God's Protection of Women

Not all women in the Old Testament were treated with respect. In fact, most of the time they were treated with disrespect. Rules were written by the males to exclude and devalue women. Women were used as property and given over to gang rapes (Gen 19; Jdgs 19:1-30). Yet this was not God’s ideal. God does not force humans to follow a certain pattern. In fact, God gave humans such radical freedom, they crucified their Creator’s only begotten son. Humans are limited by their ability to see what God wants. They are limited by such sins as pride, selfishness, and a lust for power. Humans have a limited capacity to receive revelation from God; and God works within human capacity and human willingness to follow.

Despite Old Testament society’s treatment of women, God did provide women with some measure of protection. For example, the daughters of Zelophehad did receive their inheritance (Num 27:1-8). Women who were falsely accused of fornication or were victims of rape received some measure of protection (Deut 22:13-30). God also would not allow a jealous husband to judge his wife of adultery (Num 5:11-31). The period of uncleanness after childbirth (Lev 12:1-7) allowed women time to physically heal by protecting them from overly amorous husbands. And in a time when women were considered the ones at fault when no children were produced, Deuteronomy 7:14 makes it clear both women and men could be responsible for barrenness.

Women held positions of status and power in early Israelite society. Unfortunately, this began to change when the monarchy was established and public works were started. God allowed the monarchy as a concession to the people of Israel, and it spelled trouble for the women. The public sphere of Israelite life grew after the eleventh century b.c.e. Hierarchies developed, and so did the need for labor away from the family unit. Samuel described the change (1 Sam 8:11-13), explaining who the king would call to serve him. With the removal of certain important status-raising tasks from the household, and the parallel development of political and economic life, the status of women declined.

Restrictions on their lives grew. Power shifted from the household, which was the primary social structure in early Israel, to male-dominated political and economic structures and the military. With a central political structure in place, Israelites began importing luxury items and ceramics. Men were already involved in production that could be exported, giving them more control over family economic resources. The economic independence of the clan unit deteriorated, and production grew more centralized. Households were taxed, removing some of the economic decision-making power from the women.

As the centuries passed, the status of women continued to decline. When the second temple was built after the Exile, women were separated from the sacrificial area of the temple, revealing a significant drop in societal status. Many of the rabbinical writings from the centuries around the time of Christ were extremely negative toward women. The status of Jewish women in Palestine reached a significant low point when Christ appeared on the scene.