CQQ #35: Women in the Bible...?

A shout-out to the ladies of faith!

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As of this blog post, today is International Women's Day, which celebrates the achievements of women and standing up for gender equality.

Learning this, I began to think about the achievements of women in the bible, something that I don't see talked about very often. We always talk about the men of faith. But what about the women of faith?

Believe it or not, women had played very significant roles throughout scripture. To name a few notable examples:


Eve - The first woman to ever exist; through her and Adam came all of humanity! We wouldn't have existed without her.

Leah - She was the unloved wife of Jacob; knowing this, God had compassion for her (Genesis 29:31) and blessed her with twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel. Out of those twelve, it was through her son Judah that we have a part of the lineage of Christ Jesus Himself (also known as the Lion of Judah).

Rachel - The favored wife of Jacob and also a shepherdess; although she couldn't conceive, she eventually gave birth to Joseph, who became second in command to the pharaoh, helped Egypt and the Israelites to survive the famine, and allowed his half-brothers, the twelve tribes of Israel, continue their lineage. Through the tribe of her last son Benjamin also came the apostle Paul.

Miriam - The sister of Moses and Aaron; she was a prophetess who also helped lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 15:20-21; Micah 6:4).

Rahab - She helped hide Joshua's spies (see Joshua 2); because of her, they were able to successfully accomplish their mission and capture the city of Jericho in the Promised Land. Rewarded for her cooperation, she and her family were allowed to live. Rahab also married Salmon of the tribe of Judah and was the mother of Boaz, which makes her a part of the lineage of Christ Jesus Himself (see Matthew 1:5-6).

Ruth - Has her own book in the bible; through her and Boaz is a part of the lineage of not only King David but also Christ Jesus Himself (also known as the son of David).

Deborah - The only female leader in the book of Judges, she was also a literal judge and prophetess, and played a significant role in foreseeing the victory of a war. She also has her own victory hymn recorded in the bible. Yes, she is a shining example of why women can become great leaders.

Jael - In that same war, ended the war by killing the enemy commander, Sisera, in his sleep. Because of her actions, there was peace in the land for 40 years.

Esther - Has her own book in the bible; she was chosen to become King Ahasuerus (Xerxes)' new queen in the Persian Empire. Despite her limits, with faith and careful planning, she used her position to rescue the Jews from death at the hands of the king's vizier, Haman. A Jewish holiday called Purim was created to commemorate this redemption.

Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus - She was chosen to bring Christ Jesus into the world, a miraculous virgin birth; she was a humble servant who knew that she also was a sinner in need of the Savior like everyone else (see Luke 1:26-55). But she wasn't a virgin all her life; after Jesus she had children of her own with Joseph, one of them being James, an earthly brother of Jesus who also wrote epistles (see the book of James in the bible).

Elizabeth - Mary's cousin; despite her old age, God allowed her to give birth to John the Baptist.

The Samaritan woman at the well - When she realized she was speaking to the Messiah, she shared that good news to the Samaritans in the village, and many of them came to believe in Christ Jesus (see John 4).

Mary Magdalene - One of Christ Jesus' notable followers who traveled with Him and helped support His ministry (see Luke 8:2-3); she was also a witness to His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, the first witness of the empty tomb, and the first to testify about it.

Mary of Bethany - The sister of Martha and Lazarus; she demonstrated her faith when she sat at Jesus' feet to listen to His teaching (Luke 10:38-42) and when she anointed His feet with expensive perfume and wiped His feet with her hair (see John 11:1-2 and John 12:1-8).

Anna the Prophetess - An elderly, devout prophetess who prophesied about Christ Jesus at the temple (see Luke 2:36-38).

Tabitha (Dorcas) - A disciple known for her kindness and good works; when she miraculously came back to life, many believed in the Lord (see Acts 9:36-42).

Rhoda - Despite her status as a servant girl, she had the boldness to claim that she saw Peter at the door (the Lord had led him out of prison); no one believed her at first, but when they finally opened the door... Yup, she was right (Acts 12:12-17).

Phoebe - A deaconess of the church in Cenchreae; the apostle Paul spoke praise about her in his epistle to the Romans (see Romans 16:1-2).

Priscilla - She and her husband Aquila were co-workers of the apostle Paul in the ministry of Christ Jesus; Paul spoke praise about them and their contributions in the Gentile churches as well (Romans 16:3-4), and they helped "explain the way of God more accurately" to a Jew named Apollos (see Acts 18:24-27).


Women are just as important and vital in the making of biblical history, and it's thanks to a number of ladies (through faith in God) that so many important and significant events came to be and why we're reading said scripture today.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28 ESV)

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Curious Questions to Consider:

What women in the bible do you remember? Any other significant women that have not yet been mentioned in this blog post?

Do you know of any spiritual, faithful women in your life (mother, grandmother, wife, sister, friend, etc.)? Have you thanked God for them?

If you're a woman of faith, how do you love and serve God?

What can you do to encourage other women who've been discouraged by the misconception that women are "insignificant" or "of lesser importance" in Christianity?

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Leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Feel free to share your own stories, experiences and insight in relation to the topic.

Be sure to be respectful and considerate of your word choice in regards to whatever details you choose to share. We're not here to gossip or backstab. Refrain from using specific names. Do not use this topic as an excuse to bash on those who may agree or disagree on certain views regarding women and faith. No flame wars. Please keep it clean and civil.


God bless and thanks for sharing!

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Author's Notes:

Cover image courtesy of Abel Tan Jun Yang.

(Written on March 08, 2020.)

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