Women in Places of Power in the Old Testament

Women in places of power in the OT

FSB: Chapter 31 Fearing God in the Old Testament 31:31 may they praise her works in the city gates Just as her husband is known in the gates (see v. 23), the works of an excellent wife should be known and praised by the people.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Pr 31:30–31). Lexham Press. Note: Here, just as the Proverbs 31 woman's husband is known in the gates of the city, vs 23, as there is where the court met, so this woman her works will also be known and bring praise in the gates. This shows she is not just a housewife, but one who is known and praised publicly. Tags: Pr 31:30–31 Clipped: August 9, 2024

NASB95: Chapter 31 The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Pr 31:1). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. Note: CS: The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him. The oracle or burden is a prophesy against a person or people. This means that she was a prophet and the words that follow are her words Also while he is only mentioned here once, his mother has the whole chapter about her. She is the Proverbs 31 woman. She named him "belonging to God".

31:1 Lemuel, the king Lemuel means “belonging to God.” This is the only mention of King Lemuel in the Bible.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Pr 31:1). Lexham Press. Here this mother Tags: Pr 31:1 Clipped: August 9, 2024

NASB95: Chapter 31 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Pr 31:9). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. Note: Here the mother of King Lemuel is instructing him how to do what she does, to judge righteously and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. She is the one who is praised in the gates of the city (vs 31) The gates is the place where judgement and the courts assemble.

A gated entrance to a city. These were often locations for doing business or for legal proceedings. Tags: Pr 31:9 Clipped: August 9, 2024

DBI: Gate It is part of the honor of the virtuous wife of Proverbs 31 that “her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land” (Prov 31:23). To sit in the gate was to have a voice in setting policy; thus in the list of three progressive actions listed in Psalm 1:1, the climactic identification with evil is to “sit in the seat of scoffers.” Legal activity was common in the gate area. Already in the Mosaic law the city gate was designated as the place of legal tribunal (e.g., Deut 21:19; 22:15; 25:7). Contending with one’s enemies in the gate (Ps 127:5) implies legal negotiations. When Boaz insists on carrying out his desire to marry Ruth with complete adherence to established rules, he negotiates with his rival at the town gate (Ruth 4:1). The pattern was established even before the Israelites settled in cities, with Moses judging the people “in the gate of the camp” during their wilderness wanderings (Ex 32:26). Sometimes punishment or justice was meted out at the city gate (Deut 17:5; 21:21). At Joshua’s command, the King of Ai was hanged and his body was thrown down “at the entrance of the gate of the city” (Josh 8:29; see also 2 Kings 10:8–9). Because so much commercial and civil business was transacted at the city gate, it became a prime image for prophetic denunciations of a corrupt society. Thus we find references to “the afflicted at the gate” (Prov 22:22), about setting “a trap for the arbiter in the gate” (Is 29:21) and about dishonest people who “hate the one who reproves in the gate, and abhor the one who speaks the truth” (Amos 5:10 NRSV). Jeremiah’s picture of desecrating the sabbath is one of people’s bringing in burdens “by the gates of Jerusalem” (Jer 17:21, 24, 27). The antidote is to “hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate” (Amos 5:15 NRSV).

Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In Dictionary of biblical imagery (electronic ed., pp. 321–322). InterVarsity Press. Note: Just as Proverbs 31:1 shows the king's mother has a prophetic gift, a burden, which she teaches to her son, so in verse 31 the city gate is also where a prophetic denounciation over dishonest people who "hate the one who reproves in the gate and abhor the one who speaks the truth" Amos 5:10. Clipped: August 9, 2024