I never thought about it, but the King James translation of Genesis 1:26 says, “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.”
Every Bible-reading male in the English speaking world must love this declaration of his God-given authority.
However, the Hebrew word for man is ʹâdâm, which means “human being, an individual [of the species], a person.” A more accurate translation of Genesis 1:26 is found in NLT. “Let us make HUMAN BEINGS in our image, to be like us.” Let MEN AND WOMEN have dominion over fish and fowl, etc.
The King James translation communicates a subtle English language bias that all of us are familiar with. And honestly, it seldom bothers me. I certainly don’t want to rage about it or blame it for all the challenges women face. I don’t want to suggest that Genesis 1:26 cancels that prickly New Testament word, submission. However, I realized something fairly significant today.
The Creator of the universe cares about translations, word choices, and biases. He is concerned about secular ideas that have seeped into Christian societies. He values women; they bear the stamp of His image, same as men. And He is an advocate for women who have been undervalued and suppressed.
A certain disdain of women has crept into religious thought, and it is of greater concern to the Creator than I realized.
Of course, God wants women who have been mistreated by overbearing, self-righteous men to forgive. But …
For the benefit of those who have been disrespected and suppressed, He desires to set the record straight. Pagan men often dominate women, relegating them to subservient social roles. Unrighteous men rule with an iron fist. However, the Creator of the universe did not instruct human societies to operate this way. Lord God exalts women, and He is never pleased with those who demean or belittle them.
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I really liked the Easter service at my church on Sunday. My pastor made a point about women which I never thought about. "Two women were the first to see the empty grave." =] That makes me happy.
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