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ais
איש
'ais' means “person”.
The word 'ais' is introduced in Genesis 2:23-24, an oft-quoted but not particularly well-translated verse which reads like this:
spoke Adem this this time compatible! compatible flesh! flesh this examined other caused person take this on therefore leave person the father the mother cling woman are flesh one.1)
The first instance of 'ais' is in the context of sexual union. The significance of this may not be immediately obvious, but it must be considered as we examine further contextual usage of 'ais'. Also note that Adem's exclamation comes shortly after the realization that “no suitable mate was found for him”.2)
Ais is Strongnumber 376, ostensibly “female”
Strong number 802 is the same root word ais and is ostensibly “woman/wife”
with the same meaning and pronunciation, clearly these are actually the same word
A Different Interpretation
There are a few problems with the idea that ais means female. At least, there are problems if one wished to preserve the patriarchal narrative.
When eve becomes a mother in Gen 4, she said “I have acquired ais from Yahweh”. AS far as we can tell from the narrative, this passage is about the birth of Eve's SON, not a daughter.
Adam and Eve are said to have borne two sons. No daughters are mentioned. So why does Eve use the word 'ais'.
There are several more stunning instances:
- In Job 1:1, Job is introduced as an ais
- In Gen 6:9, Noah is introduced as an ais
Were these bible heroes actually women?
They may not have been the only ones. Enoch is not called a man, but is only referred to within the ancestors of the 'adem' Likewise, Abraham is introduced within the ancestors of Shem without specifying a gender.
These characters are explicitly stated as “adem”, in so far as they are human descendants of the human character named Adem.
This gives a new light to the Genesis 6 account contrasting the sons of Elohim & Daughters of Adam. The humans in the story are all female.
Further, it was an 'ais' that wrestled with Jacob in Genesis 32, where we are also given a direct contrast “Elohim and Anasim”, implying that this particular 'ais' was an alehim, perhaps a female alehim, but definitely not a human.
Thus, 'ais' appears to indicate a contrast from Anasim/Adem
Rather than a female gender indicator, ais sometimes seems to mean “other, strange, different”.
Insomuch as woman is different from man, prhaps both meanings are true.
One final note; Jesus is also known as Isha. Was Jesus a woman? Jesus was certainly different.
Numbers 25:5 uses the two words back to back in the phrase 'ais anes', which obviosly indicates that the two words are not interchangeable. The context suggests that the phrase may mean “men and women” supporting the concept that gender is the differentiating factor between the two words.
Additional words also appear to mean person:
| Transliteration | Strongnumber | Instances | Ostensible Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ais | 376 | 1839 | man |
| aseh | 802 | 657 | woman |
| anes | 582 | 133 | man |
| adem | 120 | ~700 | man |
Strong number 802 is problematic in that it can not be easily reduced to a root word. Variant spellings include 'as', 'aseh', 'aset', 'nes'(possibly convoluted with 582)
There is some evidence of gender differentiation between the words, however, the ostensible meanings appear to be convoluted with little regard for spelling and original word choice, casting significant doubt onto the traditional gender interpretations.
An exhaustive spelling analysis, LexID validation/reassignment, and contextual workup will be required.