Strong and Equal

A better translation of Genesis 2:18 reveals the true stature of woman in the eyes of God.

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

The Hebrew word rendered as “help” is “ezer” which has two roots. One means “to rescue” or “to save” and the other means “to be strong”. It is used several times in the Bible and the majority of time it is used to describe God with reference to the kind of help he provides. Consider the kind of “help” God provided to Moses and the children of Israel in crossing the Red Sea. He opened the sea and let them cross on dry land. That’s the kind of help we’re talking about here, not the kind of help as in, “she helps out around the house.”

The word translated as “meet” is “k’enegdo” which does not mean “meet” as in “fit” or “appropriate” but “equal”. So to convey the intended meaning of the phrase accurately probably requires more words than what the King James translators used.

“I will make a strong companion for him who will be his equal.” Or perhaps, “I will make an equal to him to be a strong companion.”

Whatever the wording, the original intent is clear and ought to inform our view of the proper relationship between man and woman.

See Eve and the Choice Made in Eden by Beverly Campbell for this insight and more.