They were muck like a plague, guaranteed to ruin paradise with their greed. Past studies of the bible supported men and their dominating reign and thus kept women belittled for centauries. .
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. .
However, when the stories of Eve, Sarah, and Rachel are examined in a modern light, from the perspective of a society where woman are no longer subjected to a stereotypical role in the same extent as before, these stories become ones of empowerment. The women are not selfish, greedy, and childlike. Instead they are ambitious, competitive, and dominating; they are basically all the characteristics that would stereotypically be associated with a man.