Israelite Women Singing The Songs of Joy
by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902)
The women of the Old Testament played an active and important role in the social and religious life of Israel. However, at times the role these women played in the formation and transmission of Israelite faith is not seen because the Old Testament is the work of Israelite men who in general were writing to men who were the leaders of the community.
The books of the Old Testament were written by an elite religious groups, mostly of men. The authors of these books were male; the editors were male, and their views are reflected in the stories found in the Old Testament. But the representation of women in the Old Testament is not unsympathetic. In many places in the Old Testament, women speak with their own voices and in the process their stories and their words help us understand the formal and informal power a woman exercised in the community and the sphere of influence and authority enjoyed by Israelite women.
In her article, “Names and Naming in the Biblical Word,” Karla Bohmbach said that there are 2900 men and 170 whose names appear in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament. Another study calculates that there are 1315 names of men in the Hebrew Bible. The problem in providing a definite number for the named people in the Bible is because some names can be either the name of a man or the name of a woman.
In the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament there are hundreds of nameless women. These nameless women served as prophets, professional singers, professional mourners, professional weavers, professional diviners, professional midwives, professional dancers, professional players, wise women, shepherdesses, perfumers, cooks, and bakers. They made important contributions to Israelite society, even though their names were never revealed.
There are 135 named women in the Hebrew Bible. In the study of the women in the Old Testament, it is important to study the social, economic, political, and legal conditions of patriarchal society in order to understand how the conditions reflect the different demands imposed on Israelite women, that is, in productive and reproductive labor, in differences of value for women’s services, in the range of activities outside the home, and the woman’s authority within the family.
A common life style cannot be assumed for the women of early Israel. There is no common view of how a peasant or a noble woman, or a palace worker, or any other woman lived. But there is a set of expectations that governed the life of an Israelite woman in any circumstance and at any time.
Below there is a list of all the posts where the women of the Old Testament are mentioned. There are 68 women mentioned in these posts. Some women are mentioned only briefly in some posts. Other posts provide more context to the lives and contributions these women have made to the religious, political, and social life of Israel.
The list is not complete. More could be said about the contribution these women have made to ancient Israel and the impact they had in their society. In the future, other posts will be added to this list. My goal is to write a few words about all the 135 women in the Old Testament.
I need your help. As you read these posts, if you encounter any broken link, I would appreciate if you send me a note so that I can fix the problem.
Enjoy reading about these fascinating women of the Old Testament.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Karla Bohmbach, “Names and Naming in the Biblical Word.” In Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament. Edit by Carol Meyers, Toni Craven, and Ross Shepard Kramer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
All the Women of the Old Testament
Abi
Abi: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Abigail, David’s Sister
Abigail, David’s Wife
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Abihail, The Wife of Abishur
Abihail, Rehoboam’s Mother-in-Law
Abihail, Rehoboam’s Mother-in-Law
Abital
Abishag the Shunammite
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Achsah
Adah
Ahinoam
Athaliah
Athaliah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Azubah
Azubah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Bathsheba
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Bathsheba: A Mother With Determination
Bathsheba: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Bathsheba and Her Menstrual Period
The Death of Bathsheba’s Child – Part 1
The Death of Bathsheba’s Child – Part 2
The Death of Bathsheba’s Child – Part 3
Bilhah
Cain’s Wife
Deborah
Women Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
Israel in the Days of the Judges
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
Delilah
Samson and Delilah – The Movie
Samson and Delilah – A Movie Review
Dinah
Honor Killing: The Rape of Dinah
Eglah
Esther
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Eve
Adam’s Sin: Listening To His Wife
Congenital Human Baculum Deficiency, Adam’s Rib, and the Formation of Eve
The Creation of the Woman in Genesis 2:18-24
Gomer
The Marriage of the Prophet Hosea
How Much Did Hosea Pay for His Wife?
Hagar
Haggith
Hannah
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
The Barren Has Borne Seven: A Mother’s Day Meditation
Hephzibah
Hephzibah: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Huldah
Women Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
The Rabbis’ View on Huldah the Prophetess
Isaiah’s Wife
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
Women Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
Jael
Jecoliah
Jecoliah: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Jedidah
Jedidah: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Jehoaddin
Jehoaddin: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Jemima
Jeroboam’s Wife
A Mother’s Agony: The Story of Jeroboam’s Wife
A Case for Domestics Abuse: Another Perspective
Jephthah’s Daughter
The Sacrifice of Jephthah’s Daughters
Rereading Judges 11:31: The Sacrifice of Jephthah’s Daughter
Judges 11:39: The Fate of Jephthah’s Daughter
Judges 11:39: The Virginity of Jephthah’s Daughter
Jerusha
Jerusha: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Jezebel
The Greatness That Was Jezebel
Jezebel, A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Jezebel’s Wedding Song – Part 1
Jezebel’s Wedding Song – Part 2
Job’s Daughters
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Jochebed
Keren-Happuch
Keren-Happuch, Job’s Daughters
Keziah
Leah
Leah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Levite’s Concubine
Rereading Judges 19:2: The Levite and His Concubine
Maacah
Maacah, The Wife of King Rehoboam: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Maacah
Medium of Endor
1 Samuel 28: The Medium of Endor – Part 1
1 Samuel 28: The Medium of Endor – Part 2
Meshullemeth
Meshullemeth: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Michal
Miriam
Rereading Micah 6:4: Miriam, A Leader in Israel
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
Women Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
Naamah
Naamah the Ammonite: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Naomi
A Woman Who Was Better Than Seven Sons
Nehushta
Nehushta: A Great Grandmother of Jesus
Noadiah
Women Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
Pharaoh’s Daughter
Pharaoh’s Daughter, Moses’ Adoptive Mother
The Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba and Her Fabled Goldmine
Rachel
Rachel: The Struggles of a Barren Woman
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Rahab
Rahab: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Rahab: A Prostitute or an Innkeeper?
Rebekah
Rebekah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Rizpah
Ruth
Ruth: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
A Woman Who Was Better Than Seven Sons
Sarah
Sarah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
The Seven Prophetesses of the Old Testament
The Beautiful People of the Bible
Sisera’s Mother
Sheerah
Sheerah: A Woman of Distinction
Shiphrah
The Shullamite
The Beautiful People of the Bible
“Black and Beautiful” or “Black but Beautiful”?
Puah
Tamar, Judah’s Wife
Tamar, Judah’s Wife: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Tamar, David’s Daughter
Tamar, Absalom’s Daughter
Vasti
Zibiah
Zibiah: A Great-Grandmother of Jesus
Zillah
Zilpah
Zipporah
Additional Studies on Old Testament Women
Women’s Issues and Concerns in the Old Testament
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on Twitter or Tumblr so that others may enjoy reading it too!
I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you thought of this post by leaving a comment below. Be sure to like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, follow me on Tumblr, Facebook, and subscribe to my blog to receive each post by email.
If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of topics.
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
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Do the genders of the names in the Septuagint always agree with those in the Hebrew? If there are discrepancies, is there a pattern to them?
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Richard,
In Hebrew some names could be either the name of a man of the name of a woman. The same thing happens in English. For example, the name Chris can be the name of a man or the name of a woman.The same thing with the name Drew. These names are what is called “unisex names.” Unisex names are also found in the Old Testament. Thus, naming a child reflects the wishes of parents.
Claude Mariottini
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Sure, but that does not answer my question. Did the Septuagint always get the genders of people right when transliterating from Hebrew to Greek? Concerning the unisex names, how did the Septuagint deal with them? Did it somehow manage to give them gender ambiguity? If not, was there a tendency to make them male in certain contexts?
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Richard,
I have not done an in-depth study on this issue. I did a fast review on the name Abijah, a name that can be used for men and for women. When Abijah is use as the name of a man, the Septuagint translates the name was Abia and
Abiud. When Abijah is used as the name of a woman, the Septuagint translates the name as Abia and Abba.
As you can see, the Septuagint is not consistent and I suspect that we could find many more examples such as these.
Claude Mariottini
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