What to Say When Someone says Patriarchy is God’s Plan

Last updated on: April 22, 2019 at 8:04 am by Scot McKnight

What to Say When Someone says Patriarchy is God’s Plan 2019-04-22T08:04:02-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

From CBE:

By Chesna Hinkley

On April 11, 2019

Short Answers to Tough Questions

Studies on Specific Passages

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series on difficult Bible passages entitled “What to Say When…”

Since the fall, women have suffered enormously under patriarchy. In the church, in the world, and in the home, women have always been subordinate to men, and as a result, they have been abused, oppressed, and silenced. Some say gender hierarchy is God’s perfect design—a pristine plan for women and men’s good and flourishing. They point to Genesis, arguing that God clearly intended patriarchy from the start. But the text tells a different story. If we look closer, it becomes clear that patriarchy was never God’s plan for humanity.

Is Patriarchy God’s Will or the Consequence of Sin?

Genesis 3:16 says, “in pain you will bear children.” It doesn’t say, “in pain you must bear children.” The distinction is there in Hebrew, too. This is an imperfect statement, not an imperative. This means that God is speaking of what will happen or is happening, not what ought to happen.

In Hebrew, this is clear in the second person (you), but not always clear in the third person (she or he). This is because the third person imperative (the jussive), looks just like the imperfect. However, in a series of clauses, like we have here, they should match. Since the first clause (“you will bear children”) is not an imperative, the third clause (“he will rule over you”) should not be an imperative either. To make it more compelling, the parallel consequences Adam receives in verses 17-18 are also imperfects, not imperatives. This means that God isn’t telling men to rule over women, he’s telling women that men will rule over them. Why?

When the humans sinned in the Garden of Eden, God told them what would happen to the world as a result of disobedience. Because people disobey God, there is constant toil (3:17-18), we’re aware of our mortality (3:19), childbirth is painful (3:16), and there is patriarchy (3:16). We don’t often hear that God’s good plan for the world is useless work, death, and pain, because we know that God’s work in Christ is always against the forces of sin and death. In other words, God didn’t curse us with death; instead, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God didn’t curse us with patriarchy either, but many complementarians go even further—without any basis in the text—and call it a blessing! Why do we so often hear that patriarchy is God’s best for us?

As followers of Christ, we are called to holy living—fighting against the forces of sin in ourselves and in the world. We seek a better life for all people. We use technology and good stewardship to make work efficient, purposeful, and good for the earth, we work through the medical field to alleviate pain and fight sickness, and we work for gender equality.

What Does “Your ‘Desire’ Will Be Toward your Husband” Mean?

Most translations say “desire” here (see more on this below). There are many interpretations of this phrase. The words before it are about conception and childbirth. For this reason, some interpreters have said this refers to sexual desire, saying something like, “even though you will be constantly pregnant, you will still desire your husband.” This is possible, especially since the same construction is used in Song of Solomon 7:10: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” Since it says “but your desire will be toward your husband,” it also makes sense that this would refer to the previous clause. This “but” doesn’t always show up in English translations.

Those who support male hierarchy often say that this phrase means women are opposed to men and want to dominate them. However, the translation they offer—“your desire will be contrary toyour husband” (ESV 2016)—is a stretch. The Hebrew word ’il means “toward.” Even in situations where ’il might be translated “against,” the sense of the word is still “toward,” for example, “anger toward/‘against’ Israel” (Numbers 32:14). Furthermore, the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation that was considered authoritative in the time of Jesus, translates ’il as pros. Pros also means “toward.” The translation “contrary to” reflects anxiety about female influence that isn’t present in the text.

The word commonly translated “desire” is from the Hebrew teshuqah. Katharine Bushnell, a 19thcentury scholar, found that teshuqah was first translated “desire” in 1528. Before that, it was usually translated “turning.” In fact, the Septuagint uses the word apostrophe here, which means “turning away.”[1] From whom might sinful women turn away, hoping that their husbands, or anyone else, will fill the void? Turning away from the rule of God means turning toward the rule of man—patriarchy.

So What Should You Say When Someone Says Patriarchy is God’s Plan?

1. Gender hierarchy is a result of sin, not a command of God. God’s work in Christ is against the effects of sin.
2. One result of sin in human relationships is that people will turn toward each other instead of God.
3. The final destruction of sin will also mean the final destruction of patriarchy and sexism.

Notes

[1] Katharine Bushnell, God’s Word to Women (Minneapolis: Christians for Biblical Equality, 2003), XVI.124-XVIII.145.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 17, 2019

Lived Theology is Theology

Next Post

April 18, 2019 Two Enacted Parables (RJS)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who dreamed of a ladder reaching heaven?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul Elijah Abraham Jacob