Female נְקֵבָה

We are in chapter twelve of Leviticus with our word for today. נְקֵבָה female, woman. It is used 22 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of a female animal. Genesis 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male וּנְקֵבָ֖ה and female. Genesis 7:3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male וּנְקֵבָ֑ה and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. Leviticus 3:6 If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or נְקֵבָ֔ה female, he shall offer it without blemish. Our word is also used in reference to a female human. Numbers 5:1-3 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and נְקֵבָה֙ female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 12:1-2, 5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying … But if she bears a נְקֵבָ֣ה female [literally bears a female the word child is supplied by the translators because we are clearly referring to birth] child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days. As we have seen a couple of days ago just because God made men and women different does not mean they have less value. We find God’s affirming this throughout the Bible even when corrupted culture falls short. He starts where people are at and leads them. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male וּנְקֵבָ֖ה and female he created them. Genesis 5:1-2 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male וּנְקֵבָ֖ה and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. Both of these verses show that both female and male are created in God’s image as his crowning creation over all the creatures in the garden he created. God points out that even though men and women have different roles they are both equally valuable to him and interdependent toward each other. 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. I’ll close with this great passage that it was grandma and mom that were the people God used to raise Timothy up in the Lord. God used Timothy effectively as a leader in the church. 2 Timothy 1:5-7 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.