Did you know there are 187 women named in the Bible, and hundreds more mentioned? I am thankful God included so many women’s stories as example to us, both good and bad. Most of us know Eve, Sarah, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the sisters Mary and Martha. Today I want us to look at the lives of women who may not get much attention, but they all served a purpose in God’s plan of redemption.
- Lot’s Wife (Gen. 19 & Luke 17:32)- Lot’s wife had a choice—she could obey the messenger of the Lord and follow her husband to safety out of Sodom and Gomorrah, or she could hang onto her old life of sin and worldly pleasures. Unfortunately, she couldn’t completely turn her back on her old life and was turned into a pillar of salt.
- Miriam (Ex. 2:4-10; 15:20-21; Num. 12:1-15; 20:1; Micah 6:4)- We first meet Miriam when she’s following her baby brother Moses down the river, where their mother had sent him to save his life. Later, Moses and his brother Aaron led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. After crossing the Red Sea, Miriam led the women in singing and dancing to praise the Lord for His deliverance.
- Samson’s Mom (Jug. 13)- In the days when Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord (Judges 13:1), a messenger from God visited the wife of Manoah. He told her that she would give birth to a son who would be a Nazarite, he would be set apart for the Lord’s service. She followed the messenger’s instructions and named her son Samson. Even though Samson didn’t always obey God, he is listed as a hero of faith in Hebrews 11. He clearly learned lessons of faith from his obedient mother.
- Abigail (1 Sam. 25)- Abigail was a beautiful, intelligent woman married to Nabal, whose name literally meant “fool.” Nabal insulted David, who wanted retaliation on Nabal and his household. Abigail wisely interceded and saved their lives. David saw Abigail’s beauty and intelligence, and when Nabal died, David married Abigail.
- Naaman’s Maidservant(2 Kings 5)- Although she had been captured in Israel and brought to Syria as a house servant, this teenager told her mistress about a prophet in Samaria who she said could heal her master Naaman’s leprosy. She could have withheld this information out of anger, but she did not and showed God’s mercy in this pagan land.
painting by Paul Rubens- "The Meeting of David and Abigail" - Gomer (Hosea)- Gomer was the unfaithful wife of the prophet Hosea. God used their relationship as a picture of His love for Israel. Hosea’s relentless love redeemed her from a life of harlotry.
- Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25, 57-66)- God sent a messenger to Elizabeth’s husband Zacharias, telling him they would give birth to a son, John, who would be great in the sight of the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit even when in Elizabeth’s womb. While still pregnant, Elizabeth’s cousin Mary came to visit, revealing she was also pregnant. Elizabeth immediately knew Mary was the mother of the coming Savior. Elizabeth was a friend and mentor to Mary during her pregnancy.
- Anna (Luke 2:36-38)- Anna had been a widow for decades, and was serving at the temple. She saw the baby Jesus when He was presented at the temple. She praised God and told all those she met about Him. I would consider Anna the first evangelist!
- James & John’s Mom (Matt. 20:20-28; 27:56; Mark 10:35-45; 15:40; 16:1)- Also known as Zebedee’s wife, James and John’s mom was proud of her sons for being in Jesus’ inner circle. So proud, she asked Jesus if James and John could sit at His right and left hands in His Kingdom. Jesus used her question to teach His disciples about true greatness. This mom to the Sons of Thunder learned an important lesson from the Son of Man.
- Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43)- Dorcas was a beloved disciple in the town of Joppa, so beloved that when she died, her friends called Peter and showed him the tunics and garments she had made for the widows. Peter prayed for her to raise from the dead, and she did. Dorcas had a servant’s heart, and her legacy was one of love and care for others.
Praise God for the many women He included in the pages of His Word! Who are your favorite women in Scripture?
Check out 2 Samuel 21:14 and read about Rizpah. An amazing mother, she was one of king Saul’s concubines.
Great addition!
wonderful thank-you so much I appreciate all the work you did may God bless you = )
Thank you for for posting this information on little-known women of the Bible. However, I am very grateful to Regina for her addition of Rizpah; I had been trying to find her for a while now. She is truly a little-known woman of the Bible; but one who deserves mentioning.She, in her sorrow for her two sons, bravely and sacrificially protected the remains of her and another woman’s son from wild animals. I pray that we would be so selfless as we pray for and protect our sons and daughters suffering for the sins of their forefathers around the world!!!
Thank you Sandra for this incredible resource! Love reading about interesting people God uses in the Bible and to have Godly women as models is wonderful! Thank you for thoughtfully researching each of these women and sharing them with us.
I love reading about women in the Bible. I’m co-teaching a teen girls’ class on Sunday morning about women specifically in the book of Luke. It’s been uplifting to see how Jesus encountered them and talking about similar ways he encounters us.
Thanks for this list, Sandra!
Abigail is one of my favorite examples of trusting action.
And I love thinking of Anna as one of the first evangelists! So cool.
Thanks for this list (and all the references), Sandra!
I love the women of 2 Kings 4 – the widow with the jars of oil, and the Shunammite woman. Both are such beautiful accounts and so different from one another, though listed back to back.
Hi Sandra, I love Rahab! She stood alone as a sole God-fearer in a pagan city. She risked her life to align herself with God’s people. Her obedience put her in the line of Jesus!
What a great list of women! Thanks for putting this together, Sandra!
Excellent list, Sandra. I appreciate that you included women who were not paragons of virtue (Homer, for example). We have much to learn from all of Scripture, examples abound both of virtue and vice.
Love this topic… I had no idea there were that many women individually identified! The two who leap instantly to my mind as women I want to be more like are Esther, who had such courage, and Mary the mother of Jesus, who with simple trust said “Yes” to God.
Phoebe really came alive to me when I was traveling with one of our national Greek partners; 3 of us sat on the ruins of an ancient church submerged in the waters along the shore of Cenchrea. As a New Testament scholar and a Greek man, he challenged me so much about what Romans 16 reveals about this early church woman who lived around the pagan city of Corinth. We had just walked the city’s ancient temple lined roads; to know the scope of the evil there set the stage for understanding Phoebe’s remarkable example. She was known for being a servant, for her godly reputation in a godless region, and for being helpful in building up the church.
Our partner shared how, to the Greeks, the portrait painted is of a woman who was “safe,” a woman who had the best interests of the early church, its leadership, and ultimately the Lord in mind. Her inclusion in Romans 16 etches out a real legacy of humility, purity, and courage for women of faith today. Oh, that we would leave tracks like that behind us!
That is a beautiful and great reminder for us women today. Thank you dearly for sharing this scene of wisdom.
SAandra,
I am Pastor in Myanmar .I would like to discus about the woman training for our people . Please if you can sent me for woman ministry lesson I will be teach to our woman association to be growing the spiritual life in Christ.May God bless you
i am so enjoy reading about the women in the bible.and i would like to request something that can you explain about Marian”life because i need to know about that to apply for my thesis
thanks may god bless you
Enjoyed the read…..
Thank you Sandra for such revelation and inspiration. I landed on your script while looking for information for my research study. My favourate women in the Bible is Esther her trust in prayer and fasting to have the favor of God. The second is the woman who was healed of a hemorrhage because of her faith in Christ’ power to heal.
I can’t begin to explain how blessed I am with the type of this gathered information. Today’s last Thursday in the Women’s month. Been paging the Bible throughout the month trying collect names of heroines who were faithful servants of God in the Bible till I found them in the Bible Apps. Thanks a million whoever contributed in this documantion.
Hi Sandra,thank you so much for this wonderful information I am so bless,I’m a pastor’s wife and I use to teach woman’s in the church,can you please give me some more information about how I can teach them!Many thanks.Paulina
i love all the women
infact i prefare elizabert more
I am a pastor’s wife and have to share on Mother’s day. My topic is “An encounter with God and how it positively impacted the lives of women”. I intend to look at women in both the Old and New Testament. I am grateful for the work by Sandra and the comments by subscribers for their input for my research. Thanks again.
Where is mother Mary in this list?
What about mother Mary?