The Hebrew noun ezer (עֵזֶר) means help or helper. It derives from the verb azar (to help, support, surround). Crucially, ezer is used both for God Himself (Psalm 121:2) and for the woman created alongside Adam (Genesis 2:18). Far from denoting a subordinate role, the word primarily describes a powerful ally.
Of the 21 occurrences of ezer, the vast majority refer to God as Israel's helper in military or existential crisis. When God calls the woman an ezer kenegdo, He is giving her the same title He uses of Himself. Ezer is the grammar of divine grace meeting human need — whether in the form of God's intervention or the gift of human partnership.