Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter: Expanded Second Edition

by Lindsay Hardin Freeman

Women of the Bible have been trapped in dry and dusty literary caskets for centuries--but no more. In a groundbreaking book, author Lindsay Hardin Freeman identifies every woman who speaks in the Bible, providing their words, context, and historical background. Through these women, God spoke, intervened, changed, illustrated, and proclaimed the story of redemption.

We learn which women speak the most ( it's not Mary!) and which books of the Bible have the fewest words from women. We hear the only conversation in the Bible between a mother and daughter (and it's not pretty), the words of a woman who eats her own child, and the triumphant exclamation of a woman telling the world about the risen Christ.

Step into God's sacred circle of mothers, grandmothers, warriors, prophets, prostitutes, and murderers. You won't come out the same.

Expanded second edition features new ways to use and study the words and wisdom, updated content for today's context, and 93 prayers--one for each woman who speaks in the Bible.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Religion, Christian, Womens, Spirituality, Christianity

657 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2014

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking it was about the women's books of scripture that were cut from the Bible during the Nicean creed and over decades of translation and editing. Instead, it's exactly what the title says it is, actual Bible women--all of them in fact--painstakingly dug out, unearthed, dusted off and all their words explored. It was moving, angering, inspiring, baffling. Why so few words? And yet, the words we have of theirs matter, more than ever.

[Emma Wenckowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last 2 years I went back and forth between this book and other studies, but it was worth it. Reading this book opened my heart to the way that God cares for and respects women, and how as a woman I have a special place in God’s story. This study was the right combination of challenging and biblically sound, which pushed me to grow. If anyone is in a rut or feels like they aren’t growing in their faith, this book is for you.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the 2021 Popsugar Challenge prompt "a DNF from your TBR list". This is an interesting look at the Bible which counts all the words said by women in the Bible and then reports them and puts them into context. I had started this as a study with church women back in Texas but stopped reading it when we moved to Spain. When I read The Red Tent it reminded me that I had never finished it, so I went back and started over and read the whole thing. It is by its nature limited since there isn't a lot of women talking in the Bible, but it is interesting nevertheless. 3.5 stars

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. You can't sit down and read straight through it; I think each of these remarkable women are worth a little more time than that. I read each woman's story in the Bible first and then read here what she had to say. I also jumped around a bit. No matter how you read this book, though, there is so much content, so much insight into what life was like in the Bible. And so much which still applies to both men and women today.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this for a year in our adult education class, both men and women. Excellent. We shared who was a presenter of two of the women each time which the book lends itself to very well. Highly recommend for a group. Great discussion. We all learned a great deal, especially about women we never remembered studying in other groups. It is a new way to go through the Bible, especially in a group.

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider this: In the several thousand pages that make up the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, only 93 women have speaking parts, and of those 93 women, only 43 are named.

Of the 928,100 words in the New Revised Standard Version of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible (including the Apocrypha), 14,056 are spoken by women—about 1.5 percent of the words in this most sacred book.

The Rev. Lindsay Hardin Freeman, an Episcopal priest and award-winning religious journalist, has not only gathered these 14,056 words in one place but with scholarship and common sense insight, she has placed these words into context and meaning so we better understand how and why God spoke through these women.

The New Testament heavy-hitters of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene, as well the Old Testament's Judith, Ruth, and Hannah are here, but also some you may not remember from Sunday school, including the wife of Phineas, who dies in childbirth hours after her husband and sons are killed; Rahab, a harlot and hero; the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully propose a change in Mosaic law so they can inherit their father's property; Zipporah, Moses's fearless, brave, and decisive wife. And this is just a small sampling.

This book is a delight to read as Freeman brings to life and light these minor characters of the Bible who all stood up to men and (mostly) got what they wanted in a time when women had no power or rights. And to be fair, a few were downright evil.

The profiles of the women each include an easy-to-read data chart, an explanation of who she was, a description of what she said, a brief synopsis of her story, pertinent thoughts for the reader to consider about the story, a list of what we can learn from this biblical woman, and questions for discussion.

Each section concludes with a prayer relevant to that woman's story. The prayers are a wonder! They are culled from quite a few sources, including the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, the Episcopal Hymnal 1982, Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Bible's Book of Psalms, St. Augustine's Prayer Book, the Episcopal Book of Prayers for All Occasions, as well as prayers written by Julian of Norwich (1343-1416), Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Brigid of Kildare (450-523), and more. There are also prayers attributed to various tribes, including the Lakota Sioux, the Tewa, and Black Elk of the Oglala Lakota.

This book is ideal for a women's Bible study group, but it is also a powerful book to read on your own as I did. Chances are, you'll want to talk about it other women; it's just that kind of a book!

Bonus: After you have read it cover-to-cover, the book becomes an extraordinary and rich reference resource you can consult later.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book to read. Freeman combs through the Bible, book by book, pulling out every word uttered by women and then giving the reader a possible perspective for those utterances, sometimes several perspectives. Simply because of patriarchy, women are rarely featured as key religious figures within the Christian church and Freeman really refutes that attitude. I appreciate all of the work that went into this and found it very interesting. I would have preferred something with a bit more "heft" to it, historically, theologically...I'm not sure. I just felt that often the descriptions were kept too brief or reduced too much.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book and find it to be really empowering.

I think that sometimes the explanation of each woman's story could be a bit pandering, and I probably would have gone a bit farther with the analyses myself, but literature doesn't need to say everything in order to make you think critically.

I read this at the perfect time, while I struggle with my faith. Even if I'm struggling, I can really appreciate the real women these stories were based on, and I can be comforted in the fact that there are like-minded Christian women out there.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has touched my heart. I know the Bible, and none of the women were completely unknown to me, but when they, their words and their situations are presented through the eyes and heart of the author, they become real.

yes some of the scenarios read kinda like a screenplay, but in this day and age of reimagining history and literature, it didn't bother me. Maybe it happened the way described, and maybe it didn't...but I no longer will I skip over the few words that girls and women speak.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid representation of the words women spoke throughout the Bible. I was personally hoping for deeper exegesis and further scholarly study, but a good starter for those looking to study women in scripture.

[Henrietta (H · Rating 2 out of 5]

We were using it as a study guide for a group I helped mentor. I wouldn't recommend. To me it seemed shallow and ham-handed in it's interpretations that they presented as truth. Didn't finish it.

[Janice Pauc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good supplemental information when reading Old and New Testaments.

[Jamie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this last year during my morning devotional time. So enjoyed the authors voice, making complex characters relatable. Would make an awesome group book read. Really enjoyed it.

[Shary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm done -- for now. This is a great book for a Bible study, which is how I encountered it. There are about 90 chapters on women in the Bible. Each chapter directs you to passages to read, then highlights the words of the women being discussed and gives context, historical background, and some speculation about what might have surrounded the events. It includes suggested questions for discussion. Some of the questions were better than others in prompting discussions and sometimes our discussions took their own life. Also includes some good prayers. Our group did 2-3 chapters per evening and this session went through about 1/3 of them. We will likely return to this book, and I've also read some on my own --who can resist reading about the woman who ate her child? That's nothing I've heard discussed before! Some very familiar, others not at all. Enjoyed the learning and the discussion.

[Charlotte Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to help men and women appreciate the women in the Bible. I will always be coming back to use this book as a reference book!

I wanted to use this book to write music for the women's words of the Bible. One day someone will!

Please consider giving this book to your pastor with the challenge to preach woman's words for a month every year, or every Sunday for a year. . .

I was shocked that the woman in Song of Solomon had more words than Mary, or Deborah.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I still haven't read every word in this book I'm giving it five stars and taking it off my currently reading list. I consider it not only an illuminating read but a fantastic reference book. I've used it both before and after Sunday school lessons so that I can see the often invisible women of the Bible and the profound impact they have had on every aspect of the biblical account.