Why Do The Stories of Women in the Old Testament Matter for Us?
I am convinced that God values women. But I know that many women don’t feel this way. At first glance, it seems like the Bible is a book all about men and that women don’t have a place in the story. Even though the Bible was written within a patriarchal framework, through Scripture, we find that God values and chooses women to play a part in his grand story.
There are so many women in the Bible who are unknown simply because their stories are not told in Christian spaces. Thankfully, the conversation is beginning to change, and we are learning to value these women once more. This is why I was thrilled when Dr. Claude Mariottini asked me to review his new book, Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith: A Survey of the Heroines of the Old Testament. The book helps us to see that not knowing the women of the Old Testament can cause us to form an incomplete picture of the God they served.
I’m excited to introduce the book to you, highlight three Old Testament women from the book that stood out most to me, and offer my honest thoughts about the book.
Introducing Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith
Dr. Mariottini’s thesis is simple. Christians today are facing a “profound spiritual poverty” because they do not know the women who shaped their faith and thus, have an “incomplete understanding of the God those women faithfully served.”1 Women are not merely supporting characters in God’s grand story. They actually help to move the story forward as much as men do.
The first part of the book addresses Israel’s social concerns for women. This is a great read if you have ever felt confused about the laws in the Bible about women. The second part of the book highlights women prophets. After this, in part three, the book focuses on the mothers of Israel. Part four discusses the challenging passages about abused women in the Bible. Part five covers women of distinction such as Deborah and Esther, and part six introduces non-Israelite women like Hagar and Rahab.
Who Were These Old Testament Women of Faith?
We are familiar with women like Deborah, Esther, Sarah, and Ruth. They are wonderful matriarchs of Israel, and we should explore their stories more deeply. Mariottini highlights each of these women in his book and shares exegetical and contextual information that helps us understand their stories better.
So, I want to share three lesser known women in the Old Testament that Mariottini includes in Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith. Before reading this book, I was not familiar with Sheerah or the daughters of Heman. I was previously familiar with Jael. However, I really appreciated Mariottini’s treatment of her story.
Sheerah the City-builder
The introduction of the book briefly mentions Sheerah, a woman who built three cities in ancient Israel.
Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. Then he made love to his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family. His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah.
1 Chronicles 7:22-24
Sheerah must have been an influential woman to have the means to build not only one but three cities.2 Even though I’ve read the Old Testament many times, I was not aware of Sheerah and the legacy she left behind. I’m grateful that this survey of the women in the Old Testament introduced me to Sheerah and the cities she built.
The Daughters of Heman
There is an entire chapter on the Daughters of Heman, a Levitical leader in charge of the temple musicians.
As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)
1 Chronicles 25 lists Heman’s fourteen sons and his three daughters. Heman’s sons (along with the sons of Asaph and Jeduthun) ministered musically and prophetically in the temple. However, there is some ambiguity concerning whether Heman’s daughters also ministered in the same way.
All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.
1 Chronicles 25:4-6 NIV
They were all under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king.
1 Chronicles 25:6 NRSVUE
Some versions of the Bible suggest that only the men ministered in the temple, while others leave open the possibility that women might have held the same position.
Mariottini argues that the Bible versions that exclude Heman’s daughters are incorrectly basing their translation on the wording of 1 Chronicles 25:1.3 The demonstrative pronoun אֵלֶּה (these) is gender neutral and can apply to men, women, or a mixed group of people. He further explains that adding “men” alters the straightforward meaning of the verse.4
While I can see how the meaning of the verse may not be as straightforward as Mariottini suggests, I agree that Heman’s daughters likely ministered in the temple. In other places, the Old Testament describes women serving in the temple in similar capacities, and I see no other reason why the author of Chronicles would mention Heman’s daughters if they were not also temple musicians.
Related: Powerful Lessons from Three Unnamed Women in the Bible
Jael a heroine in Israel
Last but not least, Jael is a woman in the Bible that I admire. Some people find the violence involved in her story uncomfortable. Yet, if we look deeper, we can see why the Bible praises her as “most blessed of women (Judges 5:24).”
“Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.Judges 5:24-27 NIV
Jael was not an Israelite, but she and her husband, Heber, lived among the Israelites. Heber was a Kenite, and Jael likely was as well. Jael and Heber maintained a neutral position in the battle between the Israelites and the Canaanites. As Kenites, they had an alliance with King Jabin and the Canaanites. However, since they lived among the Israelites, they may not have wanted to get involved in the conflict.5
Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, flees the Israelites and encounters Jael, the wife of his ally. She welcomes him into her tent. Mariottini suggests that even though she invited him in, Sisera dishonored Jael by entering her tent and asking her to lie on his behalf.6 Eventually, Sisera falls asleep, and while he is unaware, Jael quietly takes a tent peg and hammers it through his temple. Jael wins the battle on behalf of the Israelites and receives the honor “most blessed among women.”7 We don’t know exactly why Jael sided with the Israelites against her husband’s allies, but Mariottini sees her actions as “the work of God in liberating the oppressed and defeating the oppressor.”8 Like many other non-Israelite women in ancient Israel, Jael chose the Lord and his people despite the potential consequences and high stakes.
Related: What Does It Really Take to Be a Proverbs 31 Woman?
My Overall Thoughts on the Book
I think this book is a great place to start if you are new to reading about women in the Old Testament or if you need a refresher. It offers a succinct overview of many of ancient Israel’s women without feeling too academic or dry. The chapters are short but filled with a lot of good information, and overall, the book covers women in the Bible that most people don’t yet know.
My only critique is that I wish there were more depth to some of the women’s stories included. For example, I would have loved to learn more about Sheerah and would have appreciated a more nuanced discussion of the daughters of Heman. Since this book is a survey, if you are looking for something very in-depth, this might not be the best book for you. However, if you’re looking for a resource that’s straightforward, clear, and informative, it’s an excellent read!
I would recommend using this book as a companion while reading the Old Testament, as a resource for facilitating thoughtful discussion in Bible studies, or as a discipleship tool for those who struggle to see just how much God values women.
You can grab a copy of Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith here on Amazon.
