The Priestly Language of Gender

The Priestly author in Leviticus 1–16 uses terms connected to sex and gender, both gender-specific terms like זכר ,אשה ,איש, and נקבה and gender-neutral terms such as אדם and נפש, as technical terminology. P's precise usage reflects a carefully structured view of the world and of the cult that is aimed at safeguarding the people's purity. In addition, P seems to recognize the difference between biological sex and gender related to personhood, something more akin to what we might term socially constructed gender.