THEY SHALL BE ONE
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
2/1/2025
The creation of man crowned the lowest world with the highest of callings. Dust and ash—a being made from the very earth itself—was chosen to represent the highest of all realms literally from the ground up. The reality-spanning reach of the Kingdom of Heaven was to begin first in a sphere of flesh and blood.
Man was forged in a domain he was destined to steward, ratifying the wisdom and will of the Holy One in each and every act. This union of divine purpose in polar opposites of nature--the spiritual and the physical—is a portrait of the incredible plan the Creator has for His creation. Even so, we struggle to comprehend what is at work in it all. The magnitude of our role is beyond what our minds can grasp but is a reality worth the attempt to understand.
Man was forged in a domain he was destined to steward, ratifying the wisdom and will of the Holy One in each and every act. This union of divine purpose in polar opposites of nature--the spiritual and the physical—is a portrait of the incredible plan the Creator has for His creation. Even so, we struggle to comprehend what is at work in it all. The magnitude of our role is beyond what our minds can grasp but is a reality worth the attempt to understand.
This is seen perhaps most clearly and incredibly in the very makeup of mankind and is a truth that has informed all of history and infused all prophecy of what is to come. Man’s unique framework showcases this Divine desire for harmony in even the most dissimilar of things.
Consider the words of Genesis 2:7 and how this duality is embedded into the very message of man’s creation.
Consider the words of Genesis 2:7 and how this duality is embedded into the very message of man’s creation.
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And YHWH [the] Deity formed the man of dust from the earth, and He blew into his nostrils a breath of lives, and the man became a soul alive.
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On the surface level of the verse, the information relayed reveals a unification of the mundane and the supramundane: man is made from the physical yet enlivened by the spiritual.
A deeper exploration of the underlying grammatical structure of the original text, however, will enrich our appreciation of what the Creator is trying to tell us is happening in the makeup of man. It also will show the significance of knowing the nuances of how Scripture was first written, for it bears upon how we are supposed to assess the information preserved in it.
This is evinced in the passage’s Hebrew phrase of AFAR MIN HA’ADAMAH “dust from the earth.” The Hebrew term AFAR “dust” is masculine, while the Hebrew term HA’ADAMAH “the earth” is feminine. Therefore, man was originally made from a special union of spiritual concepts that are masculine and feminine.
A deeper exploration of the underlying grammatical structure of the original text, however, will enrich our appreciation of what the Creator is trying to tell us is happening in the makeup of man. It also will show the significance of knowing the nuances of how Scripture was first written, for it bears upon how we are supposed to assess the information preserved in it.
This is evinced in the passage’s Hebrew phrase of AFAR MIN HA’ADAMAH “dust from the earth.” The Hebrew term AFAR “dust” is masculine, while the Hebrew term HA’ADAMAH “the earth” is feminine. Therefore, man was originally made from a special union of spiritual concepts that are masculine and feminine.
GRAMMATICALLY MASCULINE
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GRAMMATICALLY FEMININE
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The expression of that union of the two, interestingly, is that the body is surprisingly masculine. This is explicitly stated in the use of the phrase B’APAV “in his nostrils.” Although made from inspired dust of the earth—masculine and feminine—the resulting physical construction is curiously only referred to in a masculine form. In this is Scripture’s principle of the male having an inherent spiritual authority over the female. It is not based in worth or value, but in how the expression of the union of male and female spiritual realities took shape in the physical.
GRAMMATICALLY MASCULINE
The feminine aspect, while not dominant over the male in our creation in the physical world, factors in most vitally with the mention of what is blown into his nostrils: NISHMAT “a breath of.” This term is feminine in construct. The Hebrew then has the term CHAYYIM “lives,” but which is often translated as “life”—and this term is once again masculine in construct.
GRAMMATICALLY FEMININE
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GRAMMATICALLY MASCULINE
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When this physical body (masculine) is infused with a breath (feminine) of lives (masculine), then HA’ADAM “the man” (masculine) becomes a soul CHAYAH “alive.” The result is a unified creation of masculine and feminine natures in one being. The spiritual side is simultaneously masculine and feminine in nature!
GRAMMATICALLY MASCULINE
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GRAMMATICALLY FEMININE
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This reality deserves to be emphasized, as it is a truth reinforced throughout the Word in the very structure of the Hebrew language. The Scriptures refer to both the “soul” and the “spirit” in the Hebrew text: they are sometimes presented as masculine and other times, as feminine.
Following are four examples of this feature of how the language is used in Scripture to present primary spiritual truths in a straightforward manner. I have translated these in a very literal presentation to highlight the unique wording of the Hebrew, which is almost never translated with this degree of precision. Notice the gendered pronouns attached to the spiritual aspects of a human being in each example.
Following are four examples of this feature of how the language is used in Scripture to present primary spiritual truths in a straightforward manner. I have translated these in a very literal presentation to highlight the unique wording of the Hebrew, which is almost never translated with this degree of precision. Notice the gendered pronouns attached to the spiritual aspects of a human being in each example.
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And a soul, if she shall sin, and hear a voice of swearing, and she is a witness, whether seen or known—if he does not tell, then he bears his iniquity.
~ Leviticus 5:1 |
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And now, when I come to your servant—my father—and the young man is not with us, and his soul being tied up with his soul…
~ Genesis 44:30 |
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Yet, a spirit, she is in a man, and a breath of Shaddai, she [gives] them understanding.
~ Job 32:8 |
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And it came to be at morning, and his spirit was troubled… ~ Genesis 41:9
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The concept of a masculine and feminine "soul" and "spirit" in a human being is expressly presented in the linguistic nuances of the Hebrew text. These details emphasize the amazing union of masculine and feminine spiritual states of a human being. When one speaks of a “soul” or “spirit,” the existence of gendered qualities is not often expressed. The presence of this specific terminology is far more than a linguistic peculiarity, as Scripture is pure divine information, so that every detail is intentional and matters for our edification and refinement in our calling.
The notions of masculine and feminine in a spiritual connotation are not meant in the same context as a sexual identification in physical creatures. Rather, the physical is a dim reflection of a higher spiritual truth, a manifestation of a more transcendent reality. To therefore speak of a “soul” or “spirit” as being gendered in Scripture is to reference something about the characteristic or inherent quality of that higher nature that is akin to the nuances perceived in such physical attributes. There are aspects of a female that are inherently spiritual which a man does not typically express, and there are aspects of a male that are inherently spiritual which a female does not typically express. The union creates a sanctioned environment where their essences can tap into the other's and unite in a special and necessary way to bring about the image of the Most High that is otherwise inexpressible.
The notions of masculine and feminine in a spiritual connotation are not meant in the same context as a sexual identification in physical creatures. Rather, the physical is a dim reflection of a higher spiritual truth, a manifestation of a more transcendent reality. To therefore speak of a “soul” or “spirit” as being gendered in Scripture is to reference something about the characteristic or inherent quality of that higher nature that is akin to the nuances perceived in such physical attributes. There are aspects of a female that are inherently spiritual which a man does not typically express, and there are aspects of a male that are inherently spiritual which a female does not typically express. The union creates a sanctioned environment where their essences can tap into the other's and unite in a special and necessary way to bring about the image of the Most High that is otherwise inexpressible.
Ultimately, this all goes back to the Holy One, for it is in His image mankind has been made. We are reflections of His exalted nature, and the Hebrew text of Scripture also presents that transcendent character in both masculine and feminine language for the Divine. He expresses masculine and feminine in perfect, seamless harmony, for the only way for such truths to exist in creation is if they ultimately stem from His own nature.
Four examples to highlight this reality of the Divine's nature follow—again translated as literally as possible to emphasize their presence in the text, which is not typically done in translations.
Four examples to highlight this reality of the Divine's nature follow—again translated as literally as possible to emphasize their presence in the text, which is not typically done in translations.
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[The] Spirit of [the] Deity, she made me, and a breath of Shaddai, she enlivened me. ~ Job 33:4
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…and His Spirit, he has gathered them. ~ Isaiah 34:16
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Your new moons and your appointed times—My soul, she hates…
~ Isaiah 1:14 |
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…and His soul was cut short by [the] weariness of Yisra’el. ~ Judges 10:16
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In these passages we see the Creator presented with both masculine and feminine "soul" and "Spirit," under different situations. He exhibits traits of a feminine nature when needed, and at other times, when needed, He expresses Himself in a masculine nature. This is all meant to be received by creation as the perfect and measured interaction with the Most High--not that He is inherently "male" or "female" in a physically gendered sense.
With these underlying truths made clear, we can return to the original status of mankind and see how that union was assessed. Even in that perfected position the Creator was ultimately unsatisfied with one very important aspect of His creation.
Man’s special integrated position was somehow inappropriate for his incredible purpose.
Genesis 2:18 provides the assessment.
With these underlying truths made clear, we can return to the original status of mankind and see how that union was assessed. Even in that perfected position the Creator was ultimately unsatisfied with one very important aspect of His creation.
Man’s special integrated position was somehow inappropriate for his incredible purpose.
Genesis 2:18 provides the assessment.
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And YHWH [the] Deity spoke: “It is not good that the man should be alone. I shall make for him a helper corresponding to him.”
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The solution to man’s solitary status required a further creative action to occur after the six days of creation had already passed and the Holy One had ceased from all His work. The unique assembly of man would undergo a transformation to enhance and clarify the goal of his calling.
The efforts to rectify the situation are recorded in Genesis 2:21-24.
The efforts to rectify the situation are recorded in Genesis 2:21-24.
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21 And YHWH [the] Deity caused to fall a deep slumber upon the man, and he slept. And He took one [thing] from his side, and closed [the] flesh in place of it.
22 And YHWH [the] Deity built a woman of the side-piece which he took from the man, and brought her to the man. |
23 And the man said, “This right now is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh. This shall be called woman, for from man this was taken.”
24 Concerning such shall a man leave behind his father and his mother, and cling to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.
24 Concerning such shall a man leave behind his father and his mother, and cling to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.
The special nature of man was wholly divided, making two from the one, and yet that separation had as its intended goal an astonishing reunification. Woman was wrought from man to be one day reunited with him in a way that would wholly realize the will of the Holy One.
In this is truly a great mystery that we struggle to comprehend. Although made as one, the masculine and feminine aspects that were embedded in the makeup of man required a severe severing in order for the original objective to be attained.
This dichotomy has endured throughout the ages, providing a constant conflict informing all aspects of mankind’s history. Beyond the mercurial occasions of peace and war that have shaped and destroyed nations and peoples, the tension of mankind’s condition has remained intact.
It is the calling for mankind to embody that decree from Eden: for the two to become one.
In this is truly a great mystery that we struggle to comprehend. Although made as one, the masculine and feminine aspects that were embedded in the makeup of man required a severe severing in order for the original objective to be attained.
This dichotomy has endured throughout the ages, providing a constant conflict informing all aspects of mankind’s history. Beyond the mercurial occasions of peace and war that have shaped and destroyed nations and peoples, the tension of mankind’s condition has remained intact.
It is the calling for mankind to embody that decree from Eden: for the two to become one.
The achievement of this is best understood in the pages of the New Testament, where sentiments are shared that help to clarify how this purpose is portrayed in our lives to the fullest extent we can appreciate. Man and woman unite to portray the goal of all creation: a perfect and undivided expression of the Creator.
The words of Paul preserve a beautiful hint to this in 1st Corinthians 12:27.
The words of Paul preserve a beautiful hint to this in 1st Corinthians 12:27.
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Yet, you—you are the body of the Messiah, and limbs in your places.
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Believers begin in a spiritual placement as a part of the transcendent body of the Messiah. We begin in him. To attach to the Messiah means we leave behind our personal status and merit and ascribe completely to his own special standing before the Holy One. As such, we become part of His body and represent him to the world.
To be included in Messiah’s body is a distinctly masculine spiritual position.
However, Paul also presents the end goal of his efforts to bring believers into the special spiritual standing we possess as the body of Messiah. He writes about this in 2nd Corinthians 11:2.
To be included in Messiah’s body is a distinctly masculine spiritual position.
However, Paul also presents the end goal of his efforts to bring believers into the special spiritual standing we possess as the body of Messiah. He writes about this in 2nd Corinthians 11:2.
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For I am zealous for you with the zeal of the Deity, for I have betrothed you to one man [as] the pure virgin, that I should bring you near the Messiah.
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Although we begin as the body, we are meant to become something more--a virgin bride! This reflects the same process we saw in Genesis 1-2, of male and female originally embedded in one creation, and then a separation and reunification in an even greater way.
Therefore the more complete portrait of believers in the Word is a male and female united to serve the purpose of the Creator. The culmination of this union is expressed in a term that surpasses gender and is also proclaimed as the true reality intended for the believer to exist as in the text of 1st Corinthians 3:16.
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Do you not know that you are the Temple of the Deity, and the Spirit of the Deity dwells in you?
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The body of believers is said in the passage to be the “Temple of the Deity.” This sentiment is repeated in almost the same language later in the same letter—in 1st Corinthians 6:19.
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Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who dwells in you—she whom you received from the Deity—and you are not your own?
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The subtle difference here is that the body as the Temple is distinctly referred to as being the Temple “of Spirit of Holiness.”
This statement is significant for two reasons:
1. The term for “Holy Spirit” is often referred to also in the Aramaic Peshitta text of the New Testament with terminology that is clearly male in nature, and at other times with terminology that is clearly female in nature.
Included here are two such examples.
This statement is significant for two reasons:
1. The term for “Holy Spirit” is often referred to also in the Aramaic Peshitta text of the New Testament with terminology that is clearly male in nature, and at other times with terminology that is clearly female in nature.
Included here are two such examples.
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The Spirit is she who enlivens… ~ John 6:63
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The Spirit, he is of the truth—whom the world is not able to receive, on account that it does not perceive him, and neither know him. Yet, you know him, as he dwells in you, and he is in you. ~ John 14:17
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These distinctions are not maintained in translations derived from the Greek manuscripts. They are only preserved to their great extent in the ancient Aramaic of the Peshitta.
The Spirit, thus, is the highest expression of a properly united and functioning masculine and feminine.
2. The link of the body to the Temple is not a connection Paul arrived at on his own. Rather, it is a concept founded in the Hebrew Scriptures themselves. This is based on the fact that Hebrew is a polysemous language, meaning that many of its vocabulary words possess two or more definitions that are markedly different from another. As such, when the Torah describes the construction of the Temple and its structural components, it uses terms that can be understood in various ways depending on the context in which they are used.
The Torah uses many words that, while having a structural definition, are at their core terms that are biological words used to describe limbs and organs of a human body. The interested reader is encouraged to check out my study: THE TEMPLE BODY for a focused presentation of this unique truth. An aerial view of the Temple even suggests this biological allusion in the structure.
The Spirit, thus, is the highest expression of a properly united and functioning masculine and feminine.
2. The link of the body to the Temple is not a connection Paul arrived at on his own. Rather, it is a concept founded in the Hebrew Scriptures themselves. This is based on the fact that Hebrew is a polysemous language, meaning that many of its vocabulary words possess two or more definitions that are markedly different from another. As such, when the Torah describes the construction of the Temple and its structural components, it uses terms that can be understood in various ways depending on the context in which they are used.
The Torah uses many words that, while having a structural definition, are at their core terms that are biological words used to describe limbs and organs of a human body. The interested reader is encouraged to check out my study: THE TEMPLE BODY for a focused presentation of this unique truth. An aerial view of the Temple even suggests this biological allusion in the structure.
It was assuredly these factors that informed Paul's words about the believer being a Temple.
Interestingly, of the terms used in the Torah, one of them is PEYAH in Exodus 27:9, meaning a man’s “side-whiskers.” It is the only term that is decidedly masculine in nature out of those used in the Torah. This means that the “body” of the Temple presented initially is a masculine body.
However, when Solomon’s Temple is to be built, we find in 1st Kings 7:50 the use of the term POTH, which, while being used to refer to a "hinge" on a door, has the literal meaning of the outer flesh area of a woman’s womb. It is the only term that is decidedly feminine in nature out of those used in the Hebrew Scriptures. This unique term displays a conceptual change in the “body” of the Temple—from masculine to a feminine body.
The terminology used to describe the Temple reflects the original creative process of mankind as well as the spiritual concepts of man linked to the merit of the Messiah: a masculine “body” and then becoming a feminine “bride.”
Interestingly, of the terms used in the Torah, one of them is PEYAH in Exodus 27:9, meaning a man’s “side-whiskers.” It is the only term that is decidedly masculine in nature out of those used in the Torah. This means that the “body” of the Temple presented initially is a masculine body.
However, when Solomon’s Temple is to be built, we find in 1st Kings 7:50 the use of the term POTH, which, while being used to refer to a "hinge" on a door, has the literal meaning of the outer flesh area of a woman’s womb. It is the only term that is decidedly feminine in nature out of those used in the Hebrew Scriptures. This unique term displays a conceptual change in the “body” of the Temple—from masculine to a feminine body.
The terminology used to describe the Temple reflects the original creative process of mankind as well as the spiritual concepts of man linked to the merit of the Messiah: a masculine “body” and then becoming a feminine “bride.”
These ideas develop further in the symbolism presented in the Bible’s final book. Revelation 3:12 consists of Messiah’s relevant words to a congregation.
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And of the victorious one: I shall make him a pillar in the Temple of my Deity, and he shall not go forth again. And I shall write upon him the Name of my Deity, and of the new city—Urishlem, who descends from my Deity, and my own new name!
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This passage includes a hopeful promise for the victorious: inclusion in the spiritual Temple in a way that upholds it structurally. These are, of course, symbols—but even with the bare admission of that factor can value be found: the believer is to be joined to the Creator in a masculine way: to be part of the spiritual structural support for His very being! The implications of this in its spiritual truth are beyond the scope of this study but suffice it for now to say that this is a position of incredible worth and importance.
The book returns to this idea near the end in Revelation 21:2 to add another layer to the concepts already presented.
The book returns to this idea near the end in Revelation 21:2 to add another layer to the concepts already presented.
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And the holy city—the new Urishlem—I saw that descended from the heavens, from the side of the Deity, which was prepared as the bride properly adorned for her husband.
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The imagery goes from believers in a masculine sense to now an openly feminine sense. It reiterates the intent of Paul back in 2nd Corinthians 11:2 of delivering believers as a virgin bride, spiritual speaking.
Most notably in this passage as it is presented from its Aramaic source, is the inclusion of a detail omitted in the Greek manuscripts: the holy city / bride descends “from the side of the Deity.” The term used here—TZED—is the Aramaic cognate of a term used in the Torah to describe part of the Tabernacle’s inner pieces—TZAD “side,” but literally having the definition of “hip.” It would appear that the Aramaic text is including an allusion back to the way the woman was taken "from the side" of the man to be his bride.
Most notably in this passage as it is presented from its Aramaic source, is the inclusion of a detail omitted in the Greek manuscripts: the holy city / bride descends “from the side of the Deity.” The term used here—TZED—is the Aramaic cognate of a term used in the Torah to describe part of the Tabernacle’s inner pieces—TZAD “side,” but literally having the definition of “hip.” It would appear that the Aramaic text is including an allusion back to the way the woman was taken "from the side" of the man to be his bride.
This progression from masculine to feminine in the book of Revelation is important. It shows the believer in a masculine sense within the Temple, and then New Jerusalem itself—[the earthly counterpart of which is encompassing the Temple] is presented in the feminine sense.
This seems to allude to an odd prophecy contained in Jeremiah 31:22.
This seems to allude to an odd prophecy contained in Jeremiah 31:22.
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How long shall you turn about, O daughter of retreat? For YHWH creates a new thing in [the] earth: a female shall surround a male!
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This passage in its contextual setting is not entirely clear as to why it is so important, but we can surmise how it could be interpreted to appreciate its intent. Rather than being one who is perpetually withdrawing from the Creator’s presence, His people are prophesied to one day do the opposite: surround the Creator. This could perhaps be comparable to elephants who surround their young to protect them, or parents placing their children behind them in moments of danger. The concept of defending the one who is beloved is at play with this. The believer will be totally for the Creator—such that we would naturally act and react for the well-being of the Most High.
In this is reflected the original intent for the creation of the woman: Genesis 2:18 records the Creator saying her purpose is “a helper corresponding” to the man. It is not limited to physically supporting, but also the higher spiritual support.
In this is reflected the original intent for the creation of the woman: Genesis 2:18 records the Creator saying her purpose is “a helper corresponding” to the man. It is not limited to physically supporting, but also the higher spiritual support.
There will be a day when the spiritual purpose of the unification of man and woman—masculine and feminine—is finally in harmonious action in reality. When that truth is lived, we will see the ultimate union of the Creator and the created without separation, but in a seamless connection. Until then, it is our great and honorable task to live that out as believers. We must embrace the unique roles we possess and also acknowledge the limits of those roles and the necessary benefit we can derive spiritually from each other when we are in that special union. It is a profound harmony that is our goal.
This intention is stated in the words of Revelation 21:22.
This intention is stated in the words of Revelation 21:22.
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And the Temple I did not see in it, for Marya the Deity—the all-powerful—is the Temple of it.
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The holy city--believers unified at last—will be one with the Master of man. Masculine and feminine in its spiritual nature will be restored as intended. They shall be one when the perfect image of the Divine will at last be revealed for all reality to behold.
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.