We are not saying that the word ’ådåmin the Hebrew Bible always
refers to a male human being, for sometimes it has a broader sense and
means something like “person,” but here in the early chapters of
Genesis the connection with the man in distinction from the woman
is a clear pattern. God gave the human race a name which, like the
English word “man,” can either mean a male human being or refer to
the human race in general.
Does this make any difference? It does give a hint of male leader-
ship, which God suggested in choosing this name. It is significant that
God did not call the human race “Woman.” (I am speaking, of course,
of Hebrew equivalents to these English words.) Nor did He give the
human race a name such as “humanity,” which would have no male
connotations and no connection with the man in distinction from the
woman. Rather, He called the race “man.” Raymond C. Ortlund rightly
says, “God’s naming of the race ‘man’ whispers male headship.”^17 God
“blessed them and named them Man when they were created”(Gen. 5:2).
If the name “man” in English (as in Hebrew) did not suggest male
leadership or headship in the human race, there would be no objec-
tion to using the word “man” to refer to the human race generally
today. But it is precisely the hint of male leadership in the word that
has led some people to object to its use and to substitute other terms.^18
Yet it is that same hint of male leadership that makes this precisely the
best translation of Genesis 1:27 and 5:2.
- The primary accountability.After the Fall, God spoke to Adam
first. In Genesis 3:9 we read, “But the Lord God called to the man, and
said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Gen. 3:9). In the Hebrew text, the
expression “the man” and the pronouns “him” and “you” are all sin-
gular. Even though Eve had sinned first, God first summoned Adam
to give account for what had happened. This suggests that Adam was
the one primarily accountable for what had happened in his family.
An analogy to this is seen in everyday family life. When a parent
comes into a room where several children have been misbehaving, the
parent will probably summon the oldest and say, “What happened
here?” This is because, though all are responsible for their behavior,
the oldest child bears the primary responsibility. In a similar way, when
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