Bible On Gender Equality

A very crucial topic I honestly don't hear as much about from the church as I would like is gender equality in the Biblical text, so I decided to begin posting about it tonight.  This is not going to be a logical refutation of the root of all sexism, but instead this will just focus on proving that the Bible does not posit that women have less intrinsic value than males.  All I intend to achieve in this post is just that and nothing more, so a more elaborate analysis of gender equality, its ramifications, and Biblical sections sometimes accused of misogyny is due later.  As usual, I will rely almost exclusively on the Old Testament to prove my point.

The Bible doesn't conceal its support of gender equality at all:


--Genesis 1:27-28--"So God made man is his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them . . ."

--Galatians 3:28--"There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."


Both genders possess equal legal rights before Mosaic Law:


--Exodus 21:20--"If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished . . ."

--Exodus 21:26-27--"If a man hits the eye of a manservant or maidservant and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye.  And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth."

--Exodus 21:28--"If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten."

--Deuteronomy 15:12--"If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free."


God ensured that Mosaic Law protected both men and women from various harms, and below you can find a few of the verses that confirm the legal protection of women:


--Exodus 21:10-11--"If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing, and marital rights.  If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money."

--Exodus 21:22--"If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows."

--Exodus 22:22--"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan."

--Deuteronomy 22:25-27--"But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die.  Do nothing to the girl; she has committed no sin deserving death."


A marital relationship should be defined by selfless interest in the wellbeing of each partner, and married men are certainly supposed to view their wives as equals and like extensions of their own body.  Women have just as much authority over their husbands as the husbands have over their wives:


--Deuteronomy 24:5--"If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him.  For one year is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married."

--Song of Songs 6:3 (the woman speaking)--"I am my lover's and my lover is mine; . . ."

--1 Corinthians 7:3-4--"The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.  The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband.  In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife."


Yes, I know this is not an exhaustive list of all verses pertaining to gender, egalitarianism, female value, and misogyny charges, and I realize that many other passages and verses require an explanation.  Additional posts on this topic will arrive at various times in the future.