What is God's Gender? Neither Male Nor Female (pronouns)
- Elaine R Kelly
- Feb 3, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 21
What does it mean that Humans are in God's Image?
How can each individual, woman or man, be in God’s image (Gen. 1.27) when women and men are different? By realizing God is neither male nor female, but a spirit. Each human is an image of God in the way that ancient peoples used images or statues to represent their gods.
The Bible never says that God made males in God's image or that only men are made in God's image. The Bible uses the Hebrew word 'Adam' to mean 'mankind' until Genesis 4, when the word 'Adam' begins to refer to the individual man.
The first male-female human
When the Bible says God created man in God's image, it is translating the Hebrew word that literally means 'humans' or 'mankind'. In other words, all humans are created in God's image: male and female and everything in between. In fact, after using the Hebrew word for 'mankind', it is described as male-female (no "and") (Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 5:1-2).
As God is both male and female, perhaps the original human in God's image was male, female, or exhibited characteristics of both genders. A hundred years ago, Katharine Bushnell wrote that first-century Jews theorized that the original human was a male-female in one person. Lesson 3 of her book God's Word to Women [1] suggests an androgynous first human in God's image would have presented two sexes in one individual. Scientists have seen other mammals develop from hermaphroditism to differentiated unisexuality. In Lesson 5, Bushnell quotes a naturalist describing a fissiparous system of reproduction, in which a cleft or fissure in one body contains organs that become double to form two individuals, each with traces of a dual nature. She discusses "the possible original bisexual nature of the human being, the androgynous, or hermaphrodite state, which persists, imperfectly, to the present time within the human family." (Lesson 5). I write about how the original first human may have been non-binary in the image of God.
Does the use of gender-neutral terms have a different impact on how you view God?
Check out the biblical references to God's pronouns at the end of this post.
God's Plural Pronouns (they/our)
In the three persons of the Holy Trinity, some may use the terms Father, Son, and Spirit and refer to them as all male. Elohim is a Hebrew word that is both singular and plural (like the word sheep in English). In Genesis 1, Elohim, our Creator, includes the Spirit (breath, wind) and the light (word, Jesus):
"In the beginning God[Elohim] created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [Elohim] moved upon the face of the waters. And God [Elohim] said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:1 KJV, square brackets added).
The Psalmist also says that Elohim stands high among a group of gods:
"God [Elohim] standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods [elohim]." (Psalm 82:1 KJV, square brackets added)
All humans are made in the image of the plural Holy Trinity, containing male and female traits. The Holy Trinity can also be described as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. God self-identifies with plural pronouns:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26 KJV, bold emphasis added).
God's Neutral Pronouns (it/its)
Jesus describes himself with images having neutral pronouns, such as:
the way (John 14:6)
the vine (John 15:5)
the bread (John 6:35)
the light (John 8:12)
the gate (John 10:9)
In traditional old English, the word 'it' was used for small children or for pets::
'a baby knows its mother'.
'the puppy won't eat its kibble'
Jesus with female Pronouns
Jesus describes himself with female imagery in several places:
Jesus as a mother hen:
"How often I have wanted to gather your people together, as a mother hen gathers her little ones under her wings. Matthew 23:37 Worldwide English New Testament, SOON Education Publications.
Jesus as a shepherd is not a male description, since women in the Bible were shepherds.
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11).
Jesus portrays God as a woman seeking a lost coin.
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)
Jesus put to death the sins of all humans when he died on the cross; he did not represent only males. Believers are redeemed regardless of gender. Having the pronoun 'he' is less relevant or important than the unimaginable fact of God becoming mortal, taking on human flesh.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NRSVUE)
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human" Philippians 2:5-7 NRSVUE
In my biblical fiction, I engage the biblical imagery of God as both male and female:
“Human beings are made in God’s image. God is neither male nor female and we all share God’s spiritual, intellectual, compassionate, and creative nature,” said Salome, Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Chapter 23.
God's Female Pronouns (she/her)
We frequently see the Bible referring to God with female imagery, usually around giving birth. Jesus tells Nicodemus that you cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are born again. Jesus does not mean re-entering your human mother's womb, but being born from God's womb. Human flesh gives birth to flesh; God gives birth to our new spiritual life (John 3:3-8). Let's look at where the Bible uses female imagery for God.
Jesus suggests the Holy Spirit is a woman in labour, preparing for Jesus's death and resurrection. He explained how their grief would turn to joy by relating it to the pain of labour and the joy of childbirth.
"A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." (John 16:21 NKJV)
The book of Proverbs personifies God as Lady Wisdom, and the words Holy Wisdom are translated as Hagia Sophia. Sophia is present at creation:
Doesn’t Wisdom cry out and Understanding shout? ...The Lord created me at the beginning of his way, before his deeds long in the past. I was formed in ancient times, at the beginning, before the earth was. Proverbs 8: 1, 22-23 CEB
The Book of Wisdom was in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, and is currently kept in the Apocrypha of the Catholic Bible. In it, wisdom is given the name Sophia, and she is the divine female presence who guided the Israelites as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).
“She led them by a marvelous road. She herself was their shelter by day and their starlight through the night” (Wisdom 10:17) (3)
God is both mother and father, and challenges those who would question the creator; God's children may be women, men, or humans with both qualities:
Doom to one who says to a father, "What have you fathered?” and to a woman, “With what are you in labor?” The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker, says: Are you questioning me about my own children? Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands? (Isaiah 45:1-11 CEB)
God bears us in her belly, carries a pregnancy in her womb and gives birth to Israel:
Listen to me, house of Jacob, all that remains from the house of Israel, who have been borne by me since pregnancy, whom I carried from the womb until you grow old. I am the one, and until you turn gray, I will support you. I have done it, and I will continue to bear it; I will support and I will rescue. (Isaiah 46:3-5 CEB)
God is like a woman in labour to give birth:
"Like a woman in labor I will moan; I will pant, I will gasp. (Isaiah 42:14 CEB).
God gives birth to the nations and nurses them as a mother comforts her child (Isaiah 66:8-13). God breastfeeds her children and bounces us on her knees:
"Thus says the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to her like a river... then shall ye suckle and be borne upon her sides and dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you," Isaiah 66:12-13
God's Biblical Pronouns: He/ She/ It/ They
The Bible does use male pronouns for God and refers to God as our Father. However, that is only part of the picture. The use of English male pronouns and a historical focus on the male imagery of Father and Son have obscured the Bible’s descriptions of God with male, female, plural, and non-gendered imagery. Seeing God as male may lead to incorrectly uplifting the male gender as more godly or more able to represent God or deliver God's words. However, seeing God as exclusively male denies the biblical portrayal of God's full image in all humans, regardless of gender.
Interactive Activity
Let's explore how the Bible uses pronouns for God, including plural pronouns (they/their), neutral pronouns (it), female pronouns (she/her), and male pronouns (he/his). Consider which gender pronoun the Bible verse uses to describe God and tick the appropriate column.
| Male | Female | Neutral | Plural |
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. Genesis 1:26 NLT | | | | |
So, God did just that. He created humanity in His image, created them male and female. Gen. 1:27 VOICE | | | | |
... you forgot the God who gave you birth. Deut. 32:18 AMP | | | | |
Pray like this: Our Father in heaven. Matthew 6:8-9 NLT | | | | |
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Romans 8:16 KJV | | | | |
I am the light of the world. John 8:12 ERV | | | | |
So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35 NLT | | | | |
I will comfort you like a mother comforting her child. Isaiah 66:13 ERV | | | | |
How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings. Matt. 23:37 NLT | | | | |
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1-1 KJV | | | | |
I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs… I will also devour them like a lioness.” Hosea 13:6-8 AMP | | | | |
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Hebrews 11:3 KJV | | | | |
The Word was present at creation: The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. Psalm 33:6 NLT | | | | |
He will call together his friends and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:6-7 NLT | | | | |
She will call in her friends and neighbours and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ Luke 15:9-10 NLT | | | | |
I am the vine. John 15:5 GW | | | | |
Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. Ephesians 5:27 ERV | | | | |
[God has covered me] as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.Isaiah 1:10 (prophecy describing Jesus) | | | | |
Conclusion
Each human is made fully in God's male-female image. Men and women are not made partly in God's image. God is a spirit with both male and female traits. The Bible shows that no trait is specific to just one gender. God made women and men equal at creation, again after the Fall, and again after Christ rose. Let us celebrate that in Christ, there is no favouritism based on gender. We are free to follow God's individual call on our lives.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)
The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)
Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)
Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, A Novel of the Earliest Female Apostles (coming October 2025)
Sources
[1] Katharine Bushnell, God's Word to Women: 100 Lessons
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