Chapter 15
Hiding in Obscurity: Important Yet Overlooked Women
In This Chapter
Meeting Hagar, mother of Abraham’s firstborn son
Watching as Lot’s wife disobeys the angel’s warning
Witnessing revenge for the rape of Dinah
Observing Potiphar’s wife trying to seduce Joseph
Finding out about Huldah’s role as prophetess
C ertain women in the Bible were often overlooked although their stories are relevant and should be viewed more prominently. These women were active participants — not mere spectators — but over time, they have been largely ignored in favor of more flamboyant biblical characters.
In this chapter, we discuss women like Hagar, who bore a son to Abraham when his wife Sarah couldn’t conceive (Chapter 11), and Dinah, who was defiled by a man, an act that caused an outbreak of violence. We also look at Lot’s wife, who looked back upon the city of Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt. We delve into the lives of Potiphar’s wife and Huldah, who — in their own ways — impacted history. These women continue to spark theological interest and debate . . . even today.
Mothering Ishmael: Sarah’s Handmaid, Hagar
Hagar lived at the time of the patriarch Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) around 1800 BC. She was born in Egypt but then lived in Canaan as a maidservant to Sarah. Her name in her native tongue means “flight” or “fugitive.” The scriptures don’t tell us anything of her background, history, or genealogy, but according to the midrash (rabbinic teaching on scripture), she was the daughter of Pharaoh. The midrash also says she was given as a recompense for the embarrassment caused when the king of Egypt (her father perhaps) mistakenly took Sarah for his wife, believing she was Abraham’s sister rather than his wife, a story told in Genesis 12:10–20. See Chapter 11 of this book for more details about Abraham, Sarah, and the Pharaoh.
Acting as surrogate
Hagar first appears in Genesis 16. Sarah, who has been unable to bear children with Abraham, proposes that he have a child with her handmaid, Hagar, instead (Genesis 16:1–3).
No one really knows why Hagar felt this way and how she expressed it. In any event, the pregnancy causes bad blood between the two women. Perhaps Sarah sees Hagar as a rival for Abraham’s affection. Perhaps Hagar resents the status Sarah enjoyed as wife, while she has to be content as a concubine.
Regardless, after Sarah detects Hagar’s contempt, she begins to mistreat and abuse her, spurring the pregnant Hagar to escape and flee into the wilderness (see Genesis 16:6). God sends an angel, however, to speak with Hagar and encourage her to return to her mistress despite the abuse. The angel also tells Hagar that she will conceive and give birth to a son whom she is to call Ishmael, which means “God hears” (Genesis 16:11). Hagar finds out that this son will be the origin of many peoples.
Overcoming family dysfunction
Ironically, an 80-something Sarah finally becomes pregnant herself about ten years later, after a lifetime of being barren. She conceives a son, a fact also foretold by an angel of the Lord. This son is named Isaac and is chosen by God as the one to carry on God’s covenant with his father, Abraham, because he is the son of Sarah. This means that Hagar’s son, Ishmael, though firstborn to Abraham, will not receive his father’s birthright.
When Isaac is a baby and Ishmael is about 13, Sarah sees the two half brothers together. The Bible is ambiguous about exactly what transpires. Some translations say that Ishmael is playing with Isaac, and others say that he is mocking or teasing him. Whatever happened, Sarah becomes very protective and defensive and insists that Abraham expel the child and his mother.
If Ishmael was just playing, perhaps Sarah was nervous that the boys would become too close later in life, which would complicate matters when Isaac claimed the birthright in place of his older brother. Or maybe Ishmael was making sport of his little brother, and Sarah simply took innocent fooling around too seriously. Whatever the motive, and despite not knowing the exact details of Ishmael’s actions, we do know that he and his mom, Hagar, are thrown out of the camp and cast into the desert. (Genesis 21:8–14 describes this incident.)
As described in Genesis 21:15–20, God doesn’t forget the promise he made to Hagar, however. An angel comes to her again (see a painting of this scene in Figure 15-1), reminds her that God will make a great nation out of her son, and leads them to fresh water in the desert. Both mother and son survive, and eventually Hagar finds an Egyptian wife for Ishmael.
|
Figure 15-1: Hagar rescued by the angel, by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696–1770). |
|
Scala/Art Resource, NY
Ishmael becomes progenitor of the Ishmaelites, from whom most Arab peoples descend. Hagar, his mother, is only mentioned once again — allegorically by Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians.
Two covenants
In his New Testament Epistle to the Galatians, Paul sees an allegory in Hagar and Sarah. To him, the former represents the earthly Jerusalem and the Jewish community, whereas the latter represents the heavenly Jerusalem and the Christian church: “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother” (Galatians 4:24–26).
Looking Back: The Demise of Lot’s Wife
Lot’s wife, who also lived at the time of Abraham — nineteenth century BC — is never identified by name in the inspired canonical books of the Bible (these are the books officially recognized by Jewish and Christian authorities, as opposed to the noncanonical books, which are not included in the Bible — see Chapter 2 for more on these). Some Hebrew midrash refer to Lot’s wife as “Idis” or “Edis,” but she is most often known by the simple moniker of “Lot’s wife,” and most people remember her for the way she died.
A few Bible commentaries propose that Lot’s wife was a native of the town of Sodom, the same place from where his sons-in-law came. Sodom was the “twin” city (close by and built around the same time) of Gomorrah, both of which were filled with sin and sexual depravity. God doesn’t look favorably upon these cities and sends two angels to Lot’s house to warn him and his family.
The angels tell Lot and his wife, two daughters, and their husbands to flee because God is about to punish the evil cities with utter and total annihilation. (See Genesis 19:12–13 for more details.) Before they leave, the sin and depravity that was so rampant in these cities appear at Lot’s doorstep. The men of Sodom see the angels enter Lot’s home, believing them to be human men. These men demand access to these two “male” visitors so they can “know” them (a Biblical euphemism for having sex). Lot instead offers them his two daughters (see more on the daughters in Chapter 20), but they aren’t interested in women. So one of the angels momentarily blinds them, and the family makes its escape.
Before they leave, the angels also warn them: “Do not look back” (Genesis 19:17). As they flee, the Biblical equivalent to an H-bomb rains down from the skies — fire and brimstone (sulfur) shower down upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sins of these two places were so great, so heinous, and so frequent that chastisement was inevitable. The sexual depravity had become so rampant, perverted, and promiscuous that an example had to be made. To this day, people still speak of the doomed fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. (You can find the story of these two cities in Genesis 19:1–29.)
But as they flee, Lot’s wife doesn’t heed the angels’ warnings: “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). Was Lot’s wife cruelly punished merely for curiosity — the kind of curiosity that today’s motorists encounter when they slow down to gawk at an auto accident on the side of the road? Scripture scholars attest that her action represented more than mere curiosity. If Lot’s wife had been a native of Sodom, perhaps part of her couldn’t leave, even though it meant risking her safety. Maybe she was still attached to the decadent lifestyle and opulence to which she had been accustomed. Maybe she wanted to see the horrible catastrophe with her own eyes, like a crowd or mob at a public execution. If that was the reason for Lot’s wife to turn around and look, then she was indeed punished for her sin.
Some people today use the story of Lot’s wife as a metaphor to refrain from looking backward at what has happened in their lives and to instead always look forward. That interpretation seems too benign. The woman was turned into a pillar of salt. By turning around, it meant turning her back to Lot and their two daughters so she could face the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, despite the angels’ warning. The smell of the sulfur and the intense heat from the fire from the sky should have been more than enough evidence of the devastation. Why did she have to see the two cities destroyed? No one knows for sure, but she did, and she suffered the consequences.
Even Jesus uses this woman as an example. When Jesus speaks of Judgment Day, the end of the world, he refers to the sheep being separated from the goats (the good from the bad). He says the evil people will be punished like Sodom and Gomorrah were, and the good, who will be rewarded, should not look back to see what happens. To illustrate his point, Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).
Dinah’s Dismay: The Daughter of Jacob and Leah
Leah and Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah, is a key figure who alters the course of history. Dinah lives sometime between the sixteenth and fifteenth centuries BC in the land of Canaan. Curious and self-assured, Dinah is a real daddy’s girl, and Jacob has deep affection for her. The lone female among 12 brothers, Dinah is also impetuous and used to having her own way. Her beauty and vulnerability in a strange land — the land of Shechem in the city of Samaria, part of Canaan — and the lack of sophistication of the townsfolk would prove a dangerous combination.
Dinah defiled
While exploring her new homeland alone one day, the lovely Dinah catches the eye of Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of Shechem. (Shechem is both the name of the place, 41 miles north of Jerusalem, and the name of Hamor’s son.) Motivated by lust, the playboy prince rapes her. Afterward, some vestige of decency returns, and he repents for his heinous crime and even falls in love with Dinah. He asks his father if he can take her in marriage. Word, however, of the crime has since gotten back to Dinah’s brothers and her father, Jacob, who are outraged that she has been defiled. Bloody revenge fills their hearts. (See Genesis 34:1–7 for more details.)
Hamor and Shechem, on the other hand, begin making plans to ask Jacob for Dinah’s hand in marriage. The family hopes to rectify Shechem’s horrible deed by uniting the two families and attempting to restore some modicum of justice. Once stolen, however, Dinah’s virtue can’t be returned. Her brothers vow that those responsible will pay dearly.
Dinah avenged
The brothers initially play along with Hamor’s request, making a deal. They ask that in exchange for Dinah’s hand in marriage, all male Hivites be circumcised, in order for them to share the same religion. Circumcision is the sign of the covenant of God and his people, the brothers tell Hamor, who believes that the brothers are making a spiritual and godly request.
Getting circumcised seemed a fair price — a few days of painful discomfort was worth the peace and prosperity that would be created between the two nations. What the Shechemites don’t know and what will hurt more than the circumcision is the plot hatched by Jacob’s sons, Levi and Simeon.
Dinah’s brothers’ darker motivations soon come to light, however. During circumcision, the brothers know that the Hivite males will be incapacitated and unable to defend themselves. The brothers can then take advantage of the situation. Indeed that is just what they do.
Once the circumcised men are recovering, every single male in the country is killed by the Israelites as a vendetta for the rape of Dinah. Not only were all the men of Shechem killed, including Hamor and his son, but the Israelites plundered and looted as well. Jacob reprimands his sons because everyone had given his word that the Shechemites would be safe if their men were circumcised. The boys had taken advantage of the situation, and Jacob was concerned that breaking their word would have repercussions. He worried that other nations would hear of their lies and not trust any agreement or treaty from the Hebrew nation. (See Genesis 34:20–31 for more details.)
Jacob wasn’t proud of his sons. While, as a father, he despised the horrible crime that befell his beloved daughter, he was also the patriarch of a people — the Hebrew nation — and any attempts to establish a peaceful coexistence between Hamor’s people and his own people were now impossible. Plus, Jacob knew that using religion as a decoy to trap and slay people who had willingly submitted to the sign of the covenant was a sacrilege, no matter what the motivation.
This crime tarnishes the integrity of the Israelite people, as the story will be told and retold among the neighboring peoples. Hence, Dinah’s curiosity and her horrible rape incited her brothers to react with a vengeance never before seen, and its consequences were devastating.
.jpg)
It appears that Dinah never married. She is listed among the names of those who later traveled to Egypt where Joseph, her brother, lived under the rule of the Pharaoh (Genesis 46:15). We hear no more of her after that. Jacob, however, still laments the revenge of Dinah’s brothers to the Shechemites many years later (Genesis 49:5–7).
Plotting Against Joseph: Potiphar’s Wife
Potiphar’s wife, otherwise nameless in the Bible, lived in Egypt in approximately the sixteenth century BC. Her husband was the captain of the guard for Pharaoh — sort of like the head of the secret service, someone who protected the monarch and kept an eye on possible traitors, dissidents, and troublemakers.
Potiphar buys Joseph, the son of Rachel and Jacob, as a slave from the Ishmaelites, who had previously purchased Joseph from his ten older brothers. These brothers sold Joseph into slavery out of jealousy, and then explained his disappearance by saying Joseph was killed by a wild animal. (You can read all about this part of Joseph’s life in Genesis 37:12–36.)
Potiphar makes Joseph a domestic servant, and he proves himself to such an extent that Potiphar promotes him to be head of the entire estate. Meanwhile, Joseph doesn’t go unnoticed by Potiphar’s wife, who has a very sensual appetite and sees how young, handsome, and virile Joseph is.
She soon attempts to seduce him. But Joseph resists her luring enticements (“lie with me”), day after day, as he is an honorable young man who avoids sin and the betrayal of his master: “Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8–9). His refusal of her advances, of course, only angers Potiphar’s wife. So Joseph leaves in a hurry, and Potiphar’s wife keeps part of his cloak, which falls off in his hasty retreat, as shown in one artist’s rendering in Figure 15-2.
The vixen then lies to her husband, claiming that Joseph tried to rape her. She shows him the garment as evidence. Potiphar has Joseph immediately imprisoned, with no interrogation, let alone a trial.
Potiphar’s wife had tried to seduce Joseph into an adulterous affair, and failing that, she then lied and slandered the poor man into jail. We hear no more of her even though Joseph’s time in the big house is not permanent. The wife of Potiphar is remembered only for her lustful advances toward a chaste and honorable man. The seductress loses on all accounts. Not only does she not become the illicit lover of Joseph, but Joseph eventually rises to a royal appointment in the Pharaoh’s court that is higher than even her husband’s position. The ironic twist: Joseph’s high position in court may have never happened had it not been for his time in jail. While he was imprisoned, Joseph was summoned to interpret a dream of Pharaoh (because he did so for his fellow inmates), and that won him Pharaoh’s favor and position as governor. (See Genesis 41 for more details.)
|
Figure 15-2: Joseph fleeing Potiphar’s wife, from the school of Raphael (1483–1520). |
|
Scala/Art Resource, NY
Heeding Advice from a Prophetess: Huldah
Although her name means “weasel,” Huldah is anything but. She lived in Jerusalem during the seventh century BC, during the reign of King Josiah. The wife of Shallum, she is one of only three women named in the Old Testament as a prophetess (Miriam in Exodus 15:20 and Deborah in Judges 4:4 are the other two; Chapter 10 has the details on these women). Even the King recognizes Huldah’s reputation as a holy and wise woman.
King Josiah initiates reforms in Judah, one of which is the restoration of the Temple of Jerusalem, which had fallen into disrepair during the reign of previous kings. During the project, some ancient scrolls are found, probably from Deuteronomy, written in Hebrew. Because there was no carbon dating back then, the only way to ascertain whether the documents were real was to take them to a holy person — a prophet — who can ask the Lord directly.
King Josiah could have gone to the prophet Jeremiah, a contemporary of Huldah. Instead he goes to the prophetess. A few scholars speculate that the king had hoped a female prophet would be more disposed to ask for mercy for the king than a male prophet. But most scholars believe it is because Huldah, also the keeper of the royal wardrobe, had earned a reputation for holiness, wisdom, and intelligence that even surpassed Jeremiah’s — especially on a matter such as verifying the authenticity of a sacred scroll.
So the high priest Hilkiah brings Huldah the scrolls — the book of the Law — that King Josiah had excavated at the Temple (2 Kings 22:14–20; 2 Chronicles 34:22–28). She attests that the scrolls are genuine, but she also gives a dire prophecy:
Thus says the LORD, “I will indeed bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants — all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have abandoned me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.”
—2 Kings 22:16–17
She adds some words of comfort, however, saying that the current king will not live to see the destruction of the kingdom. Because he had been so devout and pious during his reign, he will be spared that disgrace. But after his death, the nation will be punished for religious infidelity — their pagan worship of false gods. Huldah’s prophecy indeed comes to pass after Josiah’s peaceful death. This incident is also mentioned later in Chronicles, and then we don’t hear about her again. Her dire prediction sadly came to fruition and vindicated her authenticity as a prophetess.