Topic: Women in Prophetic and Wisdom Traditions

Mr. Genlemthang Suantak.

Introduction
Prophet is divided into the former and latter prophets, the former prophet includes
Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel and I and II Kings. The latter prophets are also called the writing
prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the other twelve are included in the latter prophets.1
In the Hebrew Bible, ‘wisdom literature’ is generally understood to refer to Proverbs, Job
and Ecclesiastes; among the Apocrypha it includes Ecclesisasticus (The wisdom of Jesus the son
of Sirach) and the Wisdom of Solomon.2

2.1 Deborah: Deborah was the fifth judge of Israel, a prophetess and the only female judge
(Judge 4-5, c. 1125 BC). The Bible tells us nothing about her family except that she was the wife
of Lapidoth.3 According to Judges 4:4ff., she had her headquarters under ‘the palm tree of
Deborah’ between Ramah and Bethel, and was consulted there by Israelites from various tribes
who wished to have their disputes settled- either disputes which proved too intractable for their
local judges or intertribal disputes.4

2.1.1 The role of Deborah: Deborah was a judge in the ordinary but not in the sense of military.
It was probably because of her judicial and charismatic renown that the Israelites had recourse to
her in the straits to which they were reduced under Sisera’s oppression. She commanded Barak to
take the field as Israelite commander-in-chief against Sisera, and consented to accompany him at
his insistence; the result was the crushing defeat of Sisera at the battle of Kishon (Jdg 4:15;
5:19ff).5

Women in the prophetic traditions

The book of Joshua
The book of Joshua introduces us to one of the most amazing and thought provoking
women of the Old Testament. Rahab, the prostitute earned unique praise for her faith, and a place

1 J.D.Douglas, ed., New International Bible Dictionary (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), 825.
2 Paul J. Achtemeier ed., Harper Collins Bible Dictionary (Bangalore: Theological Publications of India, 2009), 1214.
3 R.F . Youngblood, Eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Canada: Nelson, 1986), 344.
4 H. Marshall, eds., New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 267.
5 H. Marshall, eds., New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed…, 267.
in the lineage of Christ. Before the conquest of Canaan, Joshua sends two men as spies to see the
land. They came to Rehab house, the King heard about them and demanded Rehab to give them
up, like the mid-wives in Egypt, Rehab faced with a “moment of truth”, she hid those two men
and rescued them. She told them that she knows that God will give Israel the land (2:8). She
heard about the event of the Red sea and the defeat of Amorite kings Og and Sihon, and she
declares that “dread” has fallen on the inhabitants and that they all fear Israel (2:9). This is the
message that men bring back to Joshua, and Rehab is thus the oracle of Israel’s occupation of the
land.6
In the Book of Joshua, we also have found the five daughters of Zelophehad- Mahlah,
Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. This story provides legitimation of a limited right of Israelite
women to inherit land, since only men is counted in the census and men could only inherit land,
they would be left without any inheritance since their father have no son. They appeal this
regulation in front of the secret tent of meeting. Moses consult God and the God’s decision
announced through Moses is where there are no sons, daughters shall have first inheritance
followed by other male relatives in a set sequence.7
The Book of Judges
Deborah
Deborah was the only female judge, Judges 4:4 also called her as a prophetess. She must
have been an extraordinary woman to have been accepted as a judge over all Israel in that
intensely patriarchal age in which women were considered second class citizen. 8 There is no
other heroine like Deborah in the Hebrew Bible. She is called “mother in Israel”(5:7) perhaps
because she was a biological mother. This may shows that mothers can also attain political
prominence.9
Jael
She was the wife of Heber the Kenite, Jael plays an important role in the story of Israel’s
war with the Canaanites, described in the Book of Judges. Jael killed Sisera, the Canaanite
general of King Jabin, Jael’s deeds are recounted in Judges 4 and in the poetic Song of Deborah

6 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 141.
7 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…, 221.
8 Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible (Michigan: William B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 93.
9 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…, 67
in Judges 5. Sisera entered into her domestic space, Jael takes up a domestic “weapon of
opportunity” and becomes the heroine.10
There are also some other unnamed women in the Book of Judges, they are- Mother of
Sisera (5:29-30), mother of Gideon (8:19), wives of Gideon (8:30), woman of Thebez (9:53-54),
mother of Jephthah (11:1-2), wife of Gilead (11:2), daughter of Jephthah (11:34-40), mother of
Samson (13:2-25), wife of Samson (14:1-15), prostitute of Gaza (16:1-3), mother of Micah
(17:1-4), concubine of a Levite (19-20), virgin daughter of the old man of Gibeah (19:24),
women of Jabesh Gilead (21:10-14), young women of Shiloh (21:21-23).

I and II Samuel

Hannah

Hannah is one of two wives of Elkanah; the other was Peninnah, who bore children to
Elkanah, but Hannah remained childless. Nevertheless, Elkanah preferred Hannah. Every year
Elkanah would offer a sacrifice at the Shiloh sanctuary, and give Penninah and her children a
portion but he gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her
womb. One day Hannah went up to the temple, and prayed with great weeping (I Samuel 1:10),
while Eli the High Priest was sitting on a chair near the doorpost. In her prayer she asked God for
a son and in return she vowed to give the son back to God for the service of the Shiloh priests.
She promised he would remain a Nazarene all the days of his life.11

Hannah’s narrative s concludes with a comment on her annual visit with her husband to
offer the yearly sacrifice. At that time, her motherhood is emphasized: it is not ‘Hannah’ but ‘his
(Samuel’s) mother’ who makes a ‘little robe’ and brings it to him at Shiloh (2:20). She receives
the blessings of Eli the Priest, who prophesies that she will have other children because of her
vow to Yahweh. She was blessed with three sons and two daughters.12

Michal

Michal’s appearances in I and II Samuel reflect her confinement as a women caught in

the fierce struggle over the kingship between her father, Saul, and her husband David. Michal
saves David’s life by orchestrating his escape through the window when Saul’s envoys come for

10 Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible…, 71.

11 Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995),65.
12 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…, 91.
him (19). But, Saul gives Michal to another man (25:44) in an apparent move to block David
from claiming the kingship through her.13 Michal’s loved for David had turned to contempt,
when he brought the Ark of the Covenant and danced before it, she scorned and mocked him
publicly. Finally, he put her aside in his harem and refused to treat her as his wife and she died
childless.14

In the book of I and II Samuel, the name of Abigail was also found, she was the wife of
Nabal the Calebite and later became the second wife of David. As a character, she is not very
well developed and does not figure to any great extent in the stories of David outside of I Samuel
25. Yet she serves the important functions of glorifying and validating David’s kingship. 15

I and II Kings

Jezebel

Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, priest-king of Tyre and Sidon, she was married to
Ahab, to ratify an alliance between Tyre and Israel. She had a strong domineering character, and
was self-willed and forceful. She was a fanatical devotee of Melqart, the Tyrian Baal. She
clamoured for her god to have at least equal rights with Yahweh, God of Israel. This brought her
into conflict with the prophet Elijah. So, a battle between Yahweh and Baal was fought on Mt.
Carmel, when Yahweh triumphed gloriously.

Although she was considered villainess since she was on the wrong side; she was strong
and determined women, it can also be said that Jezebel was a women of dignity and devotion.16

Athaliah

Queen Athaliah is the only woman in the Hebrew Bible reported as having reigned as a
monarch within Israel/Judah. The biblical evaluation of her rule is negative.

Women in the Book of Wisdom literature

Proverbs
While instructions for young women are conspicuously absent in Proverbs, it does not
mean that Hebrew society did not encourage wisdom and literacy among its women. On the

13 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…, 127

14 Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible…, 296.
15 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…, 43.
16 Paul J. Achtemeier ed., Harper Collins Bible Dictionary…, 1219.
contrary, Wisdom itself is personified as a feminine virtue and is depicted with feminine
pronouns like “she” and “her.”
God-fearing women who followed the divine pattern were honored in the spiritual
community. We hear nothing in Proverbs about their spiritual or domestic training, yet they are
regarded as worthy guides for the next generation and as confidants for the godly men who
needed them.17

Job
While we have the names of Job’s three daughters, we do not have the name of his wife
who remained at his side all through his trials and tribulations. She is identified by only ten
words which she uttered to her husband as she show him suffering from so much bodily pain and
discomfort.18 Job’s wife is conspicuously absent from the happy ending in which Job’s world is
restored; he was blessed with as in the beginning, seven sons and three daughters. Yet, his wife,
who actually escaped death, is excluded from this scene of familial bliss.19
Conclusion
The imagery of women in the Old Testament is always negative, beyond their domestic
life and dominated by the patriarchal society, few chapters were occupied by women as non-
domestic life, ruler and leaders of the nation. But, still they were depicted and posted as a cruel
and violence ruler. Meanwhile, the wisdom literature especially the Proverbs and Wisdom of
Solomon is the personification of the concept of wisdom as women.

17 http://wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Journals/10-1%20Feb-2003/Lensch%20-%20Two%20Women
%20Proverbs.pdf (accessed on 19.07.2012 9:00 PM)
18 Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible…,214.
19 Carol Meyers, ed., Women in Scripture…,293.
Bibliography
Achtemeier, Paul J. ed., Harper Collins Bible Dictionary. Bangalore: Theological
Publications of India, 2009.
Douglas, J.D., ed., New International Bible Dictionary. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1987.
Lockyer, Herbert. All the Women of the Bible. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House,
1995.
Losch, Richard R. All the People in the Bible. Michigan: William B.Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2008.
Meyers, Carol ed., Women in Scripture. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2000.

Webliography
http://wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Journals/10-1%20Feb-2003/Lensch%20
%20Two%20Women%20Proverbs.pdf (accessed on 19.07.2012 9:00 PM)