The word “prophet” is derived from the Greek word prophetes which is used to translate the Hebrew word nabi (Heschel 519). A prophet is defined as “a person who is disclosed or spoke forth to others the thought of a god; a person who for a god, an interpreter, as Tiresias was of Zeis, Orpheus of Bacchus, Apollo of Zeus, the Pythis of Apollo.” (Heschel 520). The word prophetess was taken from Greek and later translated into Latin as propheta. This was done during a time of Christian influence and was later passed into modern European languages (Heschel 520).
The word prophetess appears six times in the Hebrew Bible: in Exodus, Judges, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, and Isaiah. Although it is hard to make a clear distinction regarding who was and who was not considered a prophetess, it can be said that there were at least seven prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible, if not many more. The seven that will be discussed further in the paper are Deborah, Miriam, Huldah, Esther, Hannah, Sarah, and Abigail.
Deborah was not only a prophetess, but she was also the only woman judge. She called herself the “Mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7) for the many things she did for the land and for the people of the land. She lived around 722 BCE, although a clear time is not certain. The word Deborah mean “bee” which can lead to think of Deborah as a “Queen Bee.”
Deborah was known as God’s spokesperson, and was greatly respected for her untraditional forms of ruling: she would “instill rather than impose, invigorate rather than force, and cultivate rather than command” ( Rinahshal). She had an amazing ability to inspire and empower the people of Israel, which was one of the many reasons she was so effective as a judge and as a prophetess. In Judges 4:4 it says: “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephriam, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.” (NIV Bible)
Deborah was a crafts woman who, along with Lapidoth, made wicks for the Temple menorah (Rinahshal). This work was Deborah’s way of helping to lead the people of Israel back to the way of the Torah.
“After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.” (Judges 4:1-3)
In Judges 21:25 it says “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (NIV Bible). During this time “Intermarriage occurred between the Israelites and the local inhabitants, though forbidden by the Law of Moses. The people of Israel had adopted the customs and culture of the latter groups who were technically advanced and prosperous. Baal worship was adopted.” (Dolphin.org). This greatly upset and disturbed Deborah for she knew her people deserved better treatment, even though they had strayed from the ways of the Lord. She had a great faith in her people, the people of Israel, and she knew that they had the power to once again be in favor with the Lord.
Even though Israel did not have close to the military strength of Sisera, Deborah prophesied that the Lord will lead them to victory nonetheless:
She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kadesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you; ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go, but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Very well.” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman. (Judges 4:6-9)
When evaluating this passage, it is clear to see that the Lord did not care about the fact the Deborah was not a man; it was actually a positive for the people of Israel that Deborah was a woman. Barak and his men went on to be victorious against Sisera and his men. After this battle, the Israelites went back to a time of religious observance, back to a time of the Torah. Just as Deborah had known is her heart, her people once again were able to be happy and prosperous.
The Song of Deborah (Judges 5) is the celebration of this victory, and a retelling of the change that overtook the Israelites. The chapter is also a song a joy and praise dedicated to the Lord. Not only did Deborah help to reclaim valuable land, she also helped to unite many of the Israelite tribes that were until thus far separated. Deborah also reprimanded the tribes of Reuban, Gad, Dan, and Asher “For they did not come to the aid of the Lord with the victors” (Judges 5:23).
Miriam, another prophetess who greatly helped the people of Israel was born in Egypt in 1274 BCE (Judaicplus.com). The name Miriam means “like the sea,” which can also be translated to lost or bitter water [mar in Hebrew]. Miriam was the first woman prophet who was also sang, danced, and wrote poetry. “Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he was hurled into the sea’ (Exodus 15:20-21).
Miriam had a strong sense of self and was very persuasive. After the Pharaoh of Egypt sent a decree that said that all males babies should be thrown into the river and drowned, Miriam’s father divorced her mother so that they would not have any more children so that no boy would have to die prematurely. Miriam, however, convinced her father that his divorcing her mother was a huge mistake because “when the boys are drowned they lose their place in this world but still gain their place in the World to Come. By not allowing these children to be born, Amram [Miriam’s father] was causing them to lose their Olam Habah as well’ (eisheschayil.com). After hearing this, Amram quickly reversed his actions and not long after Miriam’s mother gave birth to Moses. It is amazing to believe that had it not been for Miriam, Moses would never had been born, and the Israelites may still be slaves in Egypt.
Along with her mother, Miriam was a midwife and nanny for the Pharaoh. Miriam had a gift for calming the children when they were antsy and crying (eisheschayil.com). She would also recite a Pasuk to help draw a child out of its mother’s womb. After Miriam’s mother sent Moses off in the basket, Miriam stood watch because she knew that Moses was destined for greatness.
Miriam, along with Aaron, was at one point of her life opposed to Moses because he had married a Chusite (Heschel 590). They criticized Moses and proclaimed that the Lord had also spoken to them, not only to Moses (Numbers 12:1-3). They were acting selfishly and were not being faithful to the word of the Lord. The Lord was angry with Miriam and Aaron, so he called them forth to speak with them:
At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, he said, “Listen to my words: When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, but this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my houses. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles…
When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam - leprous like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy and he said to Moses, “Please my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.” (Numbers 12: 4-12)
Huldah, another important, yet less known prophetess, was “the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the royal garments who dwelled in Jerusalem” (2 Kings 22:14). She lived during the reign of Joshiah in Jerusalem (chabad.org). Huldah did her prophesizing during the time of the First Temple, and was also the only prophetess known to have solely prophesized for women. The name Hulah means “weasel” which is an indication of Huldah’s character. She was known as a sly woman, who always figured out ways to get what she wanted out of the people around her. (2 Kings 22:15)
She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book of the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made me angry by all the idols their hands have made my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’” (2 Kings 22-15-20)
Huldah was also a school teacher, and had her own school in Jerusalem. She held a considerably high position in the political system in the city, and so she held quite a bit of powerful. Huldah’s school was located between the Temple’s two busiest gates. After the Second Temple was build there were gate named for Huldah: Gates of Huldah (torah.org). These new gates were located right on top of the original site of Huldah’s school, and Huldah’s site of prophecy.
There is unfortunately not a lot of information regarding Huldah and her prophecies, yet it is known that she was a woman of “great faith, moral character and broad Torah knowledge (torah.org).
Although Esther has her own book in the Hebrew Bible, it is highly debated whether or not she was an actual prophetess. Nonetheless, she is a highly important woman character in the history of Judaism. She was the wife of the Persian king, King Ahasuerus. Esther was Ahasuerus’s second wife, having been handpicked by the king four years after the death [execution] of his first wife.
Shortly after her marriage, Esther learned of a plot to kill the King. After learning this, she quickly informed him of what she had learned. Esther is remembered as a woman of undeterred faith to her country, of untouchable loyalty, and of deep devoted faith. She, along with Mordecai, her adopted father, wrote the Book of Esther around 326 BCE.
The Book of Esther is a telling of the brutal attack Haman had planned to wipe out the Jews in the land: “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” (Esther 3:5-6).
Mordecai had learned of this plot and persuaded Esther to help him prevent this. After hearing what Mordecai had to say, Esther was greatly disturbed. She told Mordecai to: “Go gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day…I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:15-16).
Esther went to the king, her husband, and tricked him into aiding in the prevention of the attack on the Jews. Mordecai and Esther were successful in their efforts to prevent Haman’s plan and Mordecai was honored by the king. Haman was hung for his plot and Esther was given his land.
“ ‘…If I have found favor with you, O King, and if it please your majesty, grant me my life - this is my petition. And spare my people - this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as a male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.’ King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, ‘Who is he? Where is this man who has dared to do such a thing?’ Esther said, ‘The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman.’ …The king said, ‘ Hang him on it [gallows]!’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.” (Esther 7:3-10)
The Book of Esther speaks of Esther as a tool in the hand of god to prevent the destruction of the Israelites at the hands of Haman. Although the Lord is not mentioned by name in the Book of Esther, he is referred to through the mentioning of a fasting in his honor. This fasting, and the Book of Esther is basis for the present day celebration of Purim. “The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of joy and feasting. That is why rural Jews - those living in villages - observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of feasting and joy, a day for giving presents to each other.” (Esther 9:18-19).
Hannah, like Esther, is thought by some to be a prophetess, yet some do not believe so. The word Hannah in Persian means “colorful”, while in Arabic it means “happiness”. Other translations of Hannah are “beauty” and “passion”.
Hannah is thought to be the mother of Samuel (Black 319), and the favorite of Elkanah’s two wives: “Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah, and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give double portions because he loved her and because the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:4-5).
All throughout her marriage, Hannah remained childless and was desperate for a child. Hannah went to the temple and began to pray for a child. She said that she was willing to give the child up to the temple priests so that the child could also one day become a priest and work for the Lord: “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. And she made a vow, saying, ‘O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.’” (1 Samuel 1:10-11).
After this night, Hannah did indeed become pregnant and as promised she gave her son, Samuel, to the men of the temple:
“She [Hannah] said to her husband, ‘After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him to the Lord, and he will live there always…When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she [Hannah] said to him, ‘As surely as stood here beside you praying to the Lord I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’” (1 Samuel 1:22-28)
After Hannah had given up her son Samuel, she sang him a song of praise, which is now known as the “Song of Hannah”. This prayer is found in chapter two of 1 Samuel and begins on verse one and ends on verse ten.
After Samuel had proven himself to the priests, Eli, the head priest, decided to bless Hannah with more children: “Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, ‘may the Lord give you children by the woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.’ Then they would go home. And the Lord was gracious to Hannah: she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:20-21). Now although it is said in the Hebrew Bible that Hannah had three boy and two girls, scholars debate whether this was in addition to her previously giving birth to Samuel, or if Samuel is included in this numbering.
Sarah, known mostly as Abraham’s wife, is also considered by many scholars as one of the Hebrew Bible women prophets. The word Sarah is defined in several ways: “woman of high rank,” “princess,” “goddess,” and “high holy one.” Sarah is known as one of the four matriarchs’ of Israel. Sarah was given the name “Sarai” at birth, but had her name changed once she, and Abraham, reached Israel and heard the word of the Lord: “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai: her name will be Sarah.” (Genesis 17:15)
Sarah joined Abraham on his journey to Israel from Canaan, after the Lord had spoken to Abraham. Once they reached Israel, they encountered a famine and were forced to migrate to Egypt. Because of Sarah’s beauty, Abraham was afraid of people finding out that they were married and endangering their lives, Abraham suggested they pretend to be brother and sister, while in Egypt. (NIV)
After a short time in Egypt, Sarah was taken by the Pharaoh, just as Abraham had thought. Because the Lord had promised Abraham that he was to be the “Father of Nations” he [the Lord] sent a plague upon the houses of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh, being a smart man, figured out the reason behind the plague and released Sarah back to Abraham. The Pharaoh also gave his own daughter, Hagar, to be Sarah’s handmaiden. (NIV)
Sarah had been barren during this time, and had desperately wanted a child. Because Abraham had a prophecy to fulfill, Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to be him concubine. Abraham and Hagar had a child who was named Ishmael, while Sarah remained childless. (NIV)
After Abraham was deemed the Father of Israel, and Sarah had accustomed herself to her daily when the Lord spoke to her. The Lord told Sarah that she was to have a child named Isaac. Now Sarah was over ninety years old at the time, and she, as well as Abraham, did not believe that Sarah would be able to bear a child at her age: Abraham feel face down and laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man of a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’… Then the Lord said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendents after him.’” (Genesis 17: 17-19)
For the rest of her life, Sarah lived alongside Abraham and ruled the land with her husband. After having problems with Hagar and Hagar’s son, she had them banished to the desert. She died at the age of one hundred twenty seven, although is it clear that this age is to be taken figuratively (NIV).
The last and final of the seven women prophets that is to be discussed is Abigail. Although not a lot is known about Abigail, she does play a significant role in the history of Israel and Judaism. The name Abigail means “her Father’s joy” or “fountain of joy” (EJ). Abigail is seen only in the first book of Samuel; only in chapter twenty-five.
Abigail was the originally that wife of Nabal, yet after his death she became David’s wife. David had originally wanted to take action against Nabal because of his rudeness and ingratitude towards David, yet Abigail was able to persuade him against it. After David’s decision to not pursue revenge against Nabal, Nabal suddenly died, and Abigail became David’s wife, as well as the mother of one of David’s sons, Daniel:
“When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell to his feet and said, ‘My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. May my lord pay no attention to the wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name - his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the mean my master sent. Now since the Lord has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you, the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord’s battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. When the Lord has done for my master every good thing he has promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or having avenged himself. And when the Lord has brought mu master success, remember your servant.’” (1 Samuel 25:23-31)
Abigail gives David a warning against revenge and vengeance. She explains to David how such actions are sinful and that the Lord will take care of all of David’s problems. This passage is also the reason many scholars believe that Abigail was a prophetess. Her understanding of the Lord’s wishes, and her accuracy in predicting the future is why she is so highly regarded in the Hebrew Bible.
After reviewing the lives of the seven prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible, it is clear to see that women played an important role in the history of Israel. Seeing as how the culture of the time was so male based, it is impressive to see that God chose women to do his work nonetheless. While some may believe that Deborah, for example, was more important to the history of Israel that Huldah, I believe that every single women played a role of equal importance; no single woman was more important that the next.
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