Because Christianity is bigger than Biblical manhood or Biblical womanhood (Blog of Retha Faurie)

Does Genesis 2 allude to equality in sexual intimacy?

February 7, 2014

Eve was made as the k’negdo of Adam. That is the Hebrew translated to old English Bibles with “meet for him”, to some English Bibles with “suitable” and to my Afrikaans Bible with a word that literally means “his equal.” (Gen 2:18 and verse 20)tell-363848948-sep-9-2012-1

This refers to “eye to eye equality”, says Loren Cunningham, or literally, according to another scholar, nose against nose. Is it a coincidence that people can look each other in the eye as equals during sexual intimacy? Dogs and horses and other animals do not. Did God perhaps make sexual intimacy for looking each other honestly in the eye as equals, without pretences and without putting on an act?

Does eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose, k’negdo closeness and equality imply (among others) God’s sexual design?

Just a thought. Use it, don’t use it. Call me wrong if I am, but tell me why.

Category:

Other Thoughts

10 Comments

Comments on: "Does Genesis 2 allude to equality in sexual intimacy?" (10)

  1. krwordgazer said:
    February 7, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    Quite right! The word “ezer” (“help”) by itself actually implies superiority– God is our Ezer, our help, from above. The word k’negdo qualifies ezer so that it means “help from face to face” – in other words, from an equal.

    Like

  2. Garth Engwall said:
    January 2, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    For once the KJV really nails it. “help-meet” as in Adam’s “help” from his alone state which “meets” him face to face. We can assume with some certainty that the “not good” state of being alone had a sexual component to it which needed serious help. Intimacy is unique in humans for a number of reasons including the face-to-face nature of it. And “face-to-face” has spiritual and emotional connotations as well. Put together, I think you are on to something.

    Like

  3. Marg said:
    October 13, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Hi Retha, that is so interesting that kenegdo is translated “with a word that literally means ‘his equal'” in your Bible.

    Do you have an “egalitarian” translation? Or do most (all?) other Afrikaans translations use the same word? And, what is the Afrikaans word?

    Like

    • Retha said:
      October 14, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      There are just 2 Bible translations (and a few less-read paraphrases) in my mother tongue. There is no “special egalitarian translation.”

      The 1933/1953 translation (Several changes was made 20 years after writing it, on those spots where theologians was not satisfied) say : “I’ll make him a help that matches/ fits him.” (Match/ fit is the closest English for the Afrikaans “pas” in “wat by hom pas.”

      The 1983 translation say : “I’ll make him someone who can help, an equal” and “for himself he did not get a helper, an equal”. (Equal is the English equivalent of the Afrikaans “gelyke“, which is used in :18 and :20.

      Like

  4. Kenegdo: “Equal to Him” said:
    October 16, 2015 at 11:47 am

    […] Retha, however, comments on how kenegdo is translated in Afrikaans. The following is taken from Retha’s post, as well as a conversation I had with […]

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Kenegdo = Equal to Him (Genesis 2:18 & 20) | Marg Mowczko said:
    October 15, 2017 at 9:08 am

    […] comments on how kenegdo is translated in Afrikaans. The following information is adapted from Retha’s post and from a conversation I had with […]

    Like

  6. Kenegdo = Equal to Him (Genesis 2:18 & 20) - Marg Mowczko said:
    May 13, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    […] comments on how kenegdo is translated in Afrikaans. The following information is adapted from Retha’s post and from a conversation I had with […]

    Like

Leave a comment