Women in the Bible
The perception of a woman has greatly changed over the years. In the past, a woman had an expected role forced upon her by a male dominated society, an ideal woman was first and foremost her husband’s property. In the present, women are seen in a more independent light, the ideal for a woman has expanded and evolved. The empowered woman, one who will take charge and make things happen for herself, not just rely on a man, is considered the new ideal. The bible follows these changes. If one were to interpret the role of women in the bible from the perspective of a past society, the women would seem subservient, deceitful, childish, and the cause of man’s burdens. On the other hand, these same Biblical women would be viewed as empowered, as the stronger of the sexes, the more resilient, the more brave, the more determined to fulfill God’s will in a present interpretation of the Bible. The Bible’s ability to evolve with a new culture is an example it’s never ending mysteries and indefinite interpretations. What might seem as a fixed interpretation of the bible one centaury is shown in a completely new light the next centaury. This is evident in the reformation of churches, religion sects, and, most importantly, the
When reading the bible as a member of a past society, the perception of women is greatly different from the perception of the same women when reading the bible as a member of the contemporary society. The Bible has been one of, if not the, most important books for centauries and one of the reasons it has survived is that each generation, each society, can find themselves within it and draw inspiration from it. Another view of women in the bible was of their selfish, childlike nature. They were frail and in need of male guidance. The escapades of Sarah and Hagar is like two children who cannot play with each other because one has a bike and the other does not. Hagar has a child, Sarah does not, thus they must taunt and seek revenge upon one another. Abraham could seem to sound benign in his response to Sarah’s complaints, a man tired of his wife’s constant childlike nagging or even as if he were speaking to child, reminding Sarah of the obvious, “ ‘ Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her as you please.’ Then Sar’ai dealt harshly with er, and she fled from her”(Genesis 16:5, 16). Other women in Genesis show what could be taken for immature behavior. In a similar situation between Leah and Rachel when Leah bore Jacob children but Rachel did not, the childish behavior of women is shown once more. Rachel complains to Jacob, much like Sarah complained to Abraham, “ ‘ Give me children, or I shall die!’ ” (Genesis 30:1, 30). The interpretation that would be custom in the past sees these actions as an example of a woman’s constant need to be dominated by man. They are constantly complaining, they are weak, they are inferior, thus the women in the time period where an interpretation such as this dominated were viewed in a similar unflattering light. The story of Tamar is unique in both its present interpretation and past interpretation. It may be
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Approximate Word count = 1281
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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