Ezer

Ladies!!

Helper/Ally: Ezer (Strong’s 5828)… comes from root azer, to help (Strong’s 5826)

Root: עֵ֫זֶר (ayin, zayin, resh). [Sounds like: etz-ehr]

Genesis 2:18
Then YHWH God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [ezer] suitable for him.”

The word, helper, shows up twenty-one times in the Old Testament:

2 times to describe the Edenic woman (Genesis 2:18 & Genesis 2:20)
1 time to explain that the Hebrew people would not be considered a help to Egypt (Isaiah 30:5)
1 time to explain how the Prince of Jerusalem would be removed and taken to Babylon, and his helpers scattered to the wind (Ezekiel 12:14)
All other times “helper” was used as a descriptor of YHWH

Psalm 33:20
Our soul waits for YHWH. He is our help [ezre’nu] and our shield.

Psalm 115:9-11
O Israel, trust in YHWH; He is their help [ezram] and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in YHWH; He is their help [ezram] and their shield.

You who fear YHWH, trust in YHWH; He is their help [ezram] and their shield.

Clearly God was not a servant here. He was a rescuer (help) and a defender (shield). Ergo, the same can be said of a woman. Being an ezer had nothing to do with being subservient; an ezer was not a docile assistant or submissive side-kick. We would never describe God in these terms, nor should women be given these labels.

The argument, that woman was made to be an assistant to man because she was created to be a “helper”, should end here. Now we know that this word has no connection to the word servant (which in Hebrew is eved). It is much more closely related to the idea of an ally or rescuer… someone who drops everything and comes running when a cry of distress goes out.

Women should take the role of ezer very seriously, as we share this description with YHWH alone! But that does not mean we are the sole inheritors of this designation. All imagers of YHWH are meant to reflect YHWH, and that means that everyone should be allies to those in need. Be the rescuer you were meant to be. God knows the world needs it! If we are to be in servitude to anyone it should be our Creator… dropping everything and doing His will to move His message forward.