10 Women Of The Bible & What Scripture Says About Their Feminist Role
It may not be today's modern version of feminism but they did break tradition in their time.
pexels Before and after the time of Jesus, there are women who could be considered biblical feminist of their time.
During Biblical times, traditionally, women were seen as mothers, queens, wives, refugees, and judges.
The most common thing that society blamed them or others for is sexual treachery. For expressing their sexuality, females could be punished by death.
There is a story of Bathsheba from the Bible where she is seen bathing on her roof where she could be seen fully. Now, this could mean that she was completely bathing or she was just washing her feet or hands.
She is spied on by King David, who is more like a peeping Tom than anything else, while she is his mistress. She embodies an adulteress and someone with loose morals.
This story of Bathsheba can be seen today. She was a woman who was assaulted and used sexually by her king, which relates to today with sex trafficking, abuse, and domestic abuse.
When Bathsheba was not seen as a victim, she is not given any empathy. This is the same for women today who go through the same thing.
When a victim is not given the proper justice, the victim's suffering is marginalized and it is hard for people to empathize with him/her.
The story of Bathsheba has been used in talks today within the church pertaining to abuse, victims, and assault.
Not only has it sparked movements, such as #MeToo and #ChurchToo, which have been advocating for justice for abuse victims.
It has also brought this debate to the forefront of conversations and how everyone is responsible and needs to be empathetic towards these cases of abuse, sexual assault, and all the other forms of violence.
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Feminism is described by Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary as "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes," and "organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests."
Biblical Feminism is described as people working "to develop a society in which women are free to achieve their full potential," while "creating equal opportunities to serve" (Gretchen Gaebelein Hull).
Each of these women took their lives into their own hands, like modern-day feminists. All feminists want in life is the power to make their own decisions about their body and stand on equal footing with men.
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Yes, these Biblical women have committed unspeakable crimes, but most of them learned or made something out of their failure. Here are some wicked Biblical women who you may be able to relate to.
1. Eve
Who was Eve? Mentioned in the second chapter of the book of Genesis, Eve is the original sinner. She made the mistake of believing the serpent's lie that she can eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Because both she and Adam ate from an apple, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
She is seen as the worst woman in the Bible because she fell into temptation and through it, she unleashed evil into the world.
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2. Jezebel
Who was Jezebel? Mentioned in the first book of Kings in chapter 16, she was a princess who married Ahab, who was one of Israel's worst kings. She prayed to Baal, who is thought to be the god of rain and prosperity.
She forced conversions to believe in Baal through murdering many Israeli prophets. Shortly after, she was made fun of by Elijah and was killed by being thrown out of her palace window by her servants.
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3. Athaliah
Who is Athaliah? Mentioned in the second book of Kings, chapter 11, She is known as the wickedest queen in the Bible. She married the King of Judah, and after his death, she became very paranoid, to the point she killed all of her grandchildren to secure her position on the throne. She was overthrown and executed shortly after.
4. Herodias
Who was Herodias? Mentioned in the gospels of both Mark and Matthew, she was a very ruthless, ambitious, and manipulative woman. She was the granddaughter of Herod the Great, and also married 2 of her uncles, Herod Philip I and Herod Antipas.
She held an immense hatred for John the Baptist because he stood in between her marriage to Herod Antipas, whom of which she still married after divorcing Philip.
She couldn't get her husband to kill John the Baptist, so she threw a birthday party for Herod and at this party, she had her sister, Salomé, ask for John the Baptist's head on a platter as a gift for her performance.
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5. Potiphar's Wife
Who was Potiphar's wife? In the book of Genesis, chapter 39, she is a very manipulative woman who doesn't like being told no. She was a high-ranking Egyptian who fell for a slave named Joseph.
When he wouldn't sleep with her, she accused him of attempting to rape her, which caused him to be thrown into jail. After he was released, he became the 2nd most powerful man in Egypt.
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6. Delilah
Who was Delilah? In the book of Judges, chapter 16, she was the girlfriend of Samson, who betrayed him to his enemies for money. She told his enemies that he was very strong, superhuman strength.
She also told them that they can take away his power if they cut his hair. One night, when he was sleeping, they cut his hair off, gouged his eyes out and took him as a captive.
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7. The Witch of Endor
Who was the Witch of Endor? Found in the book of Samuel, chapter 28, the Witch of Endor is known for being just that, a witch.
She is famous for trying to conjure the dead to predict the future as a way of making an income.
Every time she practiced her witchcraft, she was in extreme danger because witchcraft was a punishable offense of death.
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8. Lot's Wife
Who was Lot's Wife? She is a perfect example of giving in to your circumstances.
As told by Genesis, chapter 19, she lived in Sodom, which was a city known for its wickedness and treachery.
She most likely abandoned her fleeing family to go back to Sodom, which made her a part of the cities destruction.
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9. Gomer
Who was Gomer? She was the wife of Hosea, leaves her husband to go and have multiple love affairs at the same time.
This lifestyle left her in immense debt, which forced her to sell herself into slavery to pay off her debt. Even though she left Hosea, he comes to her rescue by paying off her debts and bringing her home.
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10. The Woman of Samaria
Who was the woman of Samaria? In the book of John, chapter 4, this Biblical woman was caught in the midst of multiple love affairs by Jesus, which revealed himself. Because He knew everything about her, she truly believed in His divine power. She told everyone to go and see Him.
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Emily Francos is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.