By Joy Le Page Smith, MA, BCC

Gary and I read Scripture in the early A.M. We were in Genesis reading about God’s interactions with Adam and Eve.  I did the reading and after finishing, Gary said, “God uses the pronoun “he”—what about “she?”

I said, “Within God’s Word, ‘He’ always includes ‘she’ in the “he.” (Here C.S. Lewis would, say, “You are riding on a very tight rein here, Lady,” as the majority of languages do not use gender-specific pronouns.”)

He looked at me as if he was saying, “Wait a minute.”

There is more to say, of course. “When God made Adam and Eve, at first there was only Adam. Maybe God waited until Adam came to know there was something lacking in his life.  But the next happenstance is stunning: God put Adam into a deep sleep then took a rib out of him. (Rather than robotic surgery, it was “God’s rib-otics.”)

Next, He used the DNA of Adam’s rib to create a partner for him. And, Adam named her Eve “because she would become the mother of all living,” (Genesis 3:20).

Wow! That’s one very big accomplishment claimed for womanhood right at the start! Talk about power!

So God made them equally powerful. And “no.” a man does not have one less rib than a woman such as some claim. It is scientifically proven that both “a man” and “a woman” have 24 ribs.

Back to Gary’s retorts about the Genesis passage, specifically this one, “God took the “s” and put it in front of the “he.”

Hmm. Really. Is there some significance in this?

I am thinking “yes” because God wanted to make equality a clear message. He had said, “In Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Scripture shows Adam to be God’s first human being created and therefore the first to hear the voice of God. (As God intended Him to listen and learn, which would happen for Eve as well.)

God decided (maybe this holds water) to speak to Adam as “He” leaned hard on their equality. He and she within their equality received the message as one. After all, she was “to be “bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.”  Voila! Equality! One in God’s sight.

Note how God gave the most powerful ability to women, that of carrying new life within her body and therefore bringing children into life. Of course her impregnation came from Adam.

It seems the height of equality comes to the couple by God’s messages being addressed to “him.” And, “he” was intended to lovingly live out these truths–exemplarily. In this way, “she” sees how this works.

Of course, this works both ways. As “she” gets the message a woman can portray it to her husband by her words and actions day-by-day. Ephesians 5:22-33, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church . . .” Of course, if a man treats his wife without tenderly honoring her and loving her, it is hurtful, brings pain to both of them—and subverts God’s plan. (And this works both ways, for the woman as well as for the man.)

God’s ideal is for us to be with one another and love one another in a holy way, exemplifying His love as we team up and make the world a better place.

For sure, God is continually speaking to all people through the Bible, our Holy Writ, as well as to speak to us within our hearts.

Author information: Joy Le Page smith has authored four books. See these on her website: Healing-with-Joy.com where you will also find hundreds of helps to people who are hurting. Free as well as a story for children, The Little Mountain Goat Who Was Afraid of High Places.