Women play a very important role in the Bible and in Christianity, although they are often not given the recognition they deserve. Today we will meet the women of the Bible from many perspectives.
Women of the Bible who left their mark
Mary, Mary Magdalene, Esther, Ruth… These are some of the most outstanding names of women who appear in the Bible. women who appear in the Bible and there are many more that we will see during today’s article.
Behind each of these names is a story, a life, fundamental to our religion and without it, we would not understand the Lord as we do and we would miss much of the meaning of Christianity. meaning of Christianity..
That is why today we want to give importance to the women of the Bible. women of the Bible and Christian women in general. Get ready to discover new biblical characters that you probably knew little about and see their work in honor of God.
Before you start, we recommend you to watch this introductory video Let’s get started!
To begin with, we will show you the most important women in the Bibleboth in the Old Testament and the New Testament and why their story is so valuable in our religion.
Some of the names will probably be familiar to you, but many others will be new to you. We will try to discover for you the most interesting aspects of these prodigious women and what lessons they can teach you for your life.
MÃriam, sister of Moses
“For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.” (Micah 6:4 NKJV1960)
Miriam or also translated in many occasions as Mary, is one of the first women that appear in the Bible, being the sister of Moses. 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 was later derived that of Mary which we find in many translations.
Miriam accompanied Moses during the Jewish slavery in Egypt and part of the Exodus; although, like Moses, she died before she managed to enter the Promised Land. In his infancy, he made sure that Moses, then an infant, came into the hands of the Pharaohs to be raised, as recounted in Exodus 2.
“And a sister of his stood afar off, to see what would befall him.” (Exodus 2:4)
Thus, Miriam was a protector of protector of Mosesalways trying to ensure that God’s grace would develop 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 would answer them:
Sing to the LORD, for he has magnified himself exceedingly;
He has cast the horse and the rider into the sea.” (Exodus 15:21)
Sarah, wife of Abraham
“God answered, Surely Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Genesis 17:19 NKJV1960)
The first woman of importance in the history of Christianity was actually Sarah or, originally known as Sarai and was Abraham’s wife around 1700 BC. 1700 B.C.
This change of name is not arbitrary, since Sara in Hebrew means “princess” or “sacred“and grants her the mission of creating an 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 infertile and had already reached the age of ninety years. However, God allowed that she could have Isaac with Abraham even at that advanced age.
“And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt not call Sarai thy wife Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
And I will bless her, and I will also give you a son of her; yes, I will bless her, and she shall become a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” (Genesis 17:15-16 ESV1960)
Sarah is the first important woman in the Bible and the origin of all Abraham’s descendants. descendants of Abrahamthat is the people of Israel. Everything that comes after that is thanks to her and to God’s miracle.
According to the Bible, before this happened, Sarah proposed to Abraham that he have a son with the slave girl Hagar, since she could not have offspring. From this relationship Ismael was born and later Sara expelled him and his mother because of an argument.
According to tradition, the Arabs are considered descendants of Ishmael and the Israelites of Isaac, both in turn 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 answered, Pray me not to leave thee, and depart from thee: for whithersoever thou goest, I will go; and wheresoever thou livest, I will live. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16 NKJV1960)
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 named after her, but also because she was the great-grandmother of King David and, therefore, direct ancestor of Our Lord Jesus.
Ruth belonged to the people of the Moabitesa society that inhabited Canaan like the Israelites but were considered distinct peoples. However, Moabites and Israelites continually intermingled throughout history.
The story of Ruth can be found in the Bible in the Book of Ruthafter Judges and before Samuel. Chronologically, it is also set at that time, years after the Exodus ended and the Jews reached the Promised Land.
Rut means “companion“in Hebrew, and is related to her virtue as a pious woman who accompanied her throughout her life.
His life is a story of compassion and love for God, of how a person with a different faith can be converted and recognize God as unique and true, something quite unthinkable for the people of that time.
“And she said, O my Lord, let me find favor in thy sight; for thou hast comforted me, and for thou hast spoken to the heart of thine handmaid, though I am not even as one of thy handmaidens.” (Ruth 2:13 NKJV1960)
Phrases like this appear in this wonderful book, which is also quite short. We recommend you read it to learn more about the life of Ruth and see what life lessons you can draw from this exemplary woman.
Ana, mother of Samuel
“Then he vowed this vow: “O Lord Almighty, if you will look upon the wretchedness of this your handmaid, and if, instead of forgetting me, you will remember me and give me a son, I will give him to you for his whole life, and his hair shall never be cut off.” (1 Samuel 1:11 NIV).
Another woman who appears in the Bible and who is perhaps not so well known is Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel and who was somewhat later than the story that Ruth lived. In this case we are talking about towards the 1200 B.C.just before David was born.
Anne was barren and lived with that grief for a long time. However, one day he prayed very strongly to the Lord with all his soul and told Him that if he had a son, he would dedicate his whole life to spreading the Word of God.
After this, Hannah conceived conceived Samuel and he became one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, thus fulfilling Hannah’s promise. For this reason, Anna is considered a prophetess.
The lesson from all this is that true faith true faith in the Lord can do all things. Ana’s story is an example of humility and surrender to God, showing the power of prayer.
Most of the verses in which it appears are found in the first chapters of 1 Samuelso if you want to know this story better, you can read them and find the beauty of his words.
Esther from the Bible
“For how could I see the calamity that is coming upon my people? How could I watch unmoved the extermination of my people?” (Esther 8:6 NIV).
The last woman we will talk about in the Old Testament is Esther. Like Ruth, she also has a book in the Bible, towards the end of the Old Testament. Its history dates back to 500 B.C.just 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 avoided a slaughter by saving her people, even if she risked her life for it. The story is much more complex and does not have many allusions to the Lord, since it is more of a historical narrativeWe invite you to read it to learn more about Esther!
Because of her actions and the salvation of her people, the Jews have a holiday in honor of her, called as Purim.
Esther’s story is, in short, an example of dedication to of dedication and love for the Lord and love for the Lord, accompanied by a high level of intelligence and oratory that manages to avoid a disaster.
Holy Mary
“And Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her presence.” (Luke 1:38 NKJV1960)
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 Maria, the mother of Jesus and of all Christians.
Your acceptance to the Lord She 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 of Mary’s life before the annunciation, only that she was a young girl from Galilee, and that she was a young woman from Galilee betrothed to a carpenter whom we all know as Joseph. His parents were Joachim and Anna, and they also appear in the gospels.
She was a humble woman, without many economic resources, but with a great heart that made her accept the difficult mission entrusted to her by the Lord. Maria was up to the task and now is a symbol for millions of people.
After the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus, Mary was always at his side. In his childhood, it protected him from the slaughter of the innocents by Herod and, later in her adolescence, she showed concern in the episode of the temple.
“And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou done thus unto us? Behold, your father and I have sought you in anguish.” (Luke 2:48 NKJV1960)
During Jesus’ ministry, Mary is mentioned only at the wedding at Cana. wedding at Cana and in the Passion of Christ, although she was surely with Him on many other occasions.
Mary is thus an example of example of love an indisputable example of love, a role model for Christian men and women that we even have very famous prayers dedicated to her.
Mary Magdalene
“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 taken away from the tomb.” (John 20:1 NKJV1960)
Finally, we come to the turn of another wonderful woman who is known to each and every Christian, being almost as popular as Mary. as popular as Mary..
This is a normal fact, because Mary Magdalene could be any of us, since she was a sinful woman who decided to follow Jesus. to follow Jesus and gave 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 he healed hershe decided to follow 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. It is a sign of the significance of our religion, for God addresses us even with our sinful condition.
Her name, Magdalena, refers to the fact that she probably came from the Jewish city of Magdala. Jewish city of Magdala and later changed her name to Tarichea, the place where Jesus traveled to continue spreading his message.
Women of faith in the Bible
Previously, we have not mentioned all the women of the Bible, but those of which we have more information or have more relevance for Christianity. However, there are many more that we cannot underestimate.
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 could not be otherwise. She was the first woman and signified the first union between men and women in history, beginning to live with sin after her expulsion from paradise.
-
Rahab, a woman of faith
Much later, he would arrive RahabThe time of Joshua or, in other words, just after Moses. She was a prostitute who recognized the power of God and decided to save two Isrealites from death in her city, Jericho. He later had descendants and goes in direct line with David and Jesus.
-
Deborah, prophetess and judge
There is also Deborawho was a judge in Israel for 40 years during which the territory prospered in peace. She was also a prophetess with some prophecies about Israel’s victories.
-
Isabel, advertiser of the Buenanueva
Already in the New Testament, it is necessary to mention ElizabethShe was a cousin of the Virgin Mary and mother of John the Baptist. In an encounter with Mary, who was already waiting for Jesus, he exclaimed the famous phrase:
“And cried with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” (Luke 1:42 NKJV1960)
-
Priscilla, friend of Paul of Tarsus
Finally, we have Priscilawho lived in Rome just after the death of Jesus and who had a close friendship with Paul of Tarsus. Together with the apostle, they created the first Christian communities in the Mediterranean.
And here ends this article on women of the Bible. But before we finish, we recommend a podcast about the women of the Bible, so you can learn much more about all of them.
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 bid you farewell and wish the love of the Lord be with you.
See you next time! And remember that in Tu Biblia Online you will find many more articles.