Loneliness

“At last this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of man.”  Genesis 2:23 NASB At last this – Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik wrote, “To understand himself, man must confide in another.  Only woman, who is an independent person with her own I-awareness, can liberate the…

All by Myself

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”   Genesis 2:18  NASB Alone – Since the publication of Guardian Angel, my work on this chapter in Genesis has been either jubilantly welcomed or vehemently rejected.  Those who welcome the exegesis are typically people…

Once More, with Feeling!

To the woman He said, “I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception – bring forth children in pain.  And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.”  Genesis 3:16  (translation SRI) Greatly increase – It’s been several years since I published my book about the Hebrew view of woman…

Michelangelo and the ‘ezer kenegdo

I recently listened to an excellent lecture by Elaine Ruffolo, an art historian, who spoke about Michelangelo’s women (the title of the lecture available on YouTube).  In it she points out that the center of the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is not God’s creation of Adam (perhaps the most famous of the Sistine…

The Birthday Girl 

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”  Genesis 2:18  NASB To be alone – When I wrote Guardian Angel a decade ago, I wanted to correct the false claim that Paul was misogynistic.  I wanted to demonstrate that the common Christian…

The Order of Existence

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”   Genesis 2:18  NASB A helper suitable– We have investigated a lot about the Hebrew phrase ‘ezer kenegdo. We discovered that these words spoken by God about the creation of the woman are filled with royal language,…

Some Clarity

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Proverbs 31:11  NASB Trusts – What does it mean to “trust” your wife? How will that turn out to be prosperous for the husband? In the past we examined the Hebrew word bāṭaḥ in the context of the ‘ezer kenegdo, God’s design for…

Going and Coming

 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. John 14:16 NASB Another helper – We all know this Greek word, Paraklete, “the Helper.” Growing up in the Western Church, we were told that this is a circumlocution for the Holy Spirit. This verse in John…

Ezer Kenegdo in Kansas City in August

Thanks to Sandy Smail, Pam Staley and Jane Diffenderfer, I will be speaking in Kansas City on August 18-19.  This conference is about the ‘ezer kenegdo, the foundation of all relationships.  We will examine the Genesis text, Paul’s use of these ideas in the apostolic writings and what we have learned since the publication of Guardian Angel.  We…