Anji Russell
Poetry and Design

Most of us are familiar with some aspects of the story of Adam and Eve, the fruit, the snake, the tree. How well though do we know the deeper facts found in this narrative? When God made the world, He looked at His creation and saw that it “was good”.  On the sixth day, God created Adam, the first human. After He had created him, God said, as recorded in Genesis 2:18: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a ‘helper suitable’ for him.” And so God created Eve, the woman in the first poem. Eve was tempted and deceived by Satan into doubting God's goodness so that she ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This act by Eve changed the order God had desired for men and women. Was the act one of rebellion?

 

God had created Eve to be Adam’s helper. Did this mean she was to be Adam’s deputy? Not at all! Woman was created to be an ‘ezer’ a ‘helper’, or ‘ezer kenegdo’ a ‘helper suitable’.  Matthews, (2017, p1) states “An ‘ezer’ is not subordinate or inferior, rather an equal. ‘Help’ expresses that the woman is a help/strength who rescues or saves man. Woman is not created to serve the man. She is created to serve with him, as a partner.” Matthews, (2017, p1) also believes that while some people understand that “a woman’s function is as a subordinate to a man, the word ezer in the original Hebrew overturns that idea.” Custis James (2011, p3) writes, “God deploys the ezer to break the man’s loneliness by soldiering with him wholeheartedly and at full strength for God’s gracious kingdom”. Eve was never meant to be merely a helpful assistant to Adam. That is not the meaning of the Hebrew word used to describe the first woman. Unfortunately, “focus on the wife as her husband’s helper has led to the belief that God gave primary roles and responsibilities to men, and secondary, supporting roles to women.” (Custis James, 2011, p2). But ‘ezer kenegdo’ is not that.

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Seefelt, (2019, p1) points out that “Ezer has two meanings in Hebrew, depending on the pronunciation: to rescue/to save and to be strong. The Hebrew word kenegdo means opposite as to him or corresponding as to him, or suitable. A woman is no better or less than the man. Man and woman are equally and uniquely created – a perfect fit. In the Old Testament ‘ezer’ is used 21 times – for woman, for nations and for God. These verses show that ezer is a warrior. Women are strong warriors, complementary to men.” God’s original plan right from the beginning was that Eve would be an ‘ezer kenegdo’ – an equal with Adam. Although God’s heart was for ezer, Eve’s disobedience changed that. Part of Eve’s, and subsequently woman’s, punishment was not only that her desire would be for the man, but also that he would dominate her and she would be subject to his rule.  After they sinned in Genesis 3:16, God says, ‘Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’  “Genesis 1 and 2 show us how God intended human beings to be, Genesis 3 shows us what the man and woman chose to become.” (Matthews, 2017, p4). 

 

The important roles that women play, in particular wives, are described in different ways in the Talmud. Raskin (2013, p1) writes about wives and husbands, “The prophet Elijah stated, ‘Does it not emerge that the wife illuminates her husband’s eyes, and puts him on his feet?’ A wife illuminates her husband’s eyes by enabling him to see things beyond his natural perspective. She stands him on his feet by preventing him from tripping over some unseen stumbling block.” (Tractate Yevamot 63a).  Raskin (2013, p1) also quotes the Talmud as saying, “A man’s world is darkened after his wife dies and his steps become shortened. For he is deprived of his complementary relationship.” (Tractate Sanhedrin 22a) 

 

A woman as ezer is not only found in a marriage relationship. Shiphrah and Puah were true ezer women. “Ordered to carry out genocide, these two brave women risked their lives by disobeying Pharaoh. They were ezer women in the original meaning of the word, helping those who needed their help. Willing to stand bravely against evil, these women used their professional expertise to aid their people in a time of crisis.” (Matthews, 2017, p6). Miriam, Jochebed and Pharaoh’s own daughter were ezer women as they risked their own lives in order to keep Moses alive and fulfil God’s plan. “Sometimes surprising women are called to show up as ezers in unusual situations. Rahab was one of these examples. The Bible also tells us in Judges that Deborah was both a prophet and a judge, a wise woman: ‘she used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement.’ Ruth was an ezer woman who accompanied Naomi back to her people in Bethlehem. Ruth had many reasons to follow Orpah's example, but she steadfastly insisted that she would go with Naomi who had no one else to care for her. So together Naomi and Ruth journeyed to an unknown future in Bethlehem.” (Matthews, 2017, p12).  Other ezer women include Abigail, an ezer wife who saved her family from disaster due to her husband’s foolishness, Esther who saved the Jews in Susa, and Huldah who saved King Josiah.