Female Characters In Biblical Stories

When I read biblical texts now I read it with a more feminine lens than I ever have before. I think it is incredibly important for biblical stories to get taught accurately and that definitely includes many stories involving women that often get misinterpreted. There are many different examples of words getting inserted into stories that make the female character portrayed negatively, such as Eve. When Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, many people are taught that Adam was off gallivanting throughout the garden when Eve ate of the apple, but he was right beside her the entire time. Adam is painted in a positive and manly light, but when God confronts them about their misbehavior, Adam throws Eve AND God under …show more content…
When she is unable to have a child, they decide that they will have a surrogate carry their child, Hagar. Although Sarah is considered the first matriarch and she is married to a prominent character, Abraham, and has Isaac later on, her relationship with Hagar is vicious. She basically abuses her physically and emotionally, which in return makes Hagar run away for her life. Obviously Sarah was consumed with jealousy because Hagar was able to give birth to the firstborn son, but the way she handled it was despicable. Later in their story when both children are born, Sarah won’t let Isaac play with Ishmael. Her jealousy still, is consuming and …show more content…
Although her story is incredibly sad, there is this underlying lesson. The cry that she lets out after the abuse takes place is something that everyone should understand. Abuse is not something that should ever be acceptable. Consent is very important. Abuse is an evil act by someone with hate and selfishness in their heart and it is very important to educate young people that it is not okay. Another example that I believe could transform contemporary society is Huldah’s story. Having a woman as prophetess is such a powerful statement. Using Huldah’s story could be incredibly empowering for young girls who want any type of leadership role or someone with authority. She is definitely a role model young women should look at. Although our patriarchal system has calmed down quite a bit there is still a stigma when it comes to female leadership, women in certain fields of study, and pay within