Every Woman in the Bible

IN THE BIBLE FULLY ILL USTRATE D

SUE AND LARR.y

RICHARDS

D iscover all the w omen in the Bible and how powerfully their lives speak to us today

0uery

WOMAN 1n !he :711£/e SUE AND LARRY RICHARDS Illustrated by

Paul Richards

THOMAS NELSON Since I 798

NASHVILLE

DALLAS

MEXICO CITY

RIO DE JANEIRO

BEIJING

Š 1999 by Lawrence O. Richards Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New KingJames Version of the Bible, Š 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc. , Publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Richards, Sue Poorman.

Every woman in the Bible / Sue and Larry Richards; illustrated by Paul Richards. p. cm.

Includes indexes.

ISBN-lO: 0-7852-1441-0 ISBN-13 : 978-0-7852-1441-0 1. Women in the Bible. I. Richards, Larry, 1931BS575.R485 1999 220 .9'2'082-dc21

. II. Title.

99-11282 CIP

19 20 21 22 23--10 09 08 07

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to our mothers, C. Gertrude Cunningham Poorman, and in memory of Charlotte Mable Zeluff Richards; to our sisters, Eunice Richards Cresswell, Jeane Poorman Ripley, andJoAnn Gilson Poorman. And in memory of Sue's sister, Judith Margaret Poorman Zylstra, who passed away suddenly at age 52 during the writing of this book. Judie's life modeled how we are to "love one another." She is sadly missed, yet we thank God we do not grieve as those who have no hope. And lastly, we dedicate this book to our daughters, Joy Grace Richards, Sarah Janine Duffitt, and in memory of Jennifer Lauretta Duffitt, and to Sue's grandmother, Winnie Tippi Houghtelling.

-Larry and Sue

CONTENTS

See Expository and Scripture Indexes for Complete Topical and Scripture Listings

Introduction Chapter

1

Chapter

2

Chapter

3

Chapter

4

Chapter

5

Chapter

6

Chapter

7

Chapter

8

Chapter

9

Chapter 10

xi

Woman in Creation and the Fall (Genesis. 1-11) The Women of Early Genesis Women in the Days of the Patriarchs (Genesis 12-50) Every Woman of the Patriarchal Age (Exodus-Joshua) Women's Rights in the Ancient World Oudges; Ruth) Women of the Exodus and Conquest Daily Life in Ancient Israel Oudges; Ruth) Every Woman of the judges The Condition of Women in the Age of Kings (1 Samuel-Malachi) Women in the Age of Kings

1 11 22 30 60 65 83 92 111 118

Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Jesus' Relationships with Women (the Gospels) Womenjesus Knew and Other Women in the Gospels

153 168

Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15

Women in Acts (Acts) Paul on Women (the Pauline epistles) Women of Acts and the Epistles

202 210 234