Ezer: The Amazing Truth about God and Women - Fruitfully Women (2024)

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Ezer is the transliterated form of the Hebrew word usually translated as “help” or “helper” in the Bible. Recently, it has become popular in discussions about women, however, the most important ezer in the Bible is God. It is only in understanding how God refers to himself as an ezer that we can glean its beautiful meaning for women.

Woman as an Ezer (Help Meet)

The first use of the word ezer in the Bible, or more formallyʿēzer, is in Genesis.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 2:18 (ESV)

After God had created Adam, He determined that he wanted to make him “a helper fit for him.” The word translated as “helper” (and help meet in other Bible versions) is the Hebrew word “ʿēzer.” The next use of the word is only two verses later, again referencing Adam needing a helper.

These are the only two times “ezer” will appear in connection with women. Most of the biblical usage after this is about God.

God as an Ezer

Of the 21 times the word is used in the Bible, 16 uses are attributed to God. If “ezer” means helper, how, in fact, is God helping his people? In most instances of the word, God is attributed as helping Israel defeat its enemies.

Moses’ Blessing to Israel

For example, Moses gives Israel a final blessing before his death which we can find in Deuteronomy 33. The word “ezer” is used three separate times in his blessing and it is translated as help (in bold).

“And this he said of Judah: “Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.” …

Deuteronomy 33:7 (ESV)

26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. 27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’ …

Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (ESV)

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Deuteronomy 33:29 (ESV)

These scriptures are infused with military rhetoric. And of course, they are. Israel is about to enter the promised land and contend with opposition from various groups. Joshua leads Israel to many military victories, but only because God was their ezer.

In the Book of Psalms

Ezer is used most times in the book of Psalms. Eleven times to be exact. At least three of those Psalms are attributed to King David. David was a warrior king who spent most of his life fighting wars or managing rebellions. The psalms that he wrote often reflect his hardships as a warrior and/or a military king. See the famous Psalm 70.

1 To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering. Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! 2 Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! 3 Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!” 4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” 5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!

Psalm 70 (ESV)

David calls God his help, his ezer. Whether he was running from Saul or engaging his enemies, it was God who he relied on as his helper in times of trouble.

The other Psalms often juxtapose God as an ezer in comparison to others who cannot provide reliable help. For example, Psalm 33 warns the hearer against trusting in their military strength but to instead trust in God, their ezer. Psalm 115 compares God, the ezer, with the gods of other nations that can provide no help. Finally, Psalm 146 says to not put trust in princes (rulers) but to trust in God, an ezer to his people.

Unreliable Ezers

Keeping in line with the usage in Psalms, the other uses in the Bible also pertain to allies or helpers who are unable to be ezers at all. In Isaiah 30:5, God uses strong words against Egypt, a significant power at that time in history whom Israel would run to for help.

5 everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.” … 7 Egypt’s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.”

Isaiah 30:5, 7 (ESV)

In God’s rebuke, He makes it clear that Egypt is not an ezer, and the help that they provide is worthless. Interestingly, the second word translated as help in verse 7 is the Hebrew word ʿāzar, the root word of ezer.

The same theme runs in Ezekiel 12:14. This is a prophecy of the eventual fate of King Zedekiah whom the Babylonians blinded and took captive.

And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.

Ezekiel 12:14 (ESV)

The implication here in Ezekiel 12 is that these “helpers” are military in nature. We learn in II Kings 25, that indeed Zedekiah’s army was not adequate enough to help him flee from the Babylonians. This military strength was not a reliable ezer.

The Message for Women

What lessons can we glean from this word study? God is the supreme ezer. We cannot trust in the power of great militaries or nations. Only He is our help in times of trouble. He is who we run to first. He is the one we must seek. That must be our default reaction when difficulties arise. But there is also a beautiful message here for us women.

God does not share his role as an ezer. Other gods cannot be ezers. Rulers cannot be ezers. Strong military allies cannot be ezers. A nation’s own military cannot be an ezer. But there is one individual in the Bible whom God calls an ezer and created her for that purpose. Woman. So when the enemy, the culture, or even your loved ones in your life try to demean your role as a woman–remember, you were created to be an ezer, a privilege given to you by the creator of the heavens and the earth.

For a practical discussion on how to be a biblical ezer, read my article: The Powerful Meaning of Help Meet

For further study, here is the list of all the uses of the word “ezer.”

Other articles about womanhood that might be of interest:

  • Why Did God Create Woman?
  • Created in God’s Image

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FAQs

What does the name Ezer mean in the Bible? ›

Ezer is a powerful word. Scholar R. David Freeman observes that it is a combination of two words, one meaning “to rescue,” “to save,” the other meaning “to be strong.” Dr. Walter Kaiser, theologian and author, notes that ezer appears in the Old Testament often in parallel with words denoting strength or power.

What is the ezer in Genesis 2-18? ›

In the English translations of Genesis 2:18, the word used to describe Eve, the partner Adam needs, is typically translated three different ways. The original word in the Hebrew is the noun ezer, עֵזֶר. The translation changes most commonly between, helper, helpmate, and helpmeet in the King James Bible.

What is the idea for the Hebrew word ezer referring to the woman? ›

And so God created woman to be an ezer to man. But this word, translated as helper, is not about making brunch and darning a man's socks. This word means an ally or rescuer, someone who comes running when the people cry out for help.

Who are the righteous women of God in the Bible? ›

The scriptures give us names of several women who have blessed individuals and generations with their spiritual gifts. Eve, the mother of all living; Sarah; Rebekah; Rachel; Martha; Elisabeth; and Mary, the mother of our Savior, will always be honored and remembered.

Is the holy spirit called Ezer? ›

The Holy Spirit is the Breath of Life

The word "ezer or helper", now comes into play.

What is the role of a woman as a helper? ›

As a 'helper', the wife's role is to share the tasks of life as agreed together as a couple and to help her husband by allowing him to be responsible to Christ. She supports him physically and spiritually whenever he needs that support to perform his love and service to her and to God.

Where does God refer to himself as Ezer? ›

The word ezer appears in the Old Testament twenty-one times—twice for the woman (Genesis 2:18 and 20), three times for nations Israel turned to for military assistance when they were under attack (Isaiah 30:5; Ezekiel 12:14; Daniel 11:34), and sixteen times for God (Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33:7, 26, 29; Psalm 20:2; 33 ...

What does el ezer mean? ›

El-ezer means “God's help.” In Genesis 2:18, God told the first man that it was not good that he was alone, and that he would make an ezer for him. An ezer is strong aid, or help in trouble.

What does the Bible say about a woman being a helper? ›

' But in Genesis 2:18, having made the man some time before the woman, he said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. ' That 'suitable helper' was Eve, the first woman. The first thing in all of creation that God calls 'not good' is the dire need for women.

Who is the father of Ezer in the Bible? ›

These [were] the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 4 Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrathah. Hur was the leader of Bethlehem. His three sons were Etam, Penuel, and Ezer.

What is the female aspect of God called in Hebrew? ›

Shekhinah is a Hebrew term, grammatically feminine, originally used in the rabbinic literature to refer to God's presence in the world. In the medieval Kabbalah, Shekhinah became a central aspect of religious practice.

What was God's original purpose for a woman? ›

The purpose of God in the creation of woman was to provide man with a help meet. The language is unmistakable. “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make for him a helper suited to him.” Woman was made to be man's helpmeet in Eden; that purpose survives the fall.

How to be a righteous woman of God? ›

We hope these characteristics and their accompanying verses help spur you on to be the kind of woman that God created you to be.
  1. Seek God First. Reject the lie that anything or anyone else can satisfy you. ...
  2. Speak Faithfully. ...
  3. Show True Beauty. ...
  4. Stay Humble. ...
  5. Serve the Lord.
May 7, 2019

How can a woman be righteous? ›

Of this you may be certain: The Lord especially loves righteous women—women who are not only faithful but filled with faith, women who are optimistic and cheerful because they know who they are and where they are going, women who are striving to live and serve as women of God.

Who was the first black woman in the Bible? ›

Hagar is repeatedly called an Egyptian in the book of Genesis where her story features in the Old Testament (Gen 16:1, 3; 21:9; 25:12), which means that she was of African descent. Equally significant is the fact that she is also called maidservant, handmaid or slave woman.

What does the name El Ezer mean in Hebrew? ›

El-ezer means “God's help.” In Genesis 2:18, God told the first man that it was not good that he was alone, and that he would make an ezer for him. An ezer is strong aid, or help in trouble.

Does ezer mean warrior? ›

4 Ezer is an explicit way that God's daughters are called to image God. She is a warrior on behalf of God's kingdom and joins the man in battling the darkness, advancing God's kingdom, and watching his back. Grenz, “Biblical Priesthood and Women in Ministry,” 282.

Who are the children of Ezer in the Bible? ›

ESV These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. NIV The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.

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