• Amos and the Women of Samaria

    Amos and the Women of Samaria

    The Old Testament prophets told it like it was. In Amos 4 the prophet Amos addresses the women of Samaria. “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,     who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,     who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may… Read more

  • Mother of King Belshazzar

    Mother of King Belshazzar

    King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of her lords. In order to impress his guests, he decided to serve the wine in gold and silver goblets his father had taken out of Jerusalem’s temple. They were having a wild time drinking and praising the gods of gold, silver, iron, wood, and stone,… Read more

  • Women Who Sew Magic Bands

    Women Who Sew Magic Bands

    Ezekiel had no patience for false prophets. In Ezekiel 13:17-18 he warned against women who sew magic bands and veils.  “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own hearts. Prophesy against them and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women… Read more

  • Isaiah’s Wife the Prophetess

    Isaiah’s Wife the Prophetess

    You would think considering Isaiah was such a prominent figure in the Bible and the book of Isaiah is one of the longest books in the Bible with 66 chapters, that there would be plenty of coverage of Isaiah’s wife. In fact, though, she is mentioned only once.  In Isaiah 8:3 we’re told, “Then I… Read more

  • Women as Snares and Nets

    Women as Snares and Nets

    In Ecclesiastes 7:26 we find a symbolic group of women who are referred to as snares and nets to unsuspecting men. “And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by… Read more

  • King Lemuel’s Mother

    King Lemuel’s Mother

    We tend to look at Proverbs 31 written by King Lemuel’s mother as this impossible to achieve perfection that we must all strive for. It is, in fact, a description of a virtuous woman provided by a mother to her son. But this was not one woman that we’re all trying to imitate. This was… Read more

  • Learning From Job’s Daughters

    Learning From Job’s Daughters

    In the beginning, Job had seven sons and three daughters. Job’s daughters had a close relationship with each other and their brothers and enjoyed spending time together. Job’s Sons and Daughters The sons would hold feasts in their respective houses and invite their sisters to come eat and drink with them. Then, once the feast… Read more

  • Mother of Jabez

    Mother of Jabez

    The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are packed with genealogical lists. It’s easy to skim over them, assuming there’s nothing of interest. But if we take the time to go through them, we can often find interesting tidbits sandwiched between the names. Thus is the case of the Mother of Jabez in 1 Chronicles… Read more

  • The Woman Who Ate Her Son

    The Woman Who Ate Her Son

    During a time of famine in Samaria, the Syrians besieged Samaria, causing acute inflation and desperation within the city walls. With the Syrian army surrounding the capitol city, they were unable to get provisions to the people inside. It got to the point that a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and… Read more

  • Wives of Solomon

    Wives of Solomon

    Solomon’s wealth and wisdom were unsurpassed. He had everything he could possibly desire, yet it wasn’t enough. He wanted more.  In addition to the daughter of Pharaoh, he married Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, women from lands where the Israelites were forbidden to intermarry because of their pagan worship. Since these women were… Read more

  • Dancing Women in the Bible

    Dancing Women in the Bible

    The Israelites lived in fear of the Philistines. Everyone feared them, especially the Philistine champion Goliath who was six cubits and a span. That translates into nine feet nine inches tall. Though this is hard for us to comprehend, several historians of the times mentioned giants that were seven cubits. Nonetheless, Goliath towered over the… Read more

  • Young Maidens Drawing Water

    Young Maidens Drawing Water

    Before Saul was king over Israel, he was a handsome young man whose father was Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish’s donkey got loose, so Kish sent his son Saul to go look for them. Saul and a servant searched for the donkeys throughout the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha, but they couldn’t… Read more

  • Tabernacle Women in the Old Testament

    Tabernacle Women in the Old Testament

    In Exodus 38 we first learned of the serving women who assembled at the tabernacle. Though we don’t know their exact duties, we know there were many women who served in some capacity at the tabernacle.  In 1 Samuel we see the tabernacle women mentioned again.  It was the time of the judges. Eli was… Read more

  • Wives for the Benjaminites

    Wives for the Benjaminites

    What started out as one man of God going astray led to a civil war among the tribes of Israel. The men of Israel fought against the tribe of Benjamin, killing all but six hundred unmarried men.  After the glory of the battle victory wore off, the people then lamented that since they’d sworn not… Read more

  • The Levite’s Concubine

    The Levite’s Concubine

    During the times when Israel had no king, a Levite lived in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem, but his concubine was unfaithful to him and left him, returning to her father’s house and staying there for four months.  As a man of God, this Levite should have… Read more

  • Micah’s Mother

    Micah’s Mother

    The later part of the book of Judges includes a series of stories that illustrate the pagan influences on the people of Israel. Chapter 17 tells the story of Micah and his mother. They lived in the mountains of Ephraim.  Micah’s mother had a large stash of money that was stolen, so she put a… Read more

  • The Tragedy of Jephthah’s Daughter

    The Tragedy of Jephthah’s Daughter

    The book of Judges is filled with tragic stories of sin. So often, women were innocent victims of the sins of their fathers, husbands, or family members. Jephthah’s daughter is one of those women. Jephthah was the son of a harlot who was used by God to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Though he… Read more

  • Jephthah’s Mother

    Jephthah’s Mother

    The time of the judges was a challenging time for the Israelites. As long as they had a strong judge, the people tended to listen and obey God. But as soon as the judge died, they went back to their old ways of following other gods.  God responded to their unfaithfulness by allowing them to… Read more

  • Woman of Thebez

    Woman of Thebez

    Abimelech ruled with the support of his fellow men from Shechem, until three years into his reign when they turned against him. What followed was a series of battles between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. Abimelech and his army destroyed the city of Shechem, killing everyone in it. When word reached the people at… Read more

  • Gideon’s Concubine

    Gideon’s Concubine

    In addition to Gideon’s many wives, he had a concubine who lived in Shechem. She bore Gideon a son who he called Abimelech, which means “my father is king”. Gideon died in peace at a good old age, but as soon as he died, the people of Israel went back to the worship of Baal.… Read more

  • All Gideon’s Wives

    All Gideon’s Wives

    We first meet Gideon in Judges chapter 6, but it’s not until almost three chapters later when he’s on his deathbed, that we discover Gideon had many wives plus at least one concubine.  Gideon started off a humble man. The Angel of the Lord came to him while he threshed wheat in the winepress in… Read more