The Hebrew Truth About God's Nature
"You heard the voice of words, but saw no form..." — Deuteronomy 4:12
From the beginning, the 3 oldest Bible sources (Paleo-Hebrew, Aramaic Scrolls, and Early Square Script) reveal something powerful that later translations hide: Yhwh transcends gender yet expresses Himself through both masculine and feminine traits.
This foundational truth shows Yhwh has no physical body and thus no biological gender. Yet when He reveals Himself, He uses both masculine and feminine imagery to help us understand His complete nature.
The oldest Hebrew texts show Yhwh as:
"A man of war" (Exodus 15:3)
"YHWH is a man of war; YHWH is his name."
This reveals Yhwh's strength and protection.
"Our Father" (Isaiah 64:8)
"But now, O YHWH, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter."
Emphasizing authority and discipline.
"King" (Psalm 47:7)
"For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!"
Highlighting sovereign rule.
These masculine roles reveal Yhwh's strength, protection, authority, and discipline. In ancient Hebrew culture, these were primarily father qualities.
The same ancient texts also show Yhwh as:
"Like a mother eagle" stirring her nest (Deuteronomy 32:11)
"Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young."
Showing protective nurturing.
"As one whom his mother comforts" (Isaiah 66:13)
"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you."
Emphasizing compassion and comfort.
"Like a woman in labor" (Isaiah 42:14)
"I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant."
Revealing creative and birthing aspects.
These feminine images reveal Yhwh's nurturing, comfort, protection, and birth-giving aspects. These qualities were understood as primarily maternal in ancient Hebrew thought.
Most powerfully, in all three ancient sources, Yhwh's Spirit is grammatically feminine:
וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת — "And the Spirit of God was hovering..." (Genesis 1:2)
The Hebrew word for Spirit, רוּחַ (Ruach), is feminine. The verb מְרַחֶפֶת (merachefet = "was hovering") is in feminine form.
When the Spirit rests on leaders (Numbers 11:25) — feminine form.
When the Spirit moves the prophets (Ezekiel 2:2) — feminine form.
When the Spirit gives wisdom (Isaiah 11:2) — feminine form.
In Proverbs, Yhwh's Wisdom (חָכְמָה/Chokhmah) is portrayed as a woman who:
Early Hebrew understood Wisdom and Spirit as connected aspects of Yhwh's feminine presence.
Later Greek and Latin translations obscured this truth by:
But the 3 ancient Bible sources preserve this richer understanding:
When we return to the original Hebrew understanding:
This isn't modern revisionism — it's the original truth from the earliest Bible sources, before Greek philosophical categories narrowed our understanding of the Divine.