviously, it takes more time and effort to make a positive impact on children when by nature you’re a defiler cursed to chafe against God’s natural order for this world and against men’s divinely granted dominion over it.
If women take offense at the Biblical truth that I boldly teach, it is not because they should, but because they are cursed to desire men’s dominion. But my role is to rule over them well, not to spoil them, like women so often do to children. In fact, my role is to resist women’s usurping ways, continually until they fall in line under God’s holy patriarchy. Telling women who profess godliness to adorn themselves with shamefacedness, and to be subject to their fathers and then their husbands, in everything, is not unloving. That is what our loving God intends for them and what He tells them to do. Under subjection is the state of being that is best for women and the only place where they can find holy contentment.
I’m not at war with women, I’m just providing the society-level patriarchal discipline that was once common, against their rebellion, their arrogant usurping, their foolishness, and their incessant bellyaching against their God-ordained place in life, which bellyaching is both unholy and plants the seeds for further discontentment. You need to nip that sort of stuff in the bud, not humor women who complain. Encourage them to submit themselves to God’s will.
The last I checked the satanic Feminists weren’t thanking me for my cooperation, and that’s how I intend to keep it. My goal is that, to the rebellious, dealing with me should be the image of dealing with God, they kick against the goads until they tire of it and submit themselves to Him. Anything less is falling short of godlike exercise of my God-given dominion.
In the best interests of all concerned, male and female, I once again step forward to defend women as I confess openly in my interactions with several women, one of which has been my best friend for 24 years, that they are God’s last creation and the truth is that He created in an ascending order of importance, the last being woman.
Without meaning to thwart the spirit of this discussion, I do take care to not worship the created instead of the Creator. I must say that there are as many bad women as there are bad men but the REAL ENEMY is not women as a whole but is the mindset imposed by the corrupt CYSTem whose religion is dialectic secular humanism aka political correctness aka leftism aka communism, the devil’s religion. This is true under biDUMB as well as up here under Turdo and his inept ASSministration of inept socialist sops.
The lot of these creepy leftists have a cumulative IQ measurement of minus 4, the appeal of a green snot rocket hanging off a cold brass doorknob, and are identifiably the worst icons of idiocy that God ever strung gut into. These are the enemy and not the totality of womanhood some in error would say.
Take note that we as men are instructed to “love our wives as we love our own bodies.” Note the import of that command. Our job is to protect and defend them and our children. How many men do that either/or both?
I have several in my life who desired me as a friend. I accepted as the interaction with women of quality fulfilled my emotional needs. All of these are better persons than I.
My problem with your take on things is that you quantify ALL women as an enemy. They are not. The women in my life as friends are intelligent, caring and uniquely categorized as “daughters of Eve” by me seen as poised, classy and priceless.
While I was betrayed by a woman engaged to me and later by the one I was married to, I can accept partial deficiencies on my part contributing to my marriage failure. Usually both parties are at fault.
There are real women but they are not common. The one closest to me is possessed of dynamics inner and outer of beauty and femininity that takes my breath away. How many men have been in the delivery room for a birth of one of their children at the moment the doctor places the newborn child on the stomach of the mother. Did they note what I saw four times when I was there to see the moment their mother first gazed on her newborn child and the accompanying look of immense affection on her face that beggared description?
If so, you witnessed the Epitome of Love at that moment bested only by Jesus in His love for those He died for. Woman has the capacity for the deepest, most immense and intense affection that ever existed secondary to that of Jesus.
Tell me why it is largely men who sex traffic and/or pimp women? What gender commits the most murders? Home invasions? Assaults? etc
How many men actually love their wives as they do their own bodies?
I can easily prove men are more inclined unto crime and evil than women but that does what you do in your blanket condemnation of all women. Who sex traffic or pimp women? Who murder most?
Dominion is but an opinion. Slavery and servitude imposed is wrong. No woman could corrupt me without my cooperation. Some have tried and I emphasize “tried’ but they got caught, yet that does not mean all of them are bad.
The reality is there are good women and good men but also evil ones in those groups.
I found an evil one in my existence last year and estranged her. But the other 9 are not evil because they are women. Fact is none are evil except that one.
I have responded to the wishes of several to be their friend. One out of nine was not a proper woman. That is a good success ratio.
Long past the time to look on women as the center hub around which husbands and children revolve. Want love, affection, trust, dedication and loyalty from a woman? All a man has to do is offer same in kind. Try it.
Always Edward
Howdy folks, I don’t comment here much anymore. Sharkly is doing just fine and I try not to mess a good thing up.
Doc says I need prostate surgery soon or it’s lights out, I am past 70 and a little bit beat up. Live on a small fixed income (military and SSI) in a remote part of a ‘third world’ country. People treat me well here so despite the material and physical challenges, I stay.
Have to start a fundraiser and frater Sharkly already made a very generous contribution to my give-send-go campaign, leading the way as usual. I titled the campaign ‘Loco Gringo Needs Divorce from Prostate’ but the CHRISTIAN COMPANY ahem censored the ‘Gringo’ word. And it just don’t flow without it lol.
Par for the course!
Any help you folks can offer much appreciated. If I get to live a little bit longer then of course I’ll be right back at it. Keep up the good spirits, we are winning. ray
https://www.givesendgo.com/GB7X9