Suitable Helper 👫

Noel Powell

Oct 5

1 min read

Comic strip showing a congregation taking Communion at church. One man is looking down at his tiny wafer and plastic cup of grape juice. The pastor says "...And just as Jesus feasted with his disciples at the Last Supper, we now feast in remembrance of Him.”

“Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man, and she swiftly made him a sandwich.” (Genesis 2:22) …This isn't far off from how some people interpret "helper". But was is the real meaning?

In Genesis, God calls His creation “good” seven different times before He identifies something that was “not good”… Adam was all alone. So God made “a helper suitable for him”. That one little word has been misinterpreted, misused, and even weaponized for millennia.

Even in modern society, the word implies a subordinate assistant. But as usual when reading the Bible, context is everything. So let’s look at the original Hebrew phrase: Ezer Kenegdo.

“Ezer” is a source of strength and rescue. It’s used 21 times in the Bible – including twice for Eve, three times for military allies, and get this… 16 times for God (there goes the “subordinate” argument). If it had any implication of inferiority, it would never be used for God. The term actually communicates a position of power – one who can rescue someone in desperate need.

“Kenegdo” means an equal partner or “counterpart” that corresponds perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece.

When combined, Ezer Kenegdo describes the woman as basically man’s superhero counterpart, sent by God to partner with him in humanity’s purpose of bringing glory to God!