WOMEN AND
SCRIPTURE: 
When Hebrew and Greek become English
(Compiled
by: Sandra Dufield)
“The Bible is the inspired, trustworthy
Word of God written and as such stands as the true
revelation of God’s message, regardless of
any human reaction to it….We must recognize
that in some places Scripture is not
completely clear to us.  We need further
light, such as a clearer
rendering of the text or a greater
understanding of the Bible background.” (Gretchen Gaebelein Hull)
“…Christians who are serious about studying
the Bible on any subject need to be 
aware of how easy it is for translators to
incorporate their own ideas into their translations….all
translations are human products, produced
by people who, like all of us, have unconscious sets of
blinders. 
Like all of us, translators work from their own outlooks, their own
prejudices.  We
have all been bent and influenced by the
many forces of the society in which we live and by the
traditions of the churches of which we are
a part.  This is true of every
translator, every
commentator, every preacher, every lay
reader and every student of the Bible. 
Usually we are
not even vaguely aware of our blind spots –
and we all have many….But only the original words
of the Holy Scriptures can claim unique
inspiration.”  (Berkeley and Alvera Mickelsen)
“We cannot believe that the 
intends to give it; nor that all Satan’s
lurking-places have been found out.”  (Jonathan
Edwards)
“…once the distinctive character of each
phase of the creation-fall-redemption model is recognized,
a coherent method of interpretation emerges
from the Scripture itself….biblical texts that pertain
to each phase (creation or fall or
redemption) are to be interpreted within their specific frame of
reference. 
This eliminates the hodgepodge method of taking verses from various time
frames and
bringing them together to make them say in
collage what they do not teach in their original settings.  
As ridiculous as it seems, this
scissors-and-paste approach to the Bible is often popular among the
very people who claim to honor the Bible as
God’s Word.  The need to remind
themselves that
respect of the integrity of each text
requires that it be interpreted in relation to its historical 
setting or its particular canonical
context.”  (Gilbert Bilezikian)
PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION
(As found in the books Heirs Together and Women Be
Free by Patricia Gundry)
1.     
Always
interpret a verse in agreement with its context (its surrounding verses or
chapters).  That is, the meaning of the
part must be consistent with the whole.
2.     
Interpret a
passage in the light of its probable meaning to the persons for whom it was
originally written.
3.     
When
interpreting a passage, consider the customs and events taking place when it
was written.
4.     
Interpret a
passage in the light of all other Scripture.
5.     
Do not use
an obscure passage to disprove one with clear and obvious meaning.
6.     
Interpret a
passage according to the best use of the original language.
7.     
Interpret
social teaching in line with doctrinal teaching.
8.     
If there is
a principle set forth in the passage, do not interpret or apply the passage in
such a manner as to deny or reverse the principle.
9.     
Interpret
the unknown in accordance with the known.
10. 
Do not
interpret a passage in such a way as to make it deny what we know to be true of
God from other Scripture.
| Original Greek / Hebrew Word | Reference | Translated Referring To God,
   Specific Individuals or The Church | Translated Referring to Men | Translated Referring to Women | A Consistent Translation of
   Original Language Would Give:: | 
| Hesuchia
  (Greek): primary
  & secondary meanings “convey the idea that individuals are to settle down
  or stop agitating.” 1 | 2 Thess
  3:12 |  | “settle down (hesuchia) and earn the bread
  they eat” |  |  | 
| 1 Tim 2:2 | (to the
  church) “live peaceful and quiet (hesuchia) lives” |  |  |  | |
| 1 Tim
  2:11 |  |  | “Let a
  woman learn in silence (hesuchia) with all
  submissiveness”
  RSV | “Let a
  woman settle down (hesuchia) and submit to instruction” 1 | |
| 1 Tim 2:12 |  |  | “she
  is to keep silent (hesuchia)” RSV “she
  must be silent (hesuchia)”
  NIV This specific mistranslation of
  original Greek has been used to restrict the role and ministry of women in
  the church. | “she
  is to be peaceable (hesuchia)” “she
  is to settle down (hesuchia) and show self control.” 1 (see
  another 1 Timothy  | |
| Chayil
  (Hebrew): “valorous”, “strong” and “powerful” 1 | Nehemiah
  11:14 |  | “..mighty
  men of valor (chayil)” NKJV |  |  | 
| Proverbs
  31:10 |  |  | “A (‘good’, ‘noble’, or ‘virtuous’) (chayil) wife,
  who can find her” | “a strong (chayil)
  woman, who can find her” 1 | |
| Sophrosune (Greek): “sane” or “self-controlled” 1 | 1 Tim 3:2 |  | “Now
  the overseer must be above reproach…temperate,
  self-controlled (sophrosune)…” NIV |  |  | 
| 1 Tim
  2:15 |  |  | “…if
  they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety (sophrosune).” NIV “modesty” is also substituted | “…if
  they continue in faith, love and holiness with self-control (sophrosune).” 1 NKJV Or “acting sensibly”  | |
| ‘Ezer  (Hebrew): Rescuer,
  strength, empowerer, help, deliverer, power. “As it was used in the Old
  Testament, ’ezer did not imply
  superiority (or subordination) on the part of the ones giving (or receiving)
  assistance.”
  1 “The word [‘ezer, helper] denotes not domesticity or subordination but
  competency and superior strength (Ex. 18:4; Deut. 33:26, 29; Psalm 33:20,
  70:5, 121:1).”  4 | Genesis
  2:18 The
  Hebrew word kenegedo is the modifier of ‘ezer in Gen. 2:18, meaning Eve is “corresponding to him [Adam]”
  or “equivalent” 1 | ‘Ezer is used often in the Bible to
  refer to God or to describe God’s activity in relation to people. “I will lift up my eyes to the
  hills from whence does my help (‘ezer) come? My help (‘ezer) comes from the
  Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2) |  | “a helper (‘ezer) suitable for him” NIV “a helper (‘ezer) fit for him” RSV “an help (‘ezer) meet for him” KJV  Surviving pagan views of women
  forced a subordinate role for Eve (women) into the interpretation of Gen.
  2:18.  “There is not a hint, not even a
  whisper about anything like a hierarchical order existing between man and
  woman in the creation account….The creation order established oneness, not
  hierarchy (Gen. 2:24).”  4 | “a
  power corresponding to man” 2 “a
  power equal to man” 3 “…the woman was instrumental in
  rescuing the man from being alone and, therefore, from not being yet the
  community of oneness that God had intended to create with both of them (Gen.
  1:27)….The biblical text becomes violated when the word ‘helper’ is wrenched
  away and lifted out of this specific context to be given other meanings that
  demean women by reducing them to the level of ‘complements’ or docile
  conveniences created to improve the quality of male life.” 4 
  Eve received, along with Adam, the
  God created ability and mandate to co-rule, co-steward, and co-dominion over
  creation (Gen. 1:28-31). | 
| Psalm
  40:17 | (to God) “You
  are my help and my deliverer (‘ezer); Oh my God, do not
  delay” NIV |  |  |  | |
| I
  Chronicles  |  | (fellow
  warriors speaking to David) “Thine are we….thine helpers (‘ezer); for thy God helpeth (‘ezer) thee” KJV  “In no sense can God be understood
  as being subordinate to the will or direction of David.” 1 |  |  | |
| Iounian
  (Greek) The name
  of a woman: Junia. The Greek word in Rom. 16:7 is
  “Ίουνίας” 18 or,
  “Ίουνίαν” 19.  Both
  show the “acute accent on the penult” 19 ( ί ), which indicates the name is feminine.  The masculine version of this name would be
  “Ίουνιâν” which
  has “a circumflex accent on the ultima” 19 (â).                               ► | Romans
  16:7 |  | “Greet
  Andronicus and Junias (Iounian)...They are
  outstanding among the apostles…”
  NIV English translators removed the
  feminine name Junia, and replaced
  it with the masculine name Junias. | This mistranslation of Scripture
  is thought to have occurred because translators believed Paul would not have
  allowed a woman in the position of leading and teaching in the church.  Translators took the liberty of altering
  scripture to reconcile it to their cultural understanding of male and female
  functions in ministry. | “Greet
  Andronicus and Junia (Iounian) ….They are outstanding among the
  apostles…” “…Fourth-century bishop of  Craig Keener says of Andronicus
  and Junia, “…the Greek is most naturally read as claiming that they were
  apostles.” 29 | 
| Paul
  uses several different Greek words associated with the use of authority.  ► (1) Authenteo (Greek) Usurping
  authority, abusing power and authority. 
  Associated with strife. 1 Not normally used in Greek when
  referring to the legitimate proper use of authority. 1 (Continued
  next page) Authenteo (Continued) | Four
  of these words are: Authenteo, Epitage, Exousia, and Huperoche,   ► 1 Timothy
  2:12 (1 Tim.  | In
  Greek, each of these words associated with authority have a distinct meaning. 
  ► | This
  distinction is not acknowledged in English Bible translations.  In English, each word translates to the
  generic “authority”. 1 | “I do
  not permit a woman to teach or to have authority
  (authenteo)
  over a man” NIV Restricting women from teaching,
  preaching and holding positions of leadership, has been torn from its unique
  temporary  ▼             ▼             ▼ to all women in all churches
  throughout all time.  This restriction
  is “founded upon a single obscure disputed Greek word.” 
  1 | “I do not permit a woman to (abuse, domineer, or usurp) authority (authenteo) over a man.” Paul is thought to have said this
  in response to the unruly domineering behavior of women with pagan worship
  backgrounds.  Pagan mythology and
  Gnostic influence in  These false teachings were being
  brought into the church and needed to be stopped and corrected. 6 
  Paul gave this correction in
  verses 13 & 14: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not
  the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a
  sinner.”  Paul also addresses Eve’s
  origins in Ephesians 5:23 when he says, “the husband is the head [“kephale”
  (source)] of the wife.” (see “kephale” below) | 
| (2) Huperoche (Greek) Superiority
  in rank, authority. 1 | 1Timothy
  2:1-2 | “I
  urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and
  thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority (huperoche)…” |  |  |  | 
| (3) Exousia (Greek) Authority,
  jurisdiction, power, or right.  It
  “…conveys a sense of ability and capacity.” 1 (Continued
  next page) Exousia (continued) | 2
  Corinthians 10:8 1
  Corinthians 9:4 1
  Corinthians 11:10 | “For
  even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority
  (exousia)
  the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down…” NIV “Don’t
  we have the right (exousia) to
  food and drink?” NIV |  | “For
  this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority (exousia) on her head” NIV  ▼           ▼          ▼ “For
  this cause ought the woman to have power
  (exousia)
  on her
  head because of the angels.” KJV  King James Version incorrectly
  “…adds an explanatory footnote: ‘That is, a covering, in sign that she is
  under the power of her husband.’” 1 The Living Letters, Phillips, and
  Good News for Modern Man Bible translations say the covering is a sign of the
  husband’s authority over the wife. 5 The original Greek biblical text
  never says this. | “Therefore
  ought the woman authority [liberty] (exousia) to have on the head because of the
  angels.” 1 “…literally translated says that a
  woman ought to have power over her own head.”  8    ▼          ▼          There
  is not the slightest justification from a linguistic point of view to
  translate exousia as a ‘sign of authority.’”  1 “The most straightforward meaning
  of the expression [verse 10] taken alone would probably be that the woman
  ought to have authority over her own head, that is, authority to make
  decisions about her head (in this context most likely on the subject of
  veiling).” 9 “Authority [exousia] usually has
  an active sense indicating one’s own power….” 10 “We think Paul was saying that the
  women who were praying and prophesying in the church at  | 
| (4) Epitage (Greek) Authority,
  commandment. 1 | Titus
  2:15 | “These,
  then, are the things you should teach. 
  Encourage and rebuke with all authority
  (epitage)…” |  |  |  | 
| Diakonos (Greek) Deacon or
  minister Diakonos “…appears twenty times in
  Paul’s letters.  In sixteen of those
  instances it is translated ‘minister’, in three ‘deacon.’  Only in the case of Phoebe is it translated
  ‘servant.’  The word should be
  ‘minister’ here too.  We do not know in
  what manner Phoebe ministered, whether in teaching, overseeing, or other
  practical ministries; but she was definitely a minister, not a servant.  The Greek word generally translated
  “servant” is the word doulos,
  which referred to slaves.  In this case
  it is definitely not accurate to use it.” 11 | Romans
  16: 1  ► Colossians  1 Thess.
  3:2     ► Colossians
  1:7 ► Ephesians
  6:21► |  | “…the hope of the gospel which you
  heard, which was preached…which I, Paul, became a minister (diakonos).” NKJV “and sent Timothy, our brother and
  minister of God (diakonos) and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ….” NKJV “You learned it from Epaphras, our
  dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister
  (diakonos) of Christ on our behalf…” NIV “Tychicus.
  A beloved brother and faithful minister
  (diakonos) in the Lord, will make all things
  known to you…. NKJV | “I commend
  to you our sister Phoebe, a servant (diakonos) of the church in Cenchrea.”
  NIV Living
  Letters Bible translates diakonos “a dear Christian woman.”  Good News for Modern Man says, “who serves
  the church at Cenchrea.”  5 | “I
  Commend to you our sister Phoebe, a
  minister (diakonos) of the church in Cenchrea.” “…the word ‘deacon’ in reference
  to Phoebe, is translated some other way (“servant”) in KJV, ‘deaconess’ in
  others….However, Paul describes her with the same word that he uses to
  describe himself, Apollos, Tychicus, Epaphras, Timothy….” 
  7 The New
  King James Version translates “diakonos”
  as “minister” when referring to
  men and “servant” when referring to
  a woman: Phoebe. “There is no such Greek word as
  deaconess.”  5 | 
| Gunaikas (Greek) Women | 1 Timothy
  3:11 (Addressing the qualifications for
  deacons) |  |  | “Even so must their wives (gunaikas) be….” KJV “In the same way, their wives (gunaikas) are to be ….” NIV “…the phrase “their wives” does
  not appear in the Greek.” [i] | “Likewise, women (gunaikas) deacons are to be….” “In 1611, King James of  Although
  Scripture recognized women would be deacons, the 1611 Anglican priests could
  not. According to their “Translation Notes” opened in 1961 after being under
  Royal Seal for 350 years, one priest justifies this intentional alteration of
  Scripture, writing: “ If we let the women be deacons, the next thing you know
  they will want to be priests.” [iii] | 
| Prostatis (Greek) Champion,
  protector, leader or presider 21 “Justin Martyr used the term to
  indicate the person presiding at Communion. 
  The verbal equivalent occurs at Rom. 12:8; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim.
  3:4-5, 12; 5:17; Titus 3:8, 14,in all of which descries the action of
  governing.”  21 | Romans
  16:2 |  |  | (Phoebe) “…so that you may welcome her in the Lord
  as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from
  you, for she has been a benefactor (prostatis) of many and of myself as well.” NRSV “… she has been a great help (prostatis) to many people….” NIV “…she has been a helper (prostatis) of many….” NKJV | “…she has been a leader [or champion or defender] (prostatis) of many and of myself as well.” “Some scholars have suggested that
  the last phrase of Rom. 16:2 should be translated ‘She has been ordained, even by me, as an officer over many.’” 21 “From classical Greek writings on
  through patristic writings it is used in its masculine form as chief, the
  leader of a party, one who stands before and protects, champion, defender,
  ruler, leader, supporter...Thayers Greek Lexicon gives the primary meaning
  for this word as ‘a woman set over others.’” 11 | 
| Hamebâsarot (Hebrew) “The women who bring the news” 17 The “ot” ending in Hebrew is a feminine indicator and means “women.” 17 | Psalm
  68:11 | “The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those who proclaimed it (hamebâsarot).” NKJV “…great was the company of those that publish the word of the
  Lord (hamebâsarot).” KJV | When the Old Testament was first
  translated into English, women did not teach or preach. This Hebrew text has
  them doing so. The English translators ignored the Hebrew feminine indicator
  that meant “women,” and replaced
  it with a generic “those.” |  | “…great was the company of those women who publish the word of
  the Lord (hamebâsarot).” 5 The
  Hebrew word for “publish” is bâsar. 
  Used in this passage, it means to “announce (glad news): -messenger,
  preach, publish, shew forth….16 The
  correct translation of this Old Testament passage suggests some women
  legitimately proclaimed the Word of God publicly. | 
| Kephale (Greek) Head. In modern English, “head” means
  leader or authority.  In ancient Greek
  “head” (kephale) rarely meant this.  “The linguistic evidence points
  strongly, if not overwhelmingly, away from the common [English] reading of
  head as ‘chief,’ ‘ruler,’ ‘authority over’….The range of meanings which
  kephale had in ordinary Greek were ‘origin’ or ‘source’ or ‘starting
  point’….” 12 The normal Greek meaning of kephale was “source,
  source of life, source of origin, exalted originator and completer.”
  13 (Continued
  next page) Kephale
  (Continued) | 1
  Corinthians 11:3 “Obviously, Christ is Lord of all
  and therefore Lord of the church.  But never does the New Testament define
  Christ’s relation to the church as its head in terms of lordship, authority
  or rulership.  As head to the church,
  Christ is always the servant who gives the church all she needs to become his
  radiant Bride.  So is the husband to
  his wife (Eph.  | “…the head (kephale) of every man is Christ, and the head (kephale) of the woman is the man, and the head (kephale) of Christ is God.” (NIV) “…the head (kephale) of every man is Christ; the head (kephale) of the woman is her husband, and
  the head (kephale)of Christ is God.” (RSV) “…a
  wife is responsible to (kephale) her husband, her husband is responsible to (kephale) Christ, and Christ is responsible to (kephale) God.” (Living Letters) “…Christ
  is supreme over (kephale) every man, the husband is supreme over (kephale) his wife, and God is supreme over (kephale) Christ.” (Good News for Modern Man) | In
  Hebrew the word for “head” is ro’sh. 
  In Hebrew, head (ro’sh) does mean “chief, leader and superior
  rank.” 14 When the Old Testament was translated from
  Hebrew to Greek (the Septuagint, translated between 250 and 150 B.C.), ro’sh
  was very rarely translated to the Greek word for “head,” kephale.  Of the 180 times ro’sh was translated into
  Greek, only 17 times was it translated to kephale.  And in only 8 out of those 17 times did the
  “translators clearly chose to use kephale for ro’sh when it had a ‘superior
  rank’ meaning.” 14 
  (see Beyond
  Sex Roles, by Gilbert Bilezikian) Paul was
  constantly rejecting pagan and Gnostic teachings brought into the
  church.  Some of these taught that Eve
  existed before Adam. 6 When
  “head” (kephale) is used in 1 Cor. 11:3 and Eph.  | ►
  origins.  Rather than a ‘ruler’ over
  the wife, the husband is the ‘source’ or ‘beginning’ of woman (made from the
  side of Adam), even as God is the ‘origin’ of Christ (1 Cor. 11:3).” 15      “There
  are hundreds of references in the New Testament to religious, governmental,
  civic, familial and military authority figures.  Not one of them is ever designated as
  ‘head’ [kephale].”  4  In the
  New Testament men are never “…given unilateral authority over women or are
  permitted to act as their leaders….The word ‘head’ used figuratively in the
  English language refers to boss, person in authority, leader.  It never has that meaning in New Testament
  Greek….There is no text in Scripture that enjoins wives to obey their
  husbands….There is no allowance made in the New Testament or license given
  for any one believer to wield authority over another adult believer….► | “…the head (kephale) of every man is the Christ; and head (kephale) of every woman is the man; and head (kephale) of Christ is God.” 5 ►
  Leadership is always defined in the New Testament as shared leadership ….The
  call is for mutual subjection (Eph.  Addressing
  heresy surrounding the Trinity, early Greek Father Saint John Chrysostom
  said, “If you think ‘head’ means ‘chief’ or ‘boss’ you skew the godhead!” 15 Ancient
  author Athanasius said of “head” (kephale), “For the head (which is the
  source) of all things is the Son, but God is the head (which is the source)
  of Christ.”  23 Archbishop
  of Alexandria, Cyril said Adam “…became first head, which is source….Christ
  was named the second Adam, he has been placed as head, which is source, of
  those who through him have been formed a new unto him….Therefore he himself
  our source, which is head, has appeared as a human being….Because head means
  source, He establishes the truth for those who are wavering in their mind
  that man is the head of woman, for she was taken out of him….” 23   | 
| Colossians
  1:15-18 (NRSV) “Christ is the source of the
  church’s cohesion as in Him ‘all things hold together’ (v.17), and He is the
  source of the church’s life since He ‘is the beginning’ (v.18)….In the text
  relative to Christ’s headship there is no reference to rank, authority, or
  rulership (vv. 18-20).” 22 | “He is the image of the invisible
  God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and earth
  were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
  rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him.  He himself is before all things, and in him
  all things hold together.  He is the
  head (kephale) of the body, the
  church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from
  the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.  | “The mention of Christ as having
  first place (prōteuōn) [v.18] in all things….declares Christ’s
  primacy as originator of the church (He is “the head of the body”), the
  creator of all things (He is “the beginning”), and the initiator of the
  universal resurrection (“the first-born from the dead”).  All three functions describe Him as the
  source of new realities.”  22 |  |  | |
| Colossians
  2:19 (NRSV) | “…the head (kephale), from whom the whole body nourished and held together by its
  ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.”  | “The body draws from the head the
  vitalities that make cohesion and growth possible.  Again headship is described in terms that
  evoke solicitous  ► | ► servanthood and sustained
  provision of life resources.”  22 |  | |
| Hupotasso (Greek) Submit or
  be subject “…hupotasso…has several different meanings…Beside the sense of
  complying with the wishes of another, the verb sometimes has the concept of
  responsible behavior toward others [1 Cor.                                ►           | Ephesians
  5:22 ► …Another meaning is that of being brought
  into a sphere of influence [Rom.                           | ► “…the Greek word for submission,
  hupotasso, is written in the Greek middle voice, which means it is something
  that an individual imposes upon himself or herself. It means to choose to
  yield to another, rather than demanding one’s own way.  Submission remains the freewill right of
  the one choosing to yield. It cannot be demanded from another individual or
  imposed upon one person by another.” 25                                  ► | ► “…when the Bible talks
  about submission, or directs someone to submit, it is instead an expansion on
  the particulars of the Servanthood principle (Matt.  | “Wives, submit to your husbands as
  to the Lord.” (NIV) ► This translation for Eph.  Also, the original Greek writings
  were not divided by paragraphs and chapters. The divisions we see today
  happened during translation. The tragic result of placing verses 21 and 22
  into separate paragraphs and then wrongly inserting “submit” into v. 22, is
  the false unbiblical notion of unilateral wifely submission.  ► | “Submit (hupotasso) to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” 11   (Eph.  ► In Ephesians 5:21-33,
  “…authority is not the issue, but rather self-sacrificing love and mutual
  respect. Here husbands and wives are told to let their relationship imitate
  the relationship of Christ and the church in the sense that the church
  submits to the life-giving, self-sacrificing love of Christ for the church.” 26 “How desperately we need to see
  that mutual submission in marriage and the family is not subtraction of wifely
  submission, but the addition of husbandly submission. Only that is the
  perfect biblical equation. In decision making within marriage, the ‘one’ who
  makes the decisions should be the ‘two become one.’” 27 “Those insisting upon the biblical
  mandate that wives should be subject to their husbands would do very well to
  consider the instructions that husbands should be subject to their wives (1
  Cor. 7:3-4; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:3; 1 Peter 3:7).  While all Christians are called to be
  subject to one another, Paul made it very clear that it was not right to
  yield the slightest submission to an individual whose behavior or
  communications were wrong (Gal. 2:5-6).” 24  | 
| Oikodespotin (Greek) The verb
  form of despotis (“present,
  active, infinitive”), it means: “to rule a household.” 20   Despotis (Greek) “authority,
  master, owner.” 20 Despotis “…is translated ‘master’
  of slaves in Titus 2:9, 1 Timothy 6:1, and 1Peter  | 1Timothy  |  | Other places in scripture, when
  referring to men, despotis is
  translated “head” and used as “head of the house,” even though “kephale” (the
  actual Greek word for “head,”) is not written in the text.  (See Matt.  Here “one can see that despotis is
  clearly intended by scriptural authors for concepts very different from
  kephale.”  20 | “Therefore I want younger widows
  to get married, bear children, keep
  house (oikodespotin), and give the enemy no occasion for
  reproach.”
  (NASB) “…manage their homes (oikodespotin)….” (NIV) “It is interesting that the NASB
  translates the male context of the word as ‘head of the house,’ but the
  female context as ‘housekeeper.’”  20 | “Therefore I want younger widows
  to get married, bear Children, be
  masters of the house [or, “rule the house”] (oikodespotin), and give the enemy no occasion for reproach.” “…1 Timothy 5:14 is the only
  instruction from Paul in which he uses such strong language – despotis - for
  someone to master or lord over the household, and he clearly states that it
  is to be a woman!”  20 This passage cannot be used
  to support wife only rule in the home, but it can be used to bring into
  question the concept of husband only leadership and rule in the home. | 
For information concerning
interpretation of Scripture as it relates to men and women, see books listed
below.
- Beyond
Sex Roles: What the Bible Says About a Woman’s Place in Church and Family,
By: Gilbert Bilezikian (Baker Books)
- Listening
to the Spirit in the Text, By: Gordon D. Fee (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing)
- Women,
Authority & The Bible, Edited by Alvera Mickelsen
- Speaking
of Women: Interpreting Paul, By: Andrew Perriman
- Equal
to Serve: Women and Men Working Together Revealing the Gospel, By: Gretchen
Gaebelein Hull (Baker Books)
- Paul,
Women and Wives: Marriage and Women’s Ministry I the Letters of Paul, By:
Craig S. Keener
- Call
Me Blessed: The Emerging Christian Woman, By: Faith Martin (
- 10
Lies the Church Tells Women: How the Bible has been misused to keep women
in spiritual bondage, By: Lee Grady
- Men
Are From 
- Equal
to the Task: Men & Women in Partnership, By: Ruth Haley Barton
- I
Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1Timothy 2:11-15 in Light of Ancient
Evidence, Richard Clark Kroeger & Catherine Clark Kroeger
- Male
and Female in Christ: Discover What the Bible Really Says about Women – and
about Men, By: Carrie A. Miles & Laurence R. Iannaccone
- Women,
Abuse and the Bible: How Scripture Can Be Used to Hurt or Heal, Edited by
Catherine Clark Kroeger & James R. Beck (Baker Books)
REFERENCES:
1           Faith
Martin, Call Me Blessed (1st
edition. 
2           Byron
& Sue Ann Curtis, “Comment,” Covenanter
Witness, July 1983, p.18, (cited in Call
Me Blessed, Faith Martin)
3           R.
David Freedman, “Woman, A Power Equal to Man,” Biblical Archeology Review, Jan. / Feb. 1983, p.56, (cited in Call Me Blessed, Faith Martin)
4           Gilbert
Bilezikian, “A Challenge for Proponents of Female Subordination To Prove Their
Case from The Bible,” (Challenge #1), From Christians for Biblical   Equality website: www.cbeinternational.org
5           Berkeley
and Alvera Mickelsen, “Does Male Dominance Tarnish Our Translations? Christianity
Today, 
6           Catherine
Clark Kroeger, “1 Timothy 
7           Alvera
Mickelsen, “Did Paul Practice What We’re Told He Preached?” Christians for
Biblical Equality website: www.cbeinternational.org
8                      Catherine Clark
Kroeger, “Toward an Egalitarian Hermeneutic of Faith” Christians for Biblical
Equality website: www.cbeinternational.org
9                      Liefeld, “Women,
Submission and Ministry in 1 Corinthians,” in Women, Authority, and the Bible, ed. Alvera Mickelsen (Downers
Grove, Ill.: Inter Varsity,            1986),
p. 145. (cited in Call Me Blessed,
Faith Martin)
10                    Susan Foh, Women and the Word of God (Phillipsburg,
N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1979), p.113. (cited in Call Me Blessed, Faith   Martin)
11                    Patricia Gundry, Woman be Free (1st edition.
Zondervan Publishing Co.,1977; 
12                    Walter C. Kaiser
Jr.; Peter H. Davids; F.F. Bruce; Manfred T. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the
Bible (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1996), p.599
13                    Joe Trull, “Is the
Head of the House at Home?” Priscilla
Papers, Summer 2000, p. 5, originally found in Berkeley and Alvera
Mickelsen, “The ‘Head’ of the Epistles,” Christianity
Today, February 20, 1981, as cited from Gilbert Bilezikian, Beyond Sex
Roles (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, 1990)
14                    Berkeley and Alvera
Mickelsen, “The ‘Head’ of the Epistles,” Christianity
Today, 
15                    Joe Trull, “Is the
Head of the House at Home?” Priscilla
Papers, Summer 2000, p. 5, from Joannis Chrysostom, S.P.N. Joannis Chryostomi, Archiepiscopi
Constantinopolitani, Opera Omnia Quae Existant, Patrologiae Cursus
Completus, Series Graece, ed. J. P. Migne, no. 61 (Paris: Apud Garnier Fratres,
1862), p. 215 – 16.
16                    James Strong, Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,
(Riverside Book and Bible House, 
17                    Rabbi Alexander
Greenbaum (translated) Beth El Congregation of South Hills Pittsburgh, PA 
18                    James Strong, Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,
In the Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, p.38, reference#2458.
19                    Daniel B. Wallace
and Michael H. Burer, “Was Junia Really an Apostle?” The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Fall 2001, p. 4.
20                    Brian Neuschwander,
“Women As ‘Masters of the House,’” Priscilla
Papers, Summer 2000, p. 5
21                    Study Bible for Women, The New Testament, (New Revised
Standard Version), Edited by Catherine Clark Kroeger, Mary Evans & Elaine
Storkey (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, 1995) p. 321, p.400 
22                    Gilbert Bilezikian,
Beyond Sex Roles (Baker Books, Grand
Rapids, MI 1985), Appendix.
23                    Catherine Clark
Kroeger, “The Classical Concept of Head
as ‘Source,’” found in Appendix III in Equal
to Serve, by Gretchen Gaebelein Hull (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Books, 1998),
p. 268.
24                    Catherine Clark
Kroeger, “God’s Purposes in the Midst of Human Sin,” from Women, Abuse and the Bible, edited by Catherine Clark Kroeger and
James R. Beck, (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1996) p. 210 – 213
25                    J. Lee Grady, 10 Lies the Church Tells Women (Charisma
House, Strang Communications Company, 
26                    Rebecca Merrill
Groothuis, “Biblical Submission within Marriage: What we have been told the
Bible teaches versus what the Bible really teaches,” Christians for Biblical
Equality website address: www.cbeinternational.org/biblical_submission_within_marri.htm 
27                    Gretchen Gaebelein
Hull, Equal to Serve, (Baker Books,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 1998), p. 200
28                    Dennis J. Preato,
“A Female Apostle,” Priscilla Papers, Spring
2003, p. 23, from Leonard Swidler, Biblical
Affirmations of Woman (
29                    Dennis J. Preato,
“A Female Apostle,” Priscilla Papers, Spring
2003, p. 23, from Craig S. Keener, Paul,
Women and Wives (
Publishers, 1992),
p. 242.