- by Carrie Shaw
- on July 16, 2025
Much has been said about biblical womanhood – not all of it necessarily biblical.
Not unlike the woman of Mr Darcy’s estimation, who must possess “a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and all the modern languages”, the so-called “biblical woman” of many Evangelical circles is often expected to be quiet, moderate, accomplished in home-keeping, submissive, and, ideally, a mother.
While motherhood is indeed a grand calling, and children “a blessing from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3), it is neither a woman’s highest calling nor her only spiritual contribution. Not every woman is or will be a mother – and not being so is neither a failure nor a lesser fulfilment of God’s purpose for her life. Nor is every woman a wife. Marriage, like motherhood, is a beautiful gift, but it is not the measure of a woman’s worth or faithfulness or the ultimate purpose for which a woman was created.
True biblical womanhood is not simply a spiritual euphemism for motherhood or matrimony, nor is it a coded reference to a complementarian framework.
The biblical woman we see in the Scriptures is something else entirely. From the Garden of Eden to the final pages of Revelation, womanhood is revealed to be fierce, formidable, and essential – not a supporting role, but a vital thread in the fabric of God’s redemptive story, standing alongside her male counterpart.
From the ezer kenegdo of Genesis to the mighty woman of valour in Proverbs 31 to the warrior wife of Ephesians 5, biblical womanhood paints a woman as strong, wise, and battle-ready – created to stand firm in the face of darkness, to defend what is good, and to bear the image of God with courage and grace alongside men.
The Ezer Kenegdo Of Genesis
The crowning glory of God’s creation was humanity, and Eve the final masterstroke. Created from Adam’s side, her status was equal to his – made in the image of God, with the same capacity to reflect His glory (Genesis 1:27).
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind (adam in Hebrew) in our image, in our likeness…’ So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27)
The Hebrew phrase ezer kenegdo is often translated as “help meet” or “helper fit for him” in Genesis 2:18, which can suggest a secondary or subordinate role. But the word ezer is used elsewhere in the Old Testament almost exclusively to describe God’s own help for Israel (Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 33:20) – and never in a weak or servile sense. It speaks of strength, rescue, and deliverance.
Kenegdo means “corresponding to” or “alongside,” suggesting equal strength in relationship – face-to-face, or side-by-side. This is further reflected by the Genesis narrative, where it is said that Eve is formed “from Adam’s side”, the one human becoming two. Through marriage, Genesis further comments, it is as if those two become one again – a picture not of hierarchy, but of mutuality, unity, and shared purpose.
Together, the phrase paints a picture of biblical womanhood, from the very beginning, as a strong ally – a co-labourer, standing shoulder to shoulder, to strengthen, support, and advance God’s mission in the world. Whether a woman is a wife or not, this calling remains the same and is the preeminent purpose of biblical womanhood.
She is a mighty woman of valour – made for mission and equipped for courage, conviction, and co-labour in the work of God.
The Woman of Valour (Eshet Chayil) – Proverbs 31
This same warrior imagery appears again in Proverbs 31. The phrase often translated “virtuous woman” or “noble wife” is actually eshet chayil – literally, “woman of strength/valour.”
The Hebrew word chayil is used throughout the Old Testament to describe military might, heroic strength, or a brave army (Ruth 3:11, Exodus 18:21, 1 Samuel 16:18, 2 Kings 24:14, Jeremiah 48:14).
This biblical woman is not some demure wallflower; weaponising incompetence or retreating into passivity. She is wise, capable, and strong – a force for good, trusted and respected, active in the world and faithful in her calling.
She builds.
She rises early.
She considers.
She prepares.
She provides.
She strengthens.
This woman is a leader, decision-maker, and defender of her household, “girding herself with strength”, “speaking with wisdom“, and “fearlessly facing the future“.
She is a complete powerhouse, a brave woman of valour in her own right – yet, because she is also married, she has the complete confidence and trust of her husband, “bringing him good and not harm all the days of her life.”
In warrior language, she battles with him and for him, a theme the New Testament later picks up and runs with.
Ephesians 5: The Warrior Wife
In Ephesians 5 – the chapter on ‘husbands, wives, and submission’, we see the same warrior woman emerge.
Long buried under mistranslation and misinterpretation, this warrior language is often missed by modern readers but the original language makes the intent clear.
The word, hypotassō, used in verse 21 – “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” is a military term, meaning to order oneself under a shared mission. It implies intentional alignment, strength under direction, and purposeful cooperation.
This is not subjugation – it is solidarity. Ephesians 5 and 6 is a powerful and evocative picture of the people of God, men and women alike, choosing to stand together under Christ’s authority, for his purposes and on his mission. In this particular passage, this solidarity is outworked in the relationship of marriage – between husbands and wives – as they both willingly submit – hypotassō – to one another, out of reverence for Christ.
But this command to hypotassō is given to all believers (verse 21), reminding each one of us that, together, we are in a daily battle against “the devil’s schemes”, equipped with and made strong by the supernatural power of God’s full armour (Ephesians 6:11).
I think the Apostle Paul deliberately uses this military language (retrospectively guided by his commentary in Ephesians 6) and the intent of the passage is this: “deploy yourself in support of’’, “be prepared to go into battle for your spouse’s interests, not just your own’” “arrange yourself in formation, in devotion to”, “be on mission in support of your spouse”.
The biblical woman of Ephesians 5 is first a warrior, and then – if called – a wife, bringing her strength, discernment, and devotion to the frontlines of both spiritual and everyday life. She does not disappear into marriage; she steps into it as one already armed and ready to contend for what is good, true, and holy.
Is biblical womanhood simply feminism rebadged?
For many – men and women alike – biblical womanhood has come to mean home keeper, mother, supporter of a husband’s interests and leadership, and not the primary decision-maker. A quiet presence in the background, nurturing and dependable, but never leading the charge or setting the course.
This, of course, presumes that marriage is part of the deal when it comes to biblical womanhood – which it isn’t. Scripture does not present marriage as the pinnacle of a believer’s identity or purpose. Jesus never married. Paul, in fact, celebrates singleness. And many of the women who played key roles in God’s story were not defined by their marital status at all.
Am I suggesting, then, that we throw out all ideas of femininity, gentleness, or nurturing? That we abandon motherhood or marriage? Or that women are the same as men, or perhaps even have a slight edge?
Not at all.
What I’m suggesting is that we recover the full picture of biblical womanhood – the fierce and the faithful, the strong and the gentle, the bold and the nurturing – held together in the woman God designed. A woman who is not boxed in by cultural ideals or churchy traditions, but formed by the Word and filled with the Spirit.
She may be a wife, a sister, a mother, a daughter, a mentor, a friend – but first and foremost, she is a child of God, made to bear His glorious image and purposed to steward His good creation.
Feminism, properly understood, is not an enemy of this vision. Instead, it restores the dignity and equality denied to women for so long, placing them in their rightful place alongside men.
From ezer kenegdo in the garden, to eshet chayil in Proverbs, to the women who funded Jesus’ ministry, preached the resurrection, and led in the early church, the Bible is filled with women who carried God’s image and partnered with their male counterparts with courage, wisdom, and authority.
In replacing true biblical womanhood with the cultural caricatures or religious expectations handed down by society and the church, we’ve traded the inspiring and radical beauty of Scripture for a sanitised, domesticated version of biblical womanhood, one that isn’t really biblical at all.
These versions serve only to keep women small, silent, and spiritually sidelined, far from the expansive and glorious purpose for which God made them.
Are You Wanting To Step Into True Biblical Womanhood?
We might think it starts with grand, public displays of faith or bold leadership but, really, stepping into true biblical womanhood starts in the small, quiet, secret places of your heart.
It starts with you and God, and developing your authentic self in that sacred space, an inside-out approach, starting in the deepest parts of your soul
Who are you when no one else is around? Are you the same person privately as you are publicly?
Do you define yourself, first and foremost, as a child of God? Are you deeply convicted of God’s purpose and call on your life?
What does Scripture say about you, as a woman marked by God’s call? And how will you faithfully outwork that call?
Jesus’ life was driven by one core conviction: that He was sent to do His Father’s will. That deep awareness of purpose kept Him grounded, connected, and authentic to who He truly was.
When we develop Christlike convictions, we too will discover our purpose – not by striving, but by becoming more like Jesus. And as Mathew 6:33 reminds us, “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…and all these things will be added unto you.”
True biblical womanhood is becoming all that God purposed a woman to be – a sacred space in which His Spirit dwells, a faithful participant in His mission to renew all things and, ultimately, an image bearer – imago Dei – of a Holy God.
And in the end, this is the greatest call on your life: to be like Him.
