If I were to make any biblical argument for or against a gender identification for the Holy Spirit, I guess that I would highlight the fact that the Hebrew word for “spirit” is a feminine noun and the Greek word for “spirit” is a neuter noun —although, it must be said, the Greek language uses grammatical gender and not natural gender, as does English. Notwithstanding, we will rightly adopt the social convention of using masculine personal pronouns when gender is not certain or not exclusive.

The better argument for using a feminine personal pronoun for the Holy Spirit is that, as far as I can tell, the Bible tends to speak of the Holy Spirit in figurative terms more often than literal. Where God is given a proper name of “The Father”, the Holy Spirit is not given a corresponding proper name. Yet, the images used when speaking of the Spirit are often feminine. Take Genesis 1:1-2, for instance, where “the Spirit of God hovers over the waters”. This image is reminiscent of a mother bird caring for and nurturing creation. It would seem this image is used again of the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism.

But these are just images, meant to reveal something about the Holy Spirit’s qualities and character. Ultimately, I believe, it comes does to personal preference. I like to refer to the Holy Spirit as “she” only because to do so reminds me that God is both beyond and inclusive of both genders, and that I would do well to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal her/himself to me as he/she sees fit.

I can’t really remember when I started favouring a feminine pronoun for the Holy Spirit. It has mostly to do with the fact that, ultimately, God is both beyond gender and yet inclusive of both (Gen 1:26-27). Christians tend to favour male pronouns for the Godhead and thereby limit the revelation that a recognition of God’s feminine side may or may not bring. So I like to refer to the Holy Spirit as a “she” just for the value of the challenge and to keep myself open-minded.

That’s a very interesting read. I like what you said and how you constructed your ‘argument’. I’m also interested that you have given the Spirit a gender of female in the last paragraph, maybe a topic for discussion?