Women

The creation of women

Genesis 2:20–24 KJV 1900

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

See also ; ;

Women and the fall

1 Timothy 2:14 KJV 1900

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

See also ;

The care of women in the early church community

;

Women as the weaker sex

1 Peter 3:7 KJV 1900

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

See also

Women and their relationships

Their relationship to God through Jesus Christ

Galatians 3:26–29 KJV 1900

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Their relationship to their husbands

See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Their relationship to men

Some interpret this as referring to a husband, rather than to men generally.

See also ;

Feminism and the Bible’s teaching on women

The equality of the sexes and rejection of female subordination

;

Examples of the abuse of women by men

; ; ;

Women who are strong role models

Deborah; Huldah; the wife of noble character; the beloved; Lydia

Examples of godly women

Ruth; Hannah; Abigail; Esther; Elizabeth; Tabitha

Examples of women who are condemned or judged

Michal; Jezebel; the adulteress

The women of Jerusalem:

;

OT laws concerning women

; ; ;

Women in office in the OT

As a judge or leader

Judges 4:4–5 KJV 1900

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

As a prophetess

Exodus 15:20–21 KJV 1900

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

See also ; ;

As a queen

2 Kings 11:1–3 KJV 1900

And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

See also ; ;

Women as wives and mothers in the OT

Proverbs 12:4 KJV 1900

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

See also ; ; ;

Women in the life of Jesus Christ

In the birth narratives

; ;

In the ministry of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ respected women and talked to them as individuals with spiritual understanding. This was a considerable deviation from the cultural conventions of the time.

See also ; ; ; ; ;

In the passion narratives

Matthew 27:55–56 KJV 1900

And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

See also ; ;

Women’s ministry in the early church

As prophets

Acts 21:8–9 KJV 1900

And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

See also ; ;

As teachers

Titus 2:3–5 KJV 1900

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

See also

As deacons

NIV footnote at verse 1.

See also

As hostesses

Colossians 4:15 KJV 1900

Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

See also ;

As workers in the church

Romans 16:12 KJV 1900

Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.

See also ;

As an apostle

Interpreters disagree over whether Junias was a man or a woman, and also over whether Paul meant these two were notable in the ranks of the apostles or were well-known to the apostles.

Instructions to women in the early church community

Their role in the church meetings

See also ; ;

Their behaviour as Christians

; ; ;