Women in the Old Testament

Bible Study 1

Women in the Old Testament

Sharon Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes

I. Learning Task (30 minutes only):

1. Get into triads.

2. Share with each other at least one occasion in the recent past when you said "No" to an existing cultural pattern or to a request or order of a person in authority (preferably, male).

3. How did you say No?

4. What were the consequences of your No?

5. How did you feel after having said No?

6. After the sharing...

On a piece of Manila paper with a large No (tacked on the wall), come and write a word/phrase or draw a caricature of what you believe will happen to society if more women said No.

II. Deepening

A. Backgrounder: Women in Biblical Patriarchy

1. Patriarchy Defined

a) The Bible arose out of a patriarchal system.

b) It is a legal, social, and economic system that validates and enforces the domination of male heads of families over the dependent persons in the household (wives, dependent children, slaves).

c) It is a basic principle underlying not only the subordination of women to men but of one race to another, of colonies to master nations, of children to adults, of nations to divine right monarchy, of believers to clergy.

d) Anthropological research show that patriarchal social systems arose with the first developments of large private landholding, the movement from gardening to animal ploughed agriculture in approximately the beginning of the second millennium B.C.

2. Evidence of Biblical Patriarchy

a) Women as subordinate creatures in society

a.1. wives under the control of their husbands

a.2. widows dependent upon their sons

a.3. women with no heirs were destined to a life of poverty and hopelessness

a.4. women as part of the husband's property (Exodus 20:17)

a.5. sexual disposal of daughters by their fathers (Gen. 19:4-8)

a.6. women could not inherit property (Numbers 27:1-11)

a.7. women had to marry within the class so the property would not move out of it (Numbers 36:1-9)

a.8. adultery by women was a major crime punishable by death (burning or stoning); a man's unfaithfulness to his wife was not a crime unless the woman involved was herself married or engaged to be married

a.9. circumcision was the rite to membership into the Israelitic religious community (Gen. 17:10ff) which, naturally, excluded the women

a.10. in the temple, the women were confined to the Court of Women which was 15 steps lower than the Court of Israel (exclusive for males)

a.11. women could not enter the Temple within 7 days after the end of their menstrual period (Lev. 15:19ff)

a.12. mothers could not enter the Temple within 40 days following the birth of a boy but 80 days after the birth of a girl (Lev12)

a.13. the young woman who lies about her virginity deserves the death penalty because she deceived her husband-to-be and also her father who was supposed to strictly take care of her (Deut. 22)

There are, however, a few women who did not allow themselves to fit into the usual mold. There are two types of responses to the natriarchal system that the courageous women made.

Response A: Coped, maneuvered and resisted within the framework of patriarchy.

Response B: Directly confronted the system of patriarchy.

B. Specific Examples

1. Response A: Coping, maneuvering, resisting within the framework of patriarchy.

The Woman: Ruth (The Book of Ruth)

a) Ruth 1:21 shows that in those days, a childless widow lacked the male protection that provided security for women; a childless widow is destined for a life of bitter impoverishment.

b) Ruth does not allow herself to be swallowed up by despair as her mother-in-law is. She exercises her initiative to look for food (Deut. 24:19-22).

c) Ruth uses her beauty to persuade Boaz to marry her so that Naomi will have heirs. Naomi becomes happy and the community sees the change in her.

d) Ruth, in solidarity with Naomi, creates a situation of wellbeing for both of them.

e) Maneuvering within the patriarchal system, Ruth had said No to a life of misery, the lot of widows.

f) However, there is some question about Ruth being a role model for women since she achieved her goal through her sexual allurement.

2. Response B: Directly Confronting the System of Patriarchy

The Woman: Queen Vashti (The Book of Esther)

a) During a royal banquet tendered by King Ahassuerus, when the guests were drunk, the king ordered Queen Vashti to make a personal appearance so that he could show her off to the guests.

b) Queen Vashti defied the royal decree (Esther 1:12).

c) Her simple No threatened the entire structure of patriarchy in the entire Persian empire (Esther l:16b-18).

d) Her refusal issued in a consequence of being removed as queen (Esther 2:2-4).

e) Women can say No to the oppressive structures. Male dominance is not the only option for women. We can take a different route but only at a great price.

C. The Old Testament's Attitude towards Women

1. Genesis 2 and 3 depict Eve as an equal to Adam, the completion of creation. "Let us make man in our own image" (man=ha adam is a generic Hebrew term for humanity -- Gen. 1:2627).

Gen. 2:18-20: "...it is not good for humanity to be singular; to be fully human, there must be relationships or dialogue between two equals."

2. Isaiah 32:9-14 – Women's non-involvement and unconcern have national consequences. Therefore, women's issues are not peripheral, petty nor inconsequential. Women have important roles to play in the society.

3. Feminine images are used to describe God.

Courtesy: saheli