TL

”Just because English does have a neuter, if we are going to be faithful exegetes we should keep the original masc words translated into masc english words, otherwise we are changing the original language and commentating on it, even though i do agree that it is talking inclusively… sorry for the sidetrack”

Mark, most scholars tirelessly try to explain to us that the masculine endings mean nothing if there is not a masculine subject to point to. In other words all words in Hebrew and Greek (unlike English) have masc. or fem. endings regardless of whether there is anything masculine or feminine about them. This is why I choose to translate the word adham as human. We have confused this by naming only boys Adam in English. But the word really is not a name as much as it is a race identification. They were both named Human by God. The man later chose to keep that his name or maybe the woman in some irritation refused to give him a personal name as he did fondly to her after the fall. So for eternity his ‘name’ got to be ‘From the dirt’ or some such, while her name was something about life and living. So many miss all this incredible drama right in front of our faces because of the foolish fuss over who was first and who was second, as if there were some importance to that.

”In Gen 2 there is the introduction of the definate article so it is rightly translated ‘the man’ dealing directly with Adam not Eve.”

In Genesis 2 the human is the only one there to begin with, so its not really difficult to know who is being dealt with.

”Therefore my argument is that to get hung up on the combined function of ruling animals to prove equality and no leadership soley by the gender inclusive language is weak.”

Actually, it is very easy to prove equality and no leadership, simply because God did not give the man authority over the woman. God did not say it, did not suggest it, did not discuss it. It simply did not exist and was not needed. The concept of male rule versus female rule was an idea added into the Scripture that is not inherent in them.