Women prophets in the Bible (Part 1)

A biblical account of women who prophesied

Have you ever wondered whether there were any female prophets mentioned in the bible? Perhaps like me, you’ve come across an account of one or two and asked yourself whether there were any others. As I became more fascinated by the prophetic, questions began to swirl round my head. I asked (and Googled) the difference between the major and minor prophets, trying to figure out why some were denoted as major whilst the other 12 (such as Amos, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jonah) were ‘minor’ prophets. What was ‘minor’ about them, I wondered. Was it that the level of doom and gloom they prophesied was not quite to the catastrophic levels foreseen by the likes of Isaiah and Jeremiah? Was it that the volume of their biblical narratives paled in comparison to the many chapters in Daniel?  For example, 3 chapters in Zephaniah seems dwarfed by 48 chapters in Ezekiel. Or were they relegated to major and minor prophet status by the scholars who subsequently consolidated the body of writings and compartmentalised it into what we know as our version of the bible?

So many questions, not enough answers. As these thoughts bounced around in my head, I began to question whether there were any female prophets mentioned in the bible, and more importantly how significant their role was. It’s quite an interesting juxtaposition if you think about it, the dominant role played by men in the bible and the quiet strength of the women who seem to almost hover in the background, quietly but efficiently getting things done. And yet – we have tales of amazing women such as Jael, who brought down the mighty commander Sisera (see Judges 4). We learn of Ruth, a devout Moabite widow, a daughter-in-law who due to her loyalty, gained favour in the eyes of her mother-in-law and her husband Boaz. What of Rahab, once woman-of-the-night turned redeemer of her people? Esther anybody? Our courageous deliverer queen Esther? What of Abigail, a woman who by some unfortunate twist of fate ended up married to one foolish man named Nabal? So foolish in fact was Nabal, in 1 Samuel 25: 25, his wife calls him a fool, as his name suggests. What’s in a name, aye? Despite this rough start in life, Abigail interceded for Nabal and saved her people from certain death at the hands of King David.

As I read the accounts of these amazing women, I realised there was much more to it than met the eye. Granted, they may not have had as much of a prominent role or publicity as their male counterparts, but there were indeed women who prophesied in the Bible and what’s more, I believe they took on a leadership role. We must put things in context. In those times, women appear not to have been really counted. For example, in the story of the five loaves and two fishes (see Matthew 14 : 13 to 21), the narrative concludes, “And those who ate were five thousand men, not counting women and children”. This is a whole matter for another day, but for now, let us look at biblical narratives of women who took up the prophetic mantle and rose to the occasion as Kingdom women moving in authority. Today we look at the prophetesses in the bible.

Old Testament

A number of prophetesses are mentioned in the Old testament. The first account we have is that of Moses’s sister, Miriam.

1.      Miriam

In Exodus 15, we come across the Song of the Sea or what some versions refer to as The Song of Moses and Miriam. This comes hot on the heels of the miraculous escape from the Egyptians through the red sea, in which the God of Israel made a name for Himself. The Israelites are of course jubilant, not quite believing what’s just happened. Ecstatic with this turn of events they sing:

“The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name! Pharaoh’s chariots and army, He has hurled into the sea.
The finest of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters gushed over them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.”

You can sense their jubilation, can’t you? And why wouldn’t they rejoice – they have every reason to! In verse 20, we read: Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. And Miriam sang this song: “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; He has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”

Whilst much credence is given to Moses in his role as a deliverer, and to Aaron his brother as his spokesperson, Miriam the prophetess also played a key role in leadership amongst the daughters of Israel. In fact, in Micah 6: 4, she is recognised as a leader for scripture says “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, and also Aaron and Miriam.”

Not to say Miriam was perfect. Anyone recall the unfortunate saga in Numbers 12, when she and Aaron spoke out against their brother Moses for marrying a Cushite woman? God sure was displeased with them. For their transgression, Miriam ended up with leprosy, white as snow from head to toe. She was banished from the camp for a week until she was readmitted - after having a long hard think about her actions, no doubt! [Sidebar: I’m not quite sure what Aaron’s punishment was as he also partook in the gossip fest that landed them in this hot mess!]

2.      Deborah

In the book of Judges, we meet a mighty woman of valour, Deborah. In Judges 4, scripture tells us:

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.

I have always been fascinated by the reference to the Palm of Deborah; it would seem she rendered her judgements beneath a palm tree positioned between Ramah in Benjamin and Bethel in the land of Ephraim. Our prophetess Deborah says to Barak that the Lord has commanded him to take 10,000 men and lead them up to Mount Tabor. Here, He will deliver Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army and his troops into his hands. Barak, however, didn’t exactly rise to the occasion, with the result that Deborah goes with him. She prophesies that because of his actions, the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman (Jael).

In celebration of this great victory, in Judges 5, Deborah and Barak sing The song of Deborah with lovely verses such as ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song!... The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak… “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

The only female Judge mentioned in the bible, Deborah was clearly a leader and a great woman of our great God. I am quite fascinated by the reference to Issachar in this scripture, as we know from 1 Chronicles 12 :32 that the sons of Issachar were men who had an understanding of the times and seasons and knew the best course Israel ought to take. In short, they were highly prophetic. This victory hymn, the song of Deborah, is also unique in that it celebrates the heroic military victory of two women – Deborah and Jael.

All women should pray for a healthy dose of the Deborah anointing!

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Head on over here to catch the last segment of this two-part series.