Have you heard the Ezer Kenegdo lie?

It goes something like this:

“The Hebrew phrase “ezer kenegdo”, which is translated in English as “help meet” in Genesis 2:18, does not mean that woman was created weaker than man or to be subservient to him. It means she was created to be a strong and equal counterpart to him”.

The Bible says the following about God’s purpose in creating woman in Genesis 2:18(KJV):

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

The Facts About Ezer Kenegdo:

The Hebrew word Ezer means “to help” or “to support”.

The Hebrew word Kenegdo means “a front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before”.

Ezer occurs 21 times in the Old Testament and most of its occurrences are speaking of God helping his people.

How Egalitarians twist the facts about Ezer Kenegdo into a lie

They say because most occurrences of ezer are about God helping his people that means an ezer is not just a helper, but rather a strong and powerful helper. And because ezer is most often mentioned with God, this means an ezer is not subordinate helper.

Problem #1 with the logic of Egalitarians regarding Ezer Kenegdo:

The central character of the Bible is God. So one would expect that most instances of someone helping another would be God helping his people.

That does not mean no helpers are weaker than those they help because God is a stronger helper.

Problem #2 with the logic of Egalitarians regarding Ezer Kenegdo:

Just because God is not a subservient helper does not mean there are not subservient helpers.

Evidence of subservient ezers in the Old Testament:

“And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth…
And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help [ezer] him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.”  Ezekiel 12:12&14 (KJV)

Ezekiel 12:12&14 clearly shows subservient ezers in the form a prince’s servants and soldiers that serve him.

Problem #3 Egalitarians ignore these Scriptures that define what kind of ezer kenegdo God created woman to be:

1. Throughout the Old Testament, the husband is called his wife’s ‘baal’ (master/owner) in the original Hebrew.

2. Ephesians 5:22-33 shows woman created to picture the church in its subordinate role to Christ with the man representing Christ.

3. 1 Peter 3:5-6 shows woman was created to be subservient to man and to regard him as her “lord” (master).

4. 1 Peter 3:7 shows woman was created as a “weaker” kenegdo (counterpart) to man.

The Bible shows that it was man who was created for the purpose of imaging God with his life, but woman was created for man to bring man glory:

“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as HE IS the image and glory of God: BUT the woman is the glory of the man… Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” – 1 Corinthians 11:7 & 9 (KJV)

The Bible teaches that God created woman for man, not man for woman.  And the following Scriptures show exactly what kind of subservient helper God created woman to be for man.

“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”

1 Timothy 5:14 (KJV)

“That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”

Titus 2:4-5 (KJV)

 “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.“

Proverbs 5:18-19 (KJV)

Don’t believe the Ezer Kenegdo lie of Egalitarians. Let the Bible teach you what kind of ezer kenegdo God created woman to be.

The Scriptures teach that woman was created to be subservient helper(ezer) and weaker counterpart (kenegdo) to man.

Woman was created to serve man by bearing and caring for his children, keeping his home and bringing him sexual pleasure.

And this is not something any woman should be ashamed of, but rather she should embrace it and be honored by her indispensable supporting role in God’s creation.

God created both man and woman to bring him glory, but he created men and women to bring him glory in different ways.

Man brings God glory by imaging him with his life – as a husband and father and in his life’s work.

Woman brings God glory by bringing her husband glory – by serving him with her life in the ways God intended her to serve.