Gender Issues
12a) Matthew 4:19
ESV And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
NIV84"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
NIV “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
HCSB "Follow Me," He told them, "and I will make you fish for people!"
NASB And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
NET He said to them, "Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people."
12b) John 12:32
ESV And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
NIV84 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
HCSB As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself."
NASB "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."
NET And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
12c) 2 Corinthians 10:17
ESV "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
NIV84 But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
NIV But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
HCSB So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
NASB But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.
NET But the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
Matthew 4:19: “fishers of men” versus “fishers for/of people”
The Greek word anthrōpos means “man” or “person” in the singular. In the plural, it can refer to a group of men or a group with mixed gender. For clarity, Matthew could have used a Greek word that referred to a group of men (cf. Acts 6:3; the Greek word used there is andras which is from anēr). Contextually there doesn’t seem to be any reason to limit the word in Matt. 4:19 to only men. Therefore, “people” is the superior translation, with “men” not being considered incorrect, but ambiguous. In a time when “man” or “men” was considered not a gender specific term, the translation “men” would have been fine. But the English language is changing to the point where “men” is now considered a gender specific term.
John 12:32: draw all “men” or “people”
The discussion here goes similarly to the one above, except that there is no word for “men” or a word for “people.” The Greek says that He will draw “all,” and that’s it (pantas). So, looking at contemporary English usage, the addition of “people” seems much more appropriate and clear.
2 Corinthians 10:17: “him” versus “the one”
The present participle that begins the verse is not gender specific. Saying “him” is not the clearest way to communicate the Greek in English. “The one” is more accurate (even though the participle is masculine). As an added bonus, third person imperatives can accurately be translated with “let the one” or using the word “must.” I highly prefer the latter as it connotes an imperative while the former connotes a request.
Summary: The NIV, HCSB, and NET translated all three the best way possible. The ESV have two out of the three. The NIV84 and the NASB translated all three poorly.
Part 2 running totals:
| | ESV | NIV84 | NIV | HCSB | NASB | NET |
| Josh 15:18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 2 Sam 20:20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Isa 6:5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Isa 7:14 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Ezek 21:7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Mal 2:16 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Telling Time | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Negative Particles | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Textual Variants | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| Matt 6:13 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| “the Jews” in FG | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 1 |
| “signs” in FG | 1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Gender issues | 0 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
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