Some translation choices are big and obvious. Others are two small words you’d never notice unless you set translations side by side. Romans 12:6–8 has two of the small ones.
What the ESV says
In Romans 12, Paul lists the gifts God gives the church. Here’s how the ESV renders verses 6–8:
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Read it again and notice where “his” shows up. Not with prophecy. Not with giving, leading, or mercy. Only with two gifts: teaching and exhorting.
What the Greek says
Here’s the Greek behind those two phrases:
- ho didaskōn en tē didaskalia: “the one teaching, in the teaching”
- ho parakalōn en tē paraklēsei: “the one exhorting, in the exhortation”
There’s no pronoun. No “his,” no “her.” Just “the teaching” and “the exhortation.”
The participles (“the one teaching”) are masculine in form. But that’s the generic default in Greek, the same way adelphoi means brothers and sisters. The grammar describes anyone with the gift.
Where did “his” come from?
The ESV didn’t invent it. The ESV is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and the RSV already read “he who teaches, in his teaching.”
Here’s what’s interesting. When the ESV revised this verse, it changed “he who teaches” to the gender-neutral “the one who teaches,” and kept “his.” The translators edited this exact phrase, and chose to leave the pronoun in.
| Translation | Romans 12:7 (teaching) |
|---|---|
| KJV (1611) | “he that teacheth, on teaching” |
| RSV (1971) | “he who teaches, in his teaching” |
| ESV | “the one who teaches, in his teaching” |
| NASB | “the one who teaches, in the act of teaching” |
| NIV (2011) | “if it is teaching, then teach” |
| NRSVue | “the teacher, in teaching” |
| CSB | “if teaching, in teaching” |
Even the King James, translated in 1611, has no “his.” Neither do the NASB, NIV, NRSVue, or CSB.
I can’t tell you why the ESV kept it. I can show you what changed, what stayed, and which two gifts it stayed on: teaching and exhorting, the same two activities at the center of the debate over women in ministry.
Women used these gifts
Paul didn’t need to wonder whether women could teach, exhort, or lead. He worked with women who did.
- Teaching: Priscilla and her husband explained the way of God to Apollos more accurately (Acts 18:26). Luke names her first.
- Leading: In Romans 12:8, “the one who leads” is proistamenos. Four chapters later, Paul calls Phoebe a prostatis, a patron or leader, of many, including himself (Romans 16:2). Same root.
- Prophecy and exhortation: Paul gives instructions for women who pray and prophesy (1 Corinthians 11:5), and “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). Philip had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9).
Why two small words matter
When a reader sees “the one who teaches, in his teaching,” she doesn’t stop to check the Greek. She absorbs the picture: the teacher is a man. Repeat that across a whole Bible and a whole church, and a pronoun the Greek doesn’t contain starts to shape who people expect to see teaching.
That’s why it’s worth setting translations side by side. Not to throw yours away, but to see where the English says more than the original.
Don’t take my word for it. Look up Romans 12:7 in three translations and see for yourself.
See it for yourself on the wiki: prostatis and adelphoi. For more on how the ESV was made, read Why Do Some People See “Male Overtones” in Scripture? Then join the conversation in the free Ezer Bible Study Community.
