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Who is the Helper?

by Susan King

The helper is not who you think it is!!  Tradition has taught us that woman was created by God to be man’s helper.  Since she was a ‘helper’ rather than being created equal in all respects, this demonstrates God’s divine plan for man to have some level authority over woman. The proponents of male-only leadership have relied heavily upon the creation verses in Genesis chapter two, declaring that she was to be a “helper suitable” or a “help meet” for him.[i] Meaning, she was created to be an adequate or fitting assistant. But that is not what happened in the Garden. We have been misinformed.

If She is the Helper then He is the Boss!

 Genesis chapter one is a chronological account of creation. On day one God creates time, separating the day from the night.[ii] The repeating phrases of “morning and evening the first day,” “… second day,” and so forth, speak clearly to the fact that these are chronological, twenty-four hour periods. On day six God creates all the animals and both humans. God then gives dominion over the earth to both male and female who bear Their image.[iii] By the close of day six, creation is totally complete, and God rests on the seventh day. In Genesis chapter two, we move beyond the magnified, chronological view of creation and look through a microscope at day six. It is in this section of scripture where the male-only leadership view found its birth.

On day six God begins by creating the first human, literally “the adam.”[iv] Adam is the Hebrew word for “human” even though it is usually translated “man.” However, the word adam is not “man” as in male person. It is a generic word meaning “person” or “human being.” Although there is no evidence to support that this first human was a genderless being, there is no mention of this adam’s sex until the woman is also created. Then there are two adams (two humans): a man, as in male person (ish),[v] and a woman (ishshah).[vi] However, at the beginning of day six, God had created only one adam.  This adam takes the time to name all the tame animals, all the wild animals and even the birds of the air. Finally he is put to sleep, undergoes surgery, has a side removed (not rib!)[vii] and is closed back up. God then takes that side of adam and creates another adam, the woman. This is one busy day!

It is here, in this detailed account of the creation of man and woman, where the notion of male supremacy is rooted. Traditionalists believe that since God created man first and that woman was simply to be his helper, this proves that the male gender has a divine right to have authority over women. Some well-known complementarians assert: “the Bible teaches that only men should be pastors and elders. That is, men should bear the primary responsibility for Christ-like leadership and teaching in the church. So it is unbiblical, we believe, and therefore detrimental, for women to assume this role.”[viii] Another author from the same venue states that men and women may be equal in their humanity, but they are not in fact equal. He says, “The paradox is this: God created male and female in His image equally, but He also made the male the head and the female the helper.”[ix] He goes on to say that “the very fact that God created human beings in dual modality of male and female cautions us against an unqualified equation of the two sexes.”[x] Does it? Only if one has a pre-determined point of view that reads into the creation account meaning that is not present.

For example, these same complementarians place a great deal of emphasis upon the idea that woman was created to be man’s helper, or as they claim -- an assistant. They view creation like this: Since man was alone and that was not good, God parades the animals in front of him to see what he would call them. “Yet in passing through ‘helpful’ animals to woman, God teaches us that the woman is a man’s ‘helper’ in the sense of a loyal and suitable assistant in the life of the garden.”[xi] Certainly, if God made the man boss and the woman just an assistant, then the man should have authority over the woman like any other boss would have over their helpers. Yes indeed -- if she is the helper then he is the boss! However, that is not what happened in the Garden.

Not Created to be Man’s Helper?

 To fully understand what God is doing on day six of creation, one must examine exactly what is actually recorded: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man [adam] should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18, KJV). Other translations say, “a helper suitable for him.” At first glance that appears to be exactly as the traditionalists assert. She is a “helper suitable” in English. How easy it is to see why people believe what they do. However, in studying these Hebrew terms, one will see that she was not an assistant but one of equal status with the man. In fact, the word for “help” here should not even be applied to the woman at all! This is a radically new revelation and a rather bold one at that. She was not created to be a helper? Not even a grand helper with power and strength? Nope, that is where the enemy has slipped in to twist the interpretation of God’s Word. 

For centuries upon centuries people have believed that the woman was created to be man’s helper. But that is not what happened in the Garden. Presenting a rather academic Bible study and examining carefully this word for “help” will clarify the truth. And, before defining what this “help” really is,  one must take a look at what it is not.

The word translated “helper” in this verse is the Hebrew word ezer.[xii] Several very interesting facts come to light when studying this word. First of all, the best word for “helper” or “assistant” in Hebrew is not ezer, but rather a similar word azar.[xiii] Azar is used eighty-two times in the Old Testament and means to help, assist, or give aid. So, if God wanted to convey that she was a regular helper or assistant that would have been the best choice. But this is not the word used in the Genesis account. God did not use azar. God used ezer – something far more significant.

Now, if God had wanted to say that she was more like a servant-helper, the Hebrew word ebed would have been used.[xiv] That would have been the most common expression, for in Old Testament language “servant” was used far more frequently than helper or assistant. In fact, the English word “helper” is only used a dozen times in the Old Testament, and the word “assistant” does not appear at all. However, the word “servant(s)” appears nearly a thousand times!  Most of which come from this Hebrew word ebed.  This is the word used to convey the meaning of a helper as being someone lower in status than the other. Ebed can even refer to great people such as Moses when they are helping one greater than themselves, e.g. Moses was the Lord’s servant.  Additionally, this word has such a wide range of use that it can even be applied to someone of equal or greater status humbling themselves in service to others. But this is not the word used in the Genesis account. God did not use ebed.  God used ezer – something far more significant.

Okay, one more. How about the Hebrew word that implies a high-ranking assistant, like Elisha was to Elijah or like Joshua was to Moses. That would have been the Hebrew word sharath,[xv] which means to serve or to minister but denotes a high level of service. That one would have been perfect for the woman if she were second-in-command of the earth. But God did not choose the word for high-ranking assistant. God did not use sharath. God used ezer – something far more significant.

God did not choose any of the help-words that would convey the meaning of a servant or one helping from a lower position. The Lord did not even choose a word that meant a high-ranking assistant with one serving from a high-level position.  These facts demonstrate what ezer is not.  The next step is to find out what ezer is. 

Aside from these two times in Genesis, ezer is only used nineteen other times in the Old Testament. God’s use of this word teaches something truly remarkable. A careful study of every verse with ezer was used to determine what this important word meant. Egalitarians assert that this word was almost always used as one who brought help from a position of superior strength or rank. That is close, but that is not exactly correct.  What the Lord revealed was even more remarkable than that. In fact, it will revolutionize the way one views this word in Genesis.

At the end of this article there is a thorough study of the Hebrew word ezer. It includes all nineteen verses along with study notes where applicable. Although very academic in nature, it will prove what this article is about to claim. A slow reading through these verses will actually reveal another attribute of God.

In sixteen of the nineteen times this special word is used, ezer is obviously coming from the Lord Himself – e.g., “O God: thou art my help and my deliverer” and “But in Me is thine help” (Ps. 70:5 and Hos. 13:9). The name Eliezer actually means ‘God is help’.[xvi] Sixteen out of nineteen times ezer is used, clearly it is either the Lord being or bringing the help. In the other three verses: 1) ezer is something that even royalty and powerful men cannot provide;[xvii] 2) ezer can be withdrawn in times of judgment;[xviii] or 3) ezer can be limited in times of testing and purification.[xix] No human can do this. Ezer is clearly divine in nature. Let that sink in moment. Ezer can never be attributed to a person for it is divine.

Remarkably, in every one of these verses God is announcing that He is the help. In nearly 85% of the verses (16 out of 19), ezer comes directly from the Lord without a shadow of a doubt. Then to confirm that it can come from nowhere else, God demonstrates in the other three verses that no other human, despite being all-powerful in human terms, can provide this divine help. In fact, trying to do so brought them shame and a reproach. God can remove ezer in times of judgment or withhold some of it for periods of testing and cleansing.

There is not one single verse where ezer is successfully applied to anyone other than the Lord God. Ezer clearly is never a servant, helper or assistant at any level. To have placed that label on the woman in the garden violates the intent and the extreme superiority of this divine help over any human help. Many scholars have recognized that ezer was help coming from a superior or from a position of strength, but that does not apply to the woman for she was not the man’s superior; she was his equal. The only superior this help comes from is the Lord God Almighty. 

Since ezer can only be successfully applied in reference to God, it should not be applied to the woman at all. In fact, it should not be ascribed to any human being no matter how grand their position. That is the difference between the usages of this Hebrew word in the Old Testament as compared to all the other Hebrew words used for help. Ezer can only come from God! Tradition has taken this glorious, God-honoring term and assumed it was applied to her. God being our Help in Hebrew is similar to the New Testament usage of the Greek word parakletos, which is always used in reference to God as our Helper.[xx]

If ezer comes only from God, then clearly the woman was not a helper at any level. Forgive the repetition, but this concept is so new and so foreign to the traditional understanding of the woman’s creation it bears repeating: The “help” in the Garden came from the Lord not the woman!  Her creation solved adam’s aloneness; the help came from the Lord. God was the one bringing the help. The entire text has been misunderstood.  This is an important point, so if there are any questions regarding ezer, please take a look at the study at the end of this article before moving forward in this discussion.  

If She is Not the Helper Then What did God Make?

In the past, translators have simply incorporated the traditional view of woman’s creation; it was taken for granted. Recent scholars have questioned this. However, without this revelation on ezer, there has not been much headway.  One valiant scholar from the 
Ancient Hebrew Research Center said in commenting about Genesis 2:18, “Personally I think there is much more going on here but am not sure what it is yet.” [xxi] When looking at the translated words “I will make him a help meet for him” (KJV) or “I will make him a helper suitable for him” ( NASB and NIV), several things do not quite fit. In Hebrew the sentence is: e'eseh lo ezer kenegdo. Dissecting this sentence will illuminate exactly what God made in the Garden.

The Hebrew word for “make” is eseh or asah; spelled differently in different sources but both are clearly the same word.[xxii] This is a very common verb, and in fact it was already used eleven other times in the creation account before we get to this verse in Genesis 2:18. Basically it means to work, labor, make, build, accomplish, acquire, fulfill, etc.  It often means to create, but not ‘out of nothing’ (ex nihilo) like bara.[xxiii] In the beginning, when God created the heavens and earth, that was bara – out of nothing. Bara is another word that can only be attributed to God, for only God can create out of nothing. However, the word eseh means there was something there to start with. It is also a qual imperfect verb, which means the action is not yet complete or will take place in the future. So “will make” would be a good way to convey that in English. This word in Genesis 2:18 also has a prefixed preposition (e') and a pronominal suffix (lo) attached to it. So one could translate e'eseh lo as “I will make for.”  

Next, God’s help (ezer) must be added to the phrase: e'eseh lo ezer. There is not an article attached to the word “help.” Therefore it should not be translated “a help” or “the help” but just “help” by itself. However, the translators had a preconceived idea that the woman was to be the helper; therefore they added the article “a.” Adding an article for clarity is not a problem. However, given the new understanding of ezer, it would not be appropriate to add one here.

So far, the translation of e'eseh lo ezer looks like: “I will make for help….”  We are just about done. One more word: suitable, meet – neged,[xxiv] which means front, front part, to face, before, in front of, corresponding to, counterpart, or mirror image. Since a mirror’s reflection is backward, this word began to carry with it (particularly in mid-evil times) the meaning of opposite. This word really does not mean “suitable” or “meet.” It does not mean fitting, adequate or agreeable as the English terms imply. It means facing, counterpart, corresponding, or mirror image. In this verse neged has attached to it the prefix ke (which indicates likeness) and the suffix o (a third person singular pronoun). Putting them together gives you the word kenedego, which literally means “like facing him” or “like corresponding to him” or “like mirror image of him” or “like counterpart of him.” 

With all the Hebrew words put together, e'eseh lo ezer kenegdo, Genesis 2:18 looks something like this: “I will make for help like counterpart of him.”  Meaning, ‘I will make for help a counterpart of him in his likeness.’ Or better still, ‘I will make for help a mirror image of him.’

This may seem quite elementary, but what God created was simply a counterpart of adam. She was not a helper but rather a reflection of adam. She was female, so she was not exact in anatomy but she was clearly neged – corresponding to adam. However, because of the male dominant view of creation we have missed such an easy interpretation. Nowhere in these verses do we see her as being anything less than adam, nor do we see her being created to be an assistant to the man. Many sermons have been preached that taught she was needed to help name millions of species of animals. But scripture is clear: adam had finished that job before God ever put him to sleep. Adam did not need human assistance. God helped the adam’s aloneness. Literally here aloneness means separation like a part of the body being without the rest. It was not that the adam was lonely. The adam had only been alive several hours and was kept busy naming the animals. This adam had to have noticed that each animal had a counterpart, but there was no other adam. In fact, that is the most logical reason God took the time to do that prior to bringing forth the woman. He was not being shown the animals to find a “suitable assistant;” -- he was being taught that all the living creatures come in pairs.

Adam was not having a staffing problem.  Rather, the problem was that this adam was incomplete, separated from his counterpart. God helped by doing what no animal and no person could ever do. The Helper drew out part of adam and made another adam; now there were male and female. Before there was only one adam alone, and that was not good. Ezer took a side from one and made another adam to be a counterpart. “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created” (Gen. 5:2).

This is a picture of likeness and unity – not of female subordination or inferiority. While God was forming the adam from the dust of the earth, something of the female was already inside him.  So when it came time a few hours later to make the female, God did not need to start with a new batch of dirt.  He was still working with His original plan A -- the woman was not a second-thought or a plan-B. 

He did not give the adam a to-do list for running for earth and then wait until he screamed for helpers.  No.  He did not create the woman to be man’s helper. She is not the assistant, and he is not the boss! Calling them both “Adam,” giving them both dominion, and building her from his side places the emphasis on their likeness and unity. It does not focus on their differences nor does it ascribe to the man a divine right to rule over the woman. Separation and domination began at the fall and is part of the satanic curse. It was after the fall that the man-adam changed the woman’s name to Eve.  God called them both Adam, but now after the fall he was “Adam” and she was “Eve.” The emphasis became focused on their differences rather than on their unity and oneness. Separation and domination were not part of God’s perfect design from the beginning -- they originate with the fall.

Study of Ezer

Help that Only Comes from the Lord

 In order to determine how ezer should be used in the Genesis account, the following examines every other time it is used in scripture. In most verses, it is blatantly clear that ezer is actually an attribute of God and/or something that came directly from the Lord. There are only a couple of verses that require much discussion. What is learned from these discussions is quite remarkable. Even the Biblical name Eliezer is very telling. The name itself contains El, which means God, and ezer, which means help (El i ezer).  The name Eliezer literally means: “God is help” or “God of help.” 

There are nineteen times this word is found in the Old Testament, other than the two verses in question in Genesis chapter two.[xxvi]  In every case it is translated help, and each translation of the word ezer is italicized below. The following King James Version scriptures are in biblical order.

1) Exodus 18:4, “And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”  -- God was his help.

2) Deuteronomy 33:7, “Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah … be thou a help to him from his enemies.” -- Asking the Lord to be his help.

3) Deuteronomy 33:26, “There is none like unto God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and his excellency on the sky.” The translators added the preposition “in” to this sentence, but there is no preposition here in the Hebrew. -- God is his help.

4) Deuteronomy 33:29, “Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency!...” The translators added the preposition “of” to this sentence, but there is no preposition here in the Hebrew.  -- The Lord is their help.

5) Psalm 20:1-2, “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” -- Asking the Lord to send help.

6) Psalm 33:20, “Our soul waiteth for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.”  -- The Lord is their help.

7) Psalm 70:5, “But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.” – The Lord is his help.

8) Psalm 89:19, “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.” – The Lord laid help upon him.

9) Psalm 115:9, “O Israel, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” – The Lord is their help.

10) Psalm 115:10, “O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” – The Lord is their help.

11) Psalm 115:11, “Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” – The Lord is their help.

12) Psalm 121:1, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” – The psalmist looks to the Lord for help.

13) Psalm 121:2, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” – The psalmist’s help comes from the Lord.

14) Psalm 124:8, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” – Their help is in the Lord.

15) Psalm 146:5, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”  The translators added the preposition “for” to this sentence, but there is no preposition here in the Hebrew. – The Lord is his help.

**That is fifteen in a row where ezer is clearly, without a shadow of a doubt,  an attribute of God; or the ezer is coming from Him alone. Now for a few more difficult ones:

16) Isaiah 30:5 -- God is saying that His children did not ask for His “help,” rather they looked to the rulers of men. The princes and ambassadors of Pharaoh could not deliver ezer. This supports the premise that ezer can only come from God. Here even royalty and powerful people are unable to provide the kind of help that can only come from God. By even trying to do so, these powerful men brought shame and a reproach. Verses 1-5 to provide the context; verse 5 contains the word ezer.

1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5 There were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

17) Ezekiel 12:14: The Lord’s glory has departed from the temple. God has condemned Jerusalem but promises future restoration. Now the Israelites are being taken captive as part of God’s judgment. Since this is the most difficult one grammatically to understand, the surrounding verses must be examined. Ezekiel 12:10-16 for context; verse 14 contains the word ezer:

10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. 12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.  13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.  14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. 16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

After studying the words carefully in verse 14, it does not exactly say He would scatter toward every “wind.” The word “wind” is ruwach[xxvii] and could also be translated “breath” or “spirit.” In fact, “spirit” is the most common translation of this word. So, it could possibly be God’s Spirit or Breath that is being removed, scattered or diffused. Even if “wind” is the proper rendition, the translation of wind often carries with it the presence of God. As part of the definition of ruwach, Strong’s includes this statement in reference to wind: “It is clear that the wind is regarded in scripture as a fitting emblem of the mighty penetrating power of the invisible God.”

The real question, of course, comes with the word help in verse 14. Ezer is always used as a noun, and in this case it also has a pronominal suffix. So it could be “his help,” “my help,” “help him,” “help me,” etc. Grammatically it is plausible for it to be God’s help, but it is not as clear as it is in the prior sixteen verses. However, the context makes up for the grammatical ambiguity.

If this help was from coming from those around the prince rather than from the Lord then why add the phrase “and all his bands”? The word bands is defined as ‘crowds of troops’ or ‘those covering him.’ Therefore, the sentence would be redundant. It would in effect be saying, ‘Scatter all those who help him and his crowd of helpers.’ Grammatically, it is not perfectly clear, but in context it can easily be argued that this help is different from that of his “bands.” From the context it is also evident that the Lord’s removal of help is for the purpose of bringing judgment. So, that would again confirm ezer being help that comes from the Lord. When God brings judgment, this divine help no longer rests on the chosen people; it is removed.

18) Daniel 11:34 – In this verse ezer is being restrained for a period of testing and purifying. Interestingly, this verse also contains the use of the normal word for help (azar), along with this special word (ezer), as noted below. Only God can restrain help for the purpose of testing and purification. Again, this fact clearly points to ezer being only from God. Daniel 11:32-35 for context; verse 34 contains the word ezer:

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.  34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped (azar) with a little help (ezer): but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

And last, but not least:

19) Hosea 13:9, the Lord is speaking: “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in Me is thine help.” – So, ezer is found in the Lord.

Summary

So to summarize, in sixteen of the nineteen verses that contain ezer, this help is obviously coming from the Lord.  In the other three verses:  1) ezer is something that even royalty and powerful men cannot provide; 2) ezer can be withdrawn in times of judgment; or 3) ezer can be limited in times of testing and purification.  No human can do this.  Ezer is clearly divine in nature.

There is not one single verse where ezer is anyone other than the Lord Himself being, or being able to bring, the help.  It clearly is never a helper, servant, or assistant.  To have placed that label on the woman in the Garden violates the intent and the extreme superiority of this help over any human help.  The woman was not to be the ezer.  In fact, no human can be or supply this kind of help, and therefore it should not be applied to any person.  That is the difference between this Hebrew word for help in the Old Testament and all the others. 

Tradition has taken this glorious, God-honoring term and assumed it was applied to the woman rather than to our creator, Elohim, or in this case, Eliezer -- God of help.  How awesome to discover another attribute of God!  God is Help.  Getting a handle on this is much like getting a handle on love as an attribute of God.  It is not just that God loves -- God is love.  It is not just that God helps -- God is help.  God is Ezer!

You can contact Susan King at susan.king22@yahoo.com.

Endnotes

All scripture references are taken from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise noted.  Strong’s reference numbers refer to The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001).