Could God be a Woman?

God could not be viewed exclusively as a woman, though the Bible shows God’s feminine side, so to speak. He is compared to a nursing mother hen, for example.

For the most part, God has chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible as having a male personage. Meaning, the Bible is inspired of God (2Timothy 3:16) and in it God is always referred to as a “Him” or a “He.” So God wanted people to understand Him as a “Him” and a “He.”

There are accounts in the Old Testament where God appeared to people in the form of a man (e.g., with Abraham – Genesis 18; with Jacob – Genesis 32:24-30; with Joshua – Joshua 5:13-15). But there are no biblical instances of God appearing in the form of a woman. Also, when Ezekiel sees the likeness of the glory of God on His throne, he sees “the appearance of a man” (Ezekiel 1:26).

“A man” would cancel out the idea of God being only a woman. However, in Genesis chapter 1 we are told that man (mankind; as opposed to “a man”) is created in the image of God, both male and female…

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) Both male and female were created in the image of God. This might mean that male and female together make up God’s image. If so, then God would have both male and female attributes, even though God is spirit (John 4:24), and even though He chose to take on the likeness of a man in the person of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:7).

Interestingly, Jesus says of Jerusalem that He longed to gather her children together as a hen (female) gathers her chicks (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34). So here Jesus is likening Himself to a hen/female.

Also, God’s wisdom in the Proverbs is personified as a female (e.g., Proverbs 1:20, 8:11, 9:1), yet we are told in the New Testament that Jesus is the wisdom of God (1Corinthians 1:24).

So it appears that while God has chosen to call Himself a “Him” and a “He” in the Scriptures, that does not mean that He does not have female characteristics of some sort. Meaning, God could be considered as motherly (hen) and yet be called the Heavenly Father (which is what Scripture often calls Him).

It is all quite mysterious, but the most important issue might be that God, though spirit, took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14) — a male — to become a sin offering for all people. It is this man, the Bible says, who is the Savior (1John 4:14) and Judge (2Corinthians 5:10) of all humanity.