![]() ![]() 1 Corinthians 16:13 is an example where an inadequate translation of a verb alters its sense and makes it seem especially relevant to men. It’s not just nouns and pronouns that are given a masculine feel in the ESV. “Act Like Men” in 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV Wayne Grudem and Vern Poythress, both on the ESV Oversight Committee, have written against gender-inclusive Bibles (the TNIV in particular) and state, “’He’ includes both men and women, but does so using a male example as a pictorial starting point.” They admit that “In a subtle way, this use brings along with it an unequal prominence to men and women.” (Italics added) By choosing to use masculine pronouns, the ESV makes men more prominent than women, even in Bible passages that, potentially, apply equally to women in the original languages. The ESV also prefers masculine pronouns such as “he” and “him” even if the intended sense is gender-inclusive (e.g., 2 Cor. Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession (Hebrews 2:11, 17 3:1 ESV, italics added). Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God … That is why is not ashamed to call them brothers … Here are just three examples of masculine nouns in gender-inclusive verses: It was unpleasant and disconcerting to feel distant from the Word of God that I love so much. It felt like nothing in Hebrews was relevant to me as a woman. I experienced this a while ago when I read the book of Hebrews in the ESV. ![]() Masculine nouns, such as “brothers” when the meaning is “brothers and sisters,” effectively distance women from the text. These guidelines give preference to masculine language such as “men,” “brothers,” “sons,” and “fathers” even in many instances where the context and meaning is broader humanity: men and women, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, parents or ancestors and not just fathers. The ESV, which is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV), follows the translation principles set out in the Colorado Springs Guidelines. One of the ways the ESV supports the concepts of male-only leadership, as well as male primacy, is by using masculine language rather than gender-inclusive language. ![]() ![]() This ideology seems to have affected the ESV’s translation of various passages of scripture in various ways. Complementarians are Christians who place a great deal of importance on gender differences which they believe boils down to male-only leadership (“manhood”) and submission from women to male authority (“womanhood”). Wayne Grudem and some other Christians, including several of the translators of the ESV, believe in an ideology called complementarianism. Wayne Grudem, who is on the Oversight Committee of the ESV, has even co-edited a book entitled Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. “Manhood” is a loaded term in some Christian circles. Is “manhood” really the best word to convey the sense the biblical authors wanted to express in these two verses? It occurs twice in the English Standard Version (ESV): in Ephesians 4:13 and in Hosea 12:3. My friend Bronwen Speedie recently pointed out to me that the word “manhood” is in the Bible. ![]()
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