A misogynist is a person who is prejudiced against women. Misogynists have a poor view of women and view them as morally, academically, and intellectually inferior to men. Misogynists do not believe women are equal to men.
They believe men are superior to women in all aspects of life. In order to support their view of misogyny, misogynists have to use the Bible out of context.
Does the Bible Support Misogyny?
A popular Bible verse that misogynists use out of context is Ephesians 5:22-24. This verse reads, “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
Misogynists teach that this verse means wives should always submit to their husbands — no matter what. They believe this passage preaches men are superior to women since husbands are to be the head over the woman in marriage.
The true meaning of Ephesians 5:22-24 is that women should submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ. It does not mean women are inferior to men nor does it mean women have less worth than men. Men and women are equal before God.
Ephesians 5:22-24 is followed by Ephesians 5:25, which emphasizes the necessity of men caring for their wives as Christ does the church. When an individual utilizes the passage of Ephesians 5:22-24, the individual should include Ephesians 5:25 in the discussion as well.
When a person starts picking and choosing which verses to include and which ones not to include, the individual runs the risk of misinterpretation. However, this is exactly what misogynists do as they read their own interpretation into the text.
Why Use the Bible Out of Context?
Misogynists use the Bible out of context. Why? To support their own erroneous views. They know if they use the Bible in context, the Bible will not support misogyny because the Bible doesn’t support misogyny.
In fact, the Bible is clearly against misogyny. Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
From this single verse, we know that men and women are equal in God’s eyes. God created man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27). He does not favor men over women, nor does God say men are superior to women.
Another passage misogynists misuse for their alternative agenda is the situation described in Judges 19:25-29. In this passage of Scripture, the concubine was raped, defiled, and murdered. Misogynists believe this is clear evidence in support of misogyny; however, just because the Bible records the incident of misogyny does not mean it supports misogyny.
Simply because a newspaper documents a murder in the town does not mean it supports the murder. It is simply recording the facts of what happened.
Likewise, when the Bible records incidences of misogyny, it does not mean that the Bible endorses misogyny. In order to hold to a misogynistic view of the Bible, one would have to read the Scriptures with a preconceived misogynistic worldview.
Women in the Bible
Women are not looked down upon in the Bible. God never tells His people to treat women as second-class citizens. The culture we live in today promotes the idea of women being less than men — not the Bible. The Bible has a very positive tone concerning women.
The people who cared for Jesus and provided for His physical needs during His Ministry were women (Luke 8:3). Jesus never looked down upon women as He taught women the same way He taught men (John 4:9-10).
He did not deny women the opportunity to follow Him. When Jesus died for the sins of the world, He died for all people, including women (John 1:12-13). Misogynists fail to remember these crucial details.
A woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first person to see Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:14). The first people to spread the gospel were women as they went into the city to tell about the resurrected Christ (John 20:18; Luke 24:8-10).
Throughout the New Testament, women played an important role in helping the lost come to know Jesus (Philippians 4:3). Tabitha, Priscilla, and Lydia are a few of the women who are known in the Bible to follow God. Tabitha was known for her service to the people of Joppa and her faithful witness to the gospel (Acts 9:36.).
Priscilla was known to be a great teacher of the gospel and helped many people come to the faith (Acts 18:24-26). Likewise, Lydia was a faithful follower of Jesus and served the people of her city (Acts 16:14).
The Truth of the Bible
Misogynists tend to overlook the positive light of women in the Bible. Rather than choosing to see the truth of God’s Word, they choose to believe a lie that stems from their preconceived misogynistic interpretation. God loves all people — including women.
He does not place men on a higher level than women and neither should Christians. Men and women alike are both equal in God’s Eyes. The Bible does not support misogyny at all. In fact, the Bible opposes misogyny.
God created man and woman equal. The culture and the world have created the problem of misogyny — not the Bible. The Bible does contain some incidents of misogyny; however, the Bible is only documenting these historical facts, not supporting them.
Thus, the Bible does not endorse misogyny. In order for misogynists to support their view of misogyny, they have to use the Bible out of context. If misogynists used the Bible in context, they would not come to the conclusion of a misogynistic interpretation.
Misogynists use the Bible out of context in support of their own views. There is great danger in using the Bible out of context. True believers should never manipulate the Bible to suit their own desires. The Bible is the infallible Word of God, and it should not be misinterpreted.
Misogynists use the Bible out of context for the reason to accommodate their own misogynistic views. If a misogynist reads the Bible as it literally is meant to be read with no preconceived notions, they will discover that misogyny is wrong.
For further reading:
What Is the Biblical View of Submission?
How Did Jesus Treat Women in the Bible?
How the Women in the Bible Were Revered, Respected, and Diverse
Why Is Reading the Bible in Context Important?
How Did Jesus Address Negative Feelings toward Women (Misogyny)?
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