Genesis 2 · a question people ask
The woman is called a "helper". Does that make her lesser?
Nothing in the word itself means someone lesser: ezer is used most often of God helping his people. Protestants agree the woman shares God's image and the call to rule (1:27-28). They differ on whether the order in chapter 2 means different roles for men and women.
How Christians read it
Where Christians differ, Favor sets out the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Equal, with distinct roles
Often called complementarian. Man and woman are equal in worth, and the order of creation in chapter 2 also signals different roles in marriage and the church. Paul appeals to that order in 1 Timothy 2:13 and 1 Corinthians 11:8-9.
Genesis 2:18-22 · 1 Timothy 2:13 · 1 Corinthians 11:8-9
Equal, with shared roles
Often called egalitarian. Kenegdo, "comparable to him", stresses a match, not a rank; chapter 1 gives the rule to both together; ruling over one another appears only after the fall (3:16); and in Christ "there is neither male nor female" (Galatians 3:28).
Genesis 1:26-28 · Genesis 2:18 · Genesis 3:16 · Galatians 3:28
The verses
“God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.””
“A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”