25 BIBLICAL ROLES FOR BIBLICAL WOMEN
Some Christians have a narrow view of what godly women can be and can do. They believe their view is
based on what the Bible shows us about women. They have even named their view “Biblical
Womanhood”. These Christians seem to think that godly women are limited to being wives and mothers
and homemakers. Or, at the very least, they think that these are the primary, and most important, roles
for women. Is this what the Bible really shows us?
The following list is of roles and activities of real-life Bible women, roles other than that of
wife and mother. I am not making any recommendations or judgements one way or the
other about these roles and activities. All I hope to show is that they are “biblical” and that
not all Bible women were as restricted or as passive as we are sometimes led to believe. It
is important to note that all these women are spoken about positively in the Bible, no
matter what we might think of them or their actions.
(1) Disobey those in authority and jeopardise your own safety by rescuing young children
from danger: Shiphrah and Puah (Exod. 1:15-22), Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter (Exod.
2:5-10), Mephibosheth’s nurse (2 Sam. 4:4), Jehosheba who rescued her nephew Joash (2
Kings 11:1-3). (More on the women who protected Moses here.)
(2) Stay single and help your brothers lead Israel: Miriam (Micah 6:4).
(3) Think and act quickly to save your husband from imminent death: Zipporah (Exod.
4:24-26), Michal (1 Sam. 19:11-17), and Abigail (1 Sam. 25:1ff). (More about Abigail here.)
(4) Dress like a prostitute and have sex with your father-in-law so that you can have
legitimate children . . . and be praised for it: Tamar, an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Gen. ch.
38, esp. Gen. 38:26; Ruth 4:12; Matt. 1:3).
(5) Commit treason against your own people in order to help Israel, and cut a shrewd deal
to rescue your family: Rahab (Josh. 2:1ff; 6:22-25). (More about Rahab here.)
(6) Petition for your legal rights of inheritance, and have your story told on three separate
occasions in the Old Testament: Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milka and Noah, a.k.a.
Zelophehad’s daughters (Num. chs. 26-27; Num. ch. 36; Josh. 17:3; cf. 1 Chron. 7:15).
(7) Do a great job in leading Israel, and give orders to the general of the army: Deborah
(Judg. chapters 4-5). (More about Deborah here.)
(8) Kill the generals of enemy armies by driving a tent peg through their skull or
decapitating them: Jael (Judg. 4:17-22; 5:24-27) and Judith (Judith 13:6-10).
(9) Mortally wound the leader of an army that is attacking your city by being a crack shot
with a millstone: A woman of Thebez (Judg. 9:53; 2 Sam. 11:21).
(10) Be noticeably more spiritually astute than your husband: Samson’s mother (Judg.
13:1ff) and possibly Elizabeth (Luke 1:41ff; cf. Luke 1:18ff) (More about Samson’s
mother here.)
(11) Successfully negotiate with a military general for the deliverance of your town, as well
as being a living repository of oral lore: The wise woman of Abel Beth Maacah (2 Sam.
20:14-24).
(12) Make the first move in securing a husband for yourself by going to him at night and
uncovering his “feet”: Ruth (Ruth 3:7).
(13) Be a prophet and a royal adviser: Huldah (2 Chron. 34:19-33; 2 Kings 22:8-20; 23:1-25).
Several female prophets are mentioned in Bible: Miriam (Exod. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4),
Isaiah’s wife (Isa. 8:3), Anna (Luke 2:36-38), Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9). (More on female
prophets here, and on Philip’s daughters here.)
(14) Build towns: Sheerah (1 Chron. 7:24); or help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem: The
daughters of Shallum (Neh. 3:12). (More about Sheerah here.)
(15) Be a regnant queen: The queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1ff) and Candace (Acts 8:27).
(More queens mentioned in the Bible here; more about the queen of Sheba here; more
about Candace here.)
(16) Win a beauty contest to become queen and then risk your life by devising and
implementing a successful scheme to rescue the Jews: Esther.
(17) Give your mistress vital information that will result in her husband, yet another army
general, being healed of leprosy: The young slave girl taken captive from Israel (2 Kings
5:2ff).
(18) Be involved in agriculture or industry: Various women (Gen. 29:9; Exod. 2:16; Josh.
15:17-19; Ruth 2:8; Acts 16:14; 18:3). (More working women in the Bible here.)
(19) Lead public, formal displays of celebration or mourning: Miriam (Exod. 15:19-21),
Jephthah’s daughter (Judg. 11:34), and the wailing women in Jeremiah (Jer. 9:17-20). (More
about celebrating and wailing women here.)
(20) Say prophetic prayers and praises that have the authority of Scripture: Miriam (Exod.
15:20-21), Deborah (Judg. 5:1ff), Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1ff), Mary (Luke 1:46ff), and
Elizabeth (Luke 1:41ff).
(21) Teach theology and inspired messages: King Lemuel’s Mother (Prov. 31:1ff), Anna
(Luke 2:37-38), and Priscilla (Acts 18:26). (More about these Bible women who
taught here.)
(22) Have theological discussions with Jesus about worship and the resurrection, etc: The
Samaritan woman, the first indigenous Samaritan evangelist (John 4:19-25, 39), and
Martha (John 11:20-27). (More here and here.)
(23) Travel with Jesus and support his ministry from your own resources: Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, Susanna, etc, (Luke 8:1-3: cf. Matt. 27:55-56). (More on the many Galilean women
who travelled with Jesus here.)
(24) Be a co-worker of Paul and labourer in the gospel: Euodia,
Syntyche, Junia, Phoebe, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis, etc. (More on the women
associated with Paul here and here.)
(25) Host and lead a house church: Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe ( Acts 16:40),
Nympha (Col 4:15), Priscilla with Aquila (1 Cor. 16:19), and the Chosen Lady (2 John 1:1, 5).
(More about these women here.)
Our culture and customs in western society today are vastly different to the culture and
customs of the Ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world of Old and New Testament
times. Differences in culture are factors that must be considered when trying to extract
biblical principles from the text for application today. Not everything that was done in the
Bible has a universal, timeless, or useful application.
What is a timeless principle is that both men and women should be taking their lead from
Jesus. We should be emulating his character, and displaying and using the fruit and gifts of
his Holy Spirit, in order to actively bless our families, and the church, and further God’s
kingdom. Moreover, we should be doing this in a broad variety of ways. We should be
careful that we don’t limit and stifle people or promote passivity.
I am not a biblical woman. I am a follower and servant of Jesus Christ, and I am being
conformed more and more into his image. Bible women are not my primary role models
—Jesus Christ is.
What are some other roles and activities of biblical women that can be added to this list?
© 7th of September 2013, Margaret Mowczko
Addendum: Here is another biblical role of women that has been suggested in the
comments section.
(26) Forget about cooking and serving (the less necessary things) and sit at Jesus’ feet with
the other disciples learning about the Kingdom of God (the better, more necessary thing):
Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42; see also John 12:3). (More about Mary of Bethany here.)
I am not a biblical woman. I am a follower and servant
of Jesus Christ.
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