Women have a very important role in the Bible and in Christianity, although many times they are not given the recognition they deserve. Today we will meet the women of the Bible from many perspectives.
Women of the Bible with Great Impact
Mary, Mary Magdalene, Esther, Ruth… These are some of the most outstanding names of women that appear in the Bible and many more are missing that we will see during today’s article.
Behind each of these names, there is a story, a life, fundamental to our religion and that, without it, we would not understand the Lord as we do and we would miss much of the meaning of Christianity.
That is why today we want to give importance to the women of the Bible and to Christian women in general. Get ready to discover new biblical characters that you surely knew little about and see their work in honor of God.
10 Great women of the bible study
Surely some names will sound familiar to you, but many others will be new to you. We will try to discover the most interesting aspects of these prodigious women and what lessons they can give you in your life.
Miriam, sister of Moses
“ Because I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you.” (Micah 6:4 )
Miríam or also translated on many occasions as Maria is one of the first women to appear in the Bible, this being the sister of Moses and Aaron.
Its name can have different origins and its meaning varies according to the language. In Hebrew, it means ” desired as a daughter “, while in Egyptian, “dear”. Both denote a feeling of love around her that defines her as a biblical character.
In Greek, her name becomes Mariam, from which that of Mary was later derived, which we find in many translations.
Miriam accompanied Moses during Jewish slavery in Egypt and part of the Exodus; although he, like Moses, he died before getting into the Promised Land. In his infancy, she made sure that Moses, then a baby, came to the pharaohs to be raised, as told in Exodus 2.
” And one of her sisters stood afar off to see what would happen to her.” (Exodus 2:4)
Thus, Miriam was a protector of Moses, always ensuring that the grace of God developed in him without any problem. In addition, she is considered a prophetess and creator of the song after the crossing of the Red Sea:
And Mary answered them:
Sing to Jehovah, because he has become exceedingly great;
He has thrown horse and rider into the sea.” (Exodus 15:21)
Sarah, Abraham’s wife
“ God answered, Surely Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.” (Genesis 17:19 )
The first woman of importance in the history of Christianity was actually Sara, or originally known as Sarai, and she was the wife of Abraham around 1700 BC.
This name change is not arbitrary, since Sara in Hebrew means “princess” or ” sacred ” and gives her the mission of creating offspring that would mean the foundation of the people of Israel.
It was the Lord who changed her name and worked in her to make all this happen. Sara was barren and had already reached her nineties. However, God allowed her to have Isaac with Abraham even at that advanced age.
God also said to Abraham: You shall not call Sarai your wife Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
And I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her; yes, I will bless her, and she will become a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17:15-16)
Sara is the first important woman in the Bible and the origin of all the descendants of Abraham, this is the people of Israel. Everything that comes after her is thanks to her and to the miracle of God.
According to the Bible, before this happened, Sarah proposed to Abraham that he have a child with the slave Hagar since she could not have offspring. Ismael was born from that relationship and, later, Sara expelled him and his mother because of an argument.
According to tradition, the Arabs consider themselves descendants of Ishmael and the Israelites of Isaac, both descendants of Abraham. Thus, it is due to this action of Sarah that the split between the two peoples occurred.
Ruth in the Bible
“ Ruth replied: Do not beg me to leave you, and separate me from you; because wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
Later in the biblical chronology, we find another very important woman, not only because she is the first to have a book in the Bible with her name, but also because she was the great-grandmother of King David and, therefore, a direct ancestor of Our Lord. Jesus.
Ruth belonged to the Moabite people, a society that inhabited Canaan like the Israelites but considered distinct peoples. However, Moabites and Israelites continually mixed throughout history.
The story of Ruth can be found in the Bible in the Book of Ruth, after Judges, and before Samuel. Chronologically, it also takes place at that time, years after the Exodus ended and the Jews reached the promised land.
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Ruth means ” companion ” in Hebrew, and is related to her virtue as a pious woman who accompanies her throughout her life.
His life is a story of compassion and love for God, of how a person with a different faith can convert and recognize God as unique and true, something quite unthinkable for the people of that time.
“ And she said: My Lord, may I find grace in your sight; because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken to the heart of your servant, although I am not even like one of your servants.” (Ruth 2:13)
Phrases like this appear in this wonderful book, which is also quite short. We recommend you read it to learn more about Ruth’s life and see what life lessons you can learn from this exemplary woman.
Hannah, mother of Samuel
” Then he made this vow: “Almighty Lord, if you deign to look at the misfortune of this servant of yours, and if instead of forgetting me you remember me and grant me a male child, I will give him to you for all his life, and he will never be lost.” He will cut your hair.” (1 Samuel 1:11)
Another woman who appears in the Bible and who is perhaps not as well known is Ana, the mother of the prophet Samuel and who was somewhat later than the story that Ruth lived. In this case, we are talking about the year 1200 BC, just before David was born.
Ana was sterile and lived with that sorrow for a long time. However, one day she prayed very strongly to the Lord, with all her soul, and told him that if she had a son, he would dedicate his whole life to spreading the Word of God.
After this, Ana conceived Samuel and he became one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, thus fulfilling Ana’s promise. For this reason, Ana is considered a prophetess.
The lesson of all this is that true faith in the Lord can overcome anything. Ana’s story is an example of humility and dedication to God, showing the power of prayer.
Most of the verses in which it appears are found in the first chapters of 1 Samuel ; so if you want to know this story better, you can read them and find the beauty of their words.
Esther from the bible
“ For how could I see the calamity that hangs over my people? How could I watch impassively the extermination of my people? (Esther 8:6)
The last woman we will talk about in the Old Testament is Esther. Like Ruth, she is also a book in the Bible, towards the end of the Old Testament. Her story is set around 500 BC, right at the end of the Jewish captivity in Babylon.
Esther lived in a Jewish community in Persia and was chosen by the king of that great empire as his wife. From the court, Esther tried to benefit the Jews of that country who had numerous enemies who wanted to exterminate them.
Thus, Esther certainly prevented a massacre by saving her people, even if she risked her life for it. The story is much more complex and does not have great allusions to the Lord, since it is more of a historical narrative, so we invite you to read it to get to know Esther better!
Because of her actions and the salvation of her people, the Jews have a holiday in honor of her, called Purim.
Esther’s story is, ultimately, a sign of dedication and love for the Lord, accompanied by high intelligence and oratory that manage to avoid a disaster.
The virgin mary
“ Then Mary said: Behold the servant of the Lord; be done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her presence.” (Luke 1:38 )
After the women of the Old Testament, we come to one of the most important women in the history of Christianity, if not the most important. We are talking about Mary, the mother of Jesus and of all Christians.
Her acceptance of the Lord gave us Jesus to save humanity and without her everything would have been different. Mary is the reason why we Christians are what we are.
Little is known about the life of Mary before the Annunciation, only that she was a young woman from Galilee engaged to a carpenter we all know as Joseph. Her parents were Joaquín and Ana, and they also appear in the gospels.
She was a humble woman, without any financial resources, but with a big heart that made her accept the very difficult mission that the Lord entrusted to her. María was up to everything and now she is a symbol for millions of people.
After the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus, Mary was always by his side. In her childhood, she protected him from Herod’s slaughter of the innocents, and, later in her adolescence, she showed concern in the temple episode.
“ When they saw him, they were surprised; and her mother said to him: Son, why have you done this to us? Behold, your father and I have searched for you in anguish.” (Luke 2:48 KJV)
During the ministry of Jesus, Mary is mentioned only at the wedding at Cana and at the Passion of Christ, although she was sure with Him on many other occasions.
Mary is thus an example of unquestionable love, a role model for Christian men and women who even have very famous prayers dedicated to her.
Maria Magdalena
“ On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early in the morning, while it was still dark, to the tomb; and she saw the stone rolled away from the tomb.” (John 20:1)
Finally, we come to the turn of another wonderful woman who is known to each and every Christian, being almost as popular as Mary.
This is a normal fact because Mary Magdalene could be any of us because she was a sinful woman who decided to follow Jesus and give her whole soul to love him and learn from him.
Although there is not much information about her, it is known that she did not have a good life before she met Jesus, but when he healed her, she decided to follow him and accompany him throughout his ministry and was present at the most crucial moments of his life.
So much so that along with a few other women, she was the first person to see the risen Christ. She is a sample of the meaning of our religion since God speaks to us even with our sinful condition.
Her name, Magdalena, refers to the fact that she surely came from the Jewish city of Magdala and later changed her name to Tariquea; a place where Jesus traveled to continue expanding his message.
Women of Faith in the Bible
Previously, we have not mentioned all the women of the Bible, but those about whom we have more information or who have more relevance for Christianity. However, there are many more and we cannot underestimate them.
Now we will show you other women of the Bible in a shorter format so that no one is left out.
Eve, the first woman in the Bible
First of all, we must talk about Eva as it cannot be otherwise. She was the first woman and meant the first union between men and women in history, beginning to live with sin after her expulsion from her paradise.
Rahab, a woman of faith
Much later, Rahab would arrive, in the time of Joshua or what is the same, just after Moses. She was a prostitute who recognized the power of God and decided to save two Israelites from death in her city, Jericho. She later she had offspring and goes in a direct line with David and Jesus.
Deborah, prophet, and judge
There is also Deborah, who was Israel’s judge for 40 years in which the territory prospered in peace. She was also a prophetess with some prophecies about Israel’s victories.
Isabel, announcer of the Buenanueva
Already in the New Testament, it is necessary to mention Elizabeth, cousin of the Virgin Mary and mother of John the Baptist. In an encounter with Mary, who was already waiting for Jesus, she exclaimed the famous phrase:
” And she exclaimed with a loud voice, and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42 KJV)
Priscilla, a friend of Paul of Tarsus
Finally, we have Priscilla; she lived in Rome just after the death of Jesus, and she had a close friendship with Paul of Tarsus. Together with the apostle, they created the first Christian communities in the Mediterranean.
We hope you have learned a lot from their stories and their work. We must remember that the role that women have played throughout biblical history is fundamental.
With this we say goodbye and we wish that the love of the Lord be with you.
