Topical Lexicon
Meaning Woven into RedemptionStrong’s Greek 730 designates a “male,” not merely as a biological datum but as a theological signpost. From creation to consummation, Scripture employs the word to mark God-given distinctions, covenant privileges, moral boundaries, and prophetic hope.
Canonical Occurrences
•Matthew 19:4 andMark 10:6 cite Jesus’ appeal to Genesis, “Have you not read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’?”.
•Luke 2:23 echoesExodus 13:2, identifying Jesus as the firstborn male consecrated to the Lord.
•Galatians 3:28 proclaims soteriological equality: “there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
•Romans 1:27 employs the term three times to condemn homosexual practice, underscoring that departure from male–female design was a hallmark of pagan rebellion.
•Revelation 12:5, 13 depicts the woman’s “male child” destined to rule, a messianic figure whom the dragon persecutes.
Male Identity in the Created Order
The word first sounds inGenesis 1:27 (LXX), framing maleness as part of humanity’s dual image-bearing. Jesus’ double citation (Matthew 19,Mark 10) links marital norms to this original act. Because the Creator Himself classifies humanity into “male” and “female,” the category is neither cultural construction nor temporary arrangement.
Covenant and Cultic Significance
Under the Mosaic economy the firstborn male opened the womb for redemptive rites (Luke 2:23). Males often represented households in sacrificial worship, previewing the representative headship fulfilled in Christ, “the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29).
Ethical and Moral Teaching
Romans 1:27 roots sexual ethics in creational maleness: “In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another”. The apostle shows that when the male identity is detached from its created purpose, disorder and judgment follow. Thus 730 becomes key in constructing a biblical sexual ethic.
Soteriological Equality without Erasure
Galatians 3:28 abolishes no creation distinctions; it removes soteriological barriers. In Christ, male privilege gives no advantage before the cross, yet the category remains intact for vocational ordering in family and church life (see1 Timothy 2:12-13; though 730 is absent, the created male reference undergirds Paul’s argument).
Eschatological Victory
Revelation unveils the final significance: a “male child, who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter” (12:5). The term signals fulfillment ofPsalm 2 and harkens back to the promised male seed (Genesis 3:15). Satan’s rage against the male child typifies hostility toward God’s redemptive plan centered in the incarnate Son.
Historical Reflection
Early creeds affirmed Christ’s real humanity as “male,” countering Gnostic denials of embodied salvation. Church fathers such as Irenaeus linked the male child ofRevelation 12 to the victorious Christ, safeguarding both His genuine incarnation and sovereign authority.
Implications for Ministry Today
• Uphold male and female distinctions as good gifts, integral to marriage, family, and church order.
• Affirm the equal worth and shared inheritance of men and women in Christ, resisting both misogyny and gender erasure.
• Address sexual ethics with the clarity ofRomans 1, offering gospel freedom to those ensnared by sin.
• Proclaim the victorious “male child” as the hope of the nations, encouraging believers to persevere amid spiritual opposition.
Summary
Strong’s 730 threads through Scripture as a crimson cord—marking creation’s design, covenant structure, moral boundary, and messianic triumph—culminating in the risen Christ who forever embodies God’s purpose for humanity.
Forms and Transliterations
άρρενα άρρενες αρσεν άρσεν ἄρσεν αρσενα άρσενα ἄρσενα αρσενες άρσενες ἄρσενες άρσενι άρσενος άρσεσι αρσεσιν ἄρσεσιν άρσην arsen ársen arsena ársena arsenes ársenes arsesin ársesinLinks
Interlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts
