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Women in the Bible

The Bible is a collection of many sacred scriptures or texts which are followed by the

Jews and other Christians from different regions of the world. The Jews and other Christians

consider the Bible as a product of divine inspiration and outline the relationship between God

and human beings. The Bible has 66 books which are divided into two major categories; the Old

Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is made of 39 different books while the

New Testament is made up of 27 different books (Holy Bible).

There are many women led by the Holy Spirit who participated directly or indirectly in

writing of the Bible. The women have played many other roles in the Bible, and their

significance in the bible cannot be underrated. In this essay, we are going to discuss various

women who have been used in the bible. They may have been used by the Holy Spirit in writing

of the Bible, or they may have been referenced in several sections of the Bible after performing

various roles (Exum).

To start with the writing of Biblical Books, the Books of Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, and

Hebrews are the main books which are known to have been authored by women. Apart from the

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stated books, women also participated in the writing of different sections of the other books. For

example, Exodus Chapter 15 which contains Miriam’s song was written by a woman, Mary, who

was singing to praise God after delivering the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians. Again,

in Luke Chapter 1, we see Mary’s prayer which was authored by a woman.

Apart from authoring of some books and participating in the writing of some sections of

various books, women have also played different roles in the Bible, and we have very many

other women who have been used in the Bible to play different roles. Firstly, in the history of

creation, we learn that after creating Adam, God realized Adam was very lonely and needed a

helper. God took off one of Adam’s ribs and made a woman, Eve who was supposed to be a

companion of Adam (Charmé 8-10). From the story of creation, we learn that a woman was

created to be a companion and a helper of the man. However, we see the woman being deceived

by the Serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. The woman goes to convince the man, and they both eat

the forbidden fruit which annoyed God, and He chased them from the Garden of Eden. He also

commanded man to be sweating for him to earn a living while the woman will be having pain

when giving birth.

Another woman who has been given special attention in the Bible is Deborah. She was a

prophetess and a judge of the Israelites. She is the only woman who served as a judge of the

people of ancient Israel. Deborah was faithful to God and acted with integrity in all her duties.

She relied on God, and this made her very bold to rule a culture which was dominated by men.

Deborah worked together with Barak to fight King Jabin who had oppressed the Israelites for a

long time. Her faith and trust in God helped her to defeat King Jabin and restore peace in Israel

(Zavada). The story of Deborah is covered in the book of Judges Chapters four and five.

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Hannah is another strong woman in the Bible. Hannah was married to Elkanah, together

with another wife called Peninnah. She was barren and used to be mocked by Peninah due to her

barrenness. She used to pray very hard for God to give him a baby boy whom she promised she

could give to serve God. The mocks of Peninnah did not stop her from praying, but she kept on

praying hard believing that God will answer her prayer one day. Her prayer was not in vain as

God blessed her with a baby boy in her elderly age. She named the child as Samuel. As she had

promised to dedicate her child to God, she took Samuel to the temple where she met Eli, the

priest. She left Samuel to be raised by Eli in the temple, and she also used to influence Samuel’s

life as he grew up. Samuel grew to be one of the most influential judges and prophets of Israel.

He is also the prophet who was used by God to anoint David, one of the most powerful kings

who ruled Israel. The story of Hannah and Samuel is given in the book of Samuel I and II.

Esther is another important woman who has been discussed in the Bible in details. Esther

was a Jewish lady and was married to Ahasuerus, a Persian King. Ahasuerus married Esther

without the consent that she was a Jew. One day, the king’s right-man, Haman, planned to kill

the Jews. Mordecai, who was a Jew and worked as a gateman in the king’s palace knew the plan

before Haman could implement his plan. Mordecai requested Esther to go to the king and plead

for the Jews to be spared. Despite the fact that Esther was the queen, she was not allowed to face

the king without an invitation. Esther, Mordecai, and the other Jews fasted and prayed to their

God for their lives before Esther could face the King. After the fasting and the prayers, Esther

planned how she could meet the king. She invited the Haman and the king for a meal in her

house. They honored the invitation and came for the meal and Esther got a chance to tell the king

of the Haman’s plan to kill her family. The king was upset and ordered Haman to be hung on the

same gallows which he had prepared to hung Mordecai. Through prayers of Esther, Mordecai,

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and the other Jews, Esther was able to save her family from the destructions which were planned

by the king’s right-man, Haman. Esther is always remembered as a strong woman who saved the

family of Israelites from the killings which were planned by Haman. The story of Esther is

covered in the book of Esther from chapter one to eight.

Another strong woman discussed in the Bible is Abigail. She was a wife to Nabal who

was very wicked and self-centered. When David was anointed as the next king of Israel, he sent

his servants to request Nabal and his family to show hospitality to him as the new king. Nabal

responded by saying that David was just lazy and presumptuous. David got the response as he

was traveling back to his home from Samuel’s burial. Nabal’s response angered David, and he

planned to finish the family of Nabal. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, learned David’s anger and planned

to finish her family. She prepared a feast as an offering and went ahead to plead with him to

spare her family. David. The offering made by Abigail helped to calm David’s anger, and he

spared her family. Nabal thought of himself of being very special and that he could not be asked

anything by David and prepared a very big party to congratulate himself. He drank to so much

alcohol till he was unconscious thinking he was the one who stopped David from attacking him.

His wife Abigail told him the following day that it was her offering that saved him and his family

since David was coming 400 soldiers to finish him and his family. He was so shocked and died

within ten days. On learning of his death, David took Abigail as his wife. He was impressed by

her honesty and great desire to save her family. The story of Abigail is given in the book of 1

Samuel chapter 25. Abigail was a strong woman who could do anything to protect her family.

Another woman who has been given special consideration in the Bible is Mary of

Nazareth, who was the mother of Jesus. Mary was born and brought up in Nazareth. She lived

there, and it was in Nazareth where she met with Joseph, and they were engaged. The angel of

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God appeared to her and informed her that she had been selected to give birth to Jesus who

would save the world. Mary submitted herself to the will of God, and she carried the pregnancy

of Jesus Christ. Later, she gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus grew to become the light and

the savior of the world. Mary’s holiness, obedience, and trust made her be chosen among many

women to be the mother of Jesus (Rubin). She is considered a very important woman as she gave

birth to the Christ who came to deliver the world. The story of Mary is given in the book of

Luke.

Ruth and Naomi are another women who have been discussed in the Bible. She was a

Moabite woman but married to an Israelite and hence converted to Judaism. Her story starts

when Naomi and her husband Elimelech left Israel for Moab since there was a great famine in

Israel. At Moab, Elimelech died leaving Naomi and his sons at Moab. Naomi’s two sons married

two Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah. After about ten years in marriage, the two sons of

Naomi died. By this time, the famine at Israel had subsided, and Naomi decided it was the time

to get back to her homeland. She revealed her plan to her daughters-in-laws and advised her to

remarry in Moab since they were still young and their husbands were already dead. Orpah went

by the advice of Naomi, and she agreed to be left at Moab to remarry to a Moabite. However, to

Ruth the case was different, she refused to be left at Moab and insisted she would follow Naomi

to Israel. She told her, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you," Ruth tells Naomi.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your

God my God." (Ruth 1:16). Ruth was very loyal to Naomi and was ready to follow her and

convert from being a Moabite to a Jewish. As she insisted, Naomi went with her back to Israel.

When in Israel, Ruth and Naomi were very poor and did not have enough food for their

stomachs. Ruth used to go to the fields of Boaz to gather the food which had fallen on the

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grounds. When Boaz learned of her tendency of gathering the fallen food, he told his servants to

allow her to be gathering food among his sheaves and they should not reprimand her. He even

asked them to be pulling some stalks and be leaving them for her to pick. Later on, Ruth came to

learn from Naomi that Boaz was their relative. As time progressed, Boaz married Ruth, and they

gave birth to Obed who became a grandfather of David. Since the Messiah was prophesied to

come from the family of David, Ruth is considered to be among the descendants of Jesus Christ.

The story of Ruth is covered in the book of Ruth (Pelaia).

The Samaritan woman is another woman given special attention in the Bible. Jesus came

across the Samaritan woman at the well in a small city called Sychar near Samaritan City. He

asked for water from the Samaritan woman who answered him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a

drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" Jews used not to share food with the Samaritans, and the

request of Jesus who was a Jew was a great surprise to the Samaritan woman. Jesus answered the

Samaritan woman, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a

drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." Jesus continued

to talk with the Samaritan woman. He revealed her of her earlier life which surprised the

Samaritan woman. The Samaritan woman who had lived a wicked life of prostitution and other

bad behaviors was transformed by Jesus and became an evangelist of Jesus Christ. The story of

the Samaritan woman is a teaching to all the Christians that Jesus did not come to save the Jews

only but even the other people in the whole world. It is also a teaching to the people that

regardless of the kind of sins which one may have committed, God can forgive you and accept

you in His Kingdom. The story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus is discussed in the Gospel of

John chapter 4.

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Miriam, who was a sister to Moses is another woman who played a great role in the

Bible. Miriam was one of the women who fled from Egypt heading to Canaan led by Moses and

Aaron. Miriam worked together with Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites from Egypt to the

Promised Land. Miriam is also remembered for leading a song which was sung by the Israelites

after escaping from Egypt (Raphael). Miriam died in the wilderness in a waterless place, but later

God made water to appear in that place. Miriam is remembered to have been a great leader who

led the people relentlessly and did as God asked rather than what she wanted. She coordinated

very well with Moses and Aaron for the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery. The story of

Miriam is discussed in the book of Exodus.

Other women discussed in the bible include the four daughters of Philip the Evangelist

who are always remembered for their gifts of prophecy, their boldness, and courage to work for

God regardless of the situations. Achsah, the daughter of Caleb, is also remembered for standing

firm to pray and request for additional blessings for her family. Jehosheba, who was a daughter

of King Joram saved her son from danger by fleeing away from danger; she also helped to save

the future of the Israelites. Mary of Bethany was a great worshipper and a follower of Jesus

Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary of Bethany is usually described as seated at

God’s feet listening to the word of God (Luke 10:39). Another woman who has been given

special attention in the Bible is Priscilla who used to minister the gospel together with her

Aquila, her husband. The Bible normally describes her as a great mentor and is remembered for

having worked together with her husband to explain the word of God more accurately to

Apollos. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is also a great woman given special attention in the bible.

She is portrayed as a great woman who always obeyed and walked with God and left her

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comfortable surroundings to start her journey with God. She is also remembered to have prayed

consistently requesting God to bless her with a child, and her prayer was answered in her old age

when she was blessed with a boy whom she named Isaac. Mary Magdalene who was delivered

from demonic oppression by Jesus Christ is also given special attention in the Bible. She was

also among the people who went to look unto Jesus after his death only to realize Jesus had

already risen from the dead. She was the first person to go and announce to the people that Jesus

had risen (Peterson). Rachel and Leah who were the wives of Jacob have also been given special

consideration in the bible. Hagar, the wife of Abram and the mother of Ishmael, has also been

given special consideration. The five daughters of Zelophehad namely Mahlah, Milcah, Noah,

Hoglah, and Trizah who are described in the Bible to have been bold stood firm and claimed

their father’s inheritance.

We have very many other women discussed in the Bible, and we can’t be able to discuss

all of them. However, it is good to note that different women played various great roles in the

bible.

Conclusion

There are very many women discussed in the Bible. The women participated in playing

various roles in the Bible. Their contributions cannot be underrated as they were very important.

For example, some women like Esther and Ruth helped in the authoring of some books of the

bible, other women like Miriam and Deborah helped to lead the Israelites, other women were

married by the kings of the Israelites, and they helped them in ruling the people. In conclusion,

we can say that women played different roles in the bible where some roles positive and others

were negative.

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Works Cited

Charmé, Stuart Z. "Adam and Eve." Charmé, Stuart Z. Encyclopedia of Psychology and

Religion. 2010. 8-10.

Exum, Cheryl. Fragmented women: Feminist (sub) versions of biblical narratives. Bloomsbury

Publishing, 2015.

Holy Bible. NRSV, New Revised Standard Version. New York: New York: Harper Bibles, 2007.

Pelaia, Ariela. "Biography of Ruth in the Bible." 2017. ThoughtCo. 04 July 2017.

Peterson, Eugene H. Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life. Tyndale House,

2014.

Raphael, Simcha Paull. ""Miriam Took her Timbrel out and all the Women Danced:" A

Midrashic Motif of Contemporary Jewish Feminism." Women in Judaism - A

Multidisplinary e-journal (2010).

Rubin, Miri. Mother of God: a history of the Virgin Mary. London: Penguin UK, 2010.

Zavada, Jack. Deborah - Israel's Only Female Judge . 6 February 2017. 2017.

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