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Gentlemen Please! A Consideration of Manhood and Masculinity

Part 1 – Created to be Manish

by Dr. Andrew Corbett, 21 May 2026, writing from Melbourne, Australia

It might not be an exaggeration to say that many western societies are experiencing a crisis of manhood. Two and half millenniums ago Socrates was asked, “What is a virtuous (good) man?” Plato recorded Socrates long answer in The Republic in which Socrates defined what a virtuous man was, and how a society could organised and governed to ensure it could be achieved. The essence of the Socratic answer included:

A society can help to produce a virtuous man by:

having him born to good parents.
educating him in literature, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, ethics, religion and art.
ensuring that he is governed by virtuous leaders of impeccable character.
training him so that he is physically strong and able to provide for his wife and children.

How might we answer the same question today? What is a good man today? Socrates answered this question by asking his various enquirers questions evoking them to think about the answer as they were walking to an event in the distant city. Throughout this study, I will also be asking questions of you that are designed to also make you think and consider the possible answers. Here’s why I think this is an important question for Christian men to consider and to answer: (i) Abusive men are the main perpetrators of sexual abuse against women and children; (ii) men comprise the higher percentage of prison populations in western societies by a long way; and, (iii) most of the men in prisons have no meaningful relationships with their father. This is why I think we have a crisis of manhood!

Can we find answer to the question, “What is a good man?” in the pages of the Bible? Not only do I think we can, I think that once we have answered this question and are forced to ask another follow-on question, How can we as the Church be a solution to this crisis of manhood? And that is the humble goal of this series. But first we have lay a foundation from the Bible and it is going to involve me being a little bit nerdy before we can.

Language Matters, a lot.

In order to look to the Scriptures to answer the question, What is a good man? we have to start by asking the question that needs to be asked first: What is a man? This is where I get nerdy. One of the problems with only being able to read the Bible’s Old Testament passages in English is that the different Hebrew words, which are translated with the same English word, can be missed.

Then the man [Heb. ha’adam] said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman [Heb. ’ishah],
because she was taken out of Man [Heb. ish].”
¶ Therefore a man [Heb. ish] shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife [Heb. ’ishah], and they shall become one flesh.
And the man [Heb. ha’adam] and his wife [Heb. ’ishah] were both naked and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:23-25

Please notice the man’s wife was originally named “Ishah” (not ‘Eve’).

Men Were Made Earthlings

The the summary of the above account is given in the opening chapter of the Bible to describe the creation of the first humans as –male and female:

So God created man [Heb. ha’adam] in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male [Heb. zaw-kar´] and female [Heb. neqevah] He created them.
Genesis 1:27

The language of these selected verses reveals that “the man” which is the Hebrew word ha’adam is very similar to the word “the soil” (Gen. 2:7) which is the Hebrew word ha’adamah, translated into English as: ground, soil, and dirt. God literally made the first man out of the soil of the earth (hence the subtitle of this section). Mankind was created with an affinity for the soil – to work it, care for it, enrich it, grow plants in it, and graze livestock on it.

Women Were Made Correspondents

¶ Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper [Heb. ’ezer] fit [Heb. ke’neged] for him.”
Genesis 2:18

When the Lord God made the woman she was to be an ezer to the man. This would can mean “helper” (ESV) or “companion” (NET) but with ke’neged which the English Standard Version translates as “fit” it takes on a far greater significance. The New English Translation renders this word as corresponds (hence the subtitle of this section). This literally means ‘in front of’ or ‘opposite’ in the sense of ‘different’. Thus, the Hebrew root term ezer is azer is frequently used to describe God’s interactions with humankind:

¶ Behold, God is my Helper;the Lord is the upholder of my life.
Psalm 54:4

In this sense, the Hebrew term ezer/azer, carries the meaning of an ally, such as a military ally. Men must appreciate that God has made women to be different and to correspond to men so that they help with what a man lacks. Similarly, women must also appreciate that God has men to be different and help women with what a woman lacks. Put simply God has made men and women to be equal but different.

This is why God has designed men to use their strength to protect and provide and for women to nurture and be an ally to others. Men and women can learn from each other. Ultimately we will see through this series that being a good man involves knowing how to interact with the women God has brought into his life and that it was Jesus Christ who was the perfect example of this. In Part 2 we will consider the changing role of a man throughout his life and his interaction with the women God has connected him with. I conclude with the words of King David to his son Solomon:

“I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show your self a man.”
First Kings 2:2

NEXT: Part 2, The Changing Role of a Man Throughout His LIfe