He said, "This is wickedness," and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it. – Zechariah 5:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2023): Zechariah 5

I admit that the ravages of political correctness often catch me in its grasp. Maybe it is a side effect of living in a "woke" culture. And occasionally, my language reverts to what was acceptable a few decades ago but is no longer suitable in polite company. Once in a while, these moments even happen in a board meeting, not the right place for such an oversight to take place. But it happens.

And sometimes, I just don't know what is appropriate. For instance, cars throughout my life have always been female. Maybe you never really thought about it. But if you come across a good-looking 1978 Corvette, it doesn't feel natural to say, "What a handsome car! He makes me want to go for a long ride in the country." It is "Isn't she beautiful." Maybe that is just because it wasn't long ago that only men seemed to have inappropriate relationships with their driving machines. Twenty-five years ago, Shania Twain released "That Don't Impress Me Much." The lyrics of the song really only work for a woman. At least, I can't imagine a guy singing this to his girlfriend.

You're one of those guys who likes to shine his machine
You make me take off my shoes before you let me get in
I can't believe you kiss your car good night
Now come on, baby, tell me, you must be joking, right?

Oh-oh, you think you're something special

Oh-oh, you think you're something else
Okay, so you've got a car.

 That don't impress me much 

Maybe compare Twin's classic to one written and sung by Richard Taylor and Queen. "I'm in Love with My Car" is a song I can't imagine being sung by Shania.

The machine of a dream
Such a clean machine
With the pistons a-pumpin'
And the hubcaps all gleam

I'm in love with my car
Got a feel for my automobile

But the question remains, almost fifty years after Taylor sang of his love for cars, is it appropriate for a car to be a "she." I have questions.

Readers of the Bible have long been offended by what is often regarded as some misogynist tendencies. Part of the problem is trying to read contemporary, woke morals into an ancient culture that didn't think the way we do.

All of which brings us to this passage in Zechariah. Why is wickedness personified in Zechariah as a woman? What exactly does God have against women? Is the message that all women are wicked? And this is nothing more than a long-winded explanation when the answer is relatively simple, mundane, and part of language. Just as a car in my culture tends to be a she, wickedness in Hebrew is a feminine word. Maybe we wish it was masculine, but that isn't the reality of the language, so personifying wickedness as a man wouldn't make sense. If "wickedness" is grammatically feminine, it must be a she.

Or, maybe we should rewrite the Hebrew and make wickedness a 1970 Monte Carlo. At least then, our inappropriate grammatical female references would be in the same basket. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 6