KJV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Comfort Print: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation

By Thomas Nelson

A study Bible with thousands of verse commentary notes designed by women specifically for women to receive God’s truth for balance, hope, and transformation.

The Woman’s Study Bible poignantly reveals the Word of God to women, inviting them to receive God’s truth for balance, hope, and transformation. Special features designed to speak to a woman’s heart appear throughout the Bible text, revealing Scripture-based insights about how godly womanhood grows from a woman’s identity as a Christ-follower and a child of the kingdom.

Now with a beautiful full-color redesign, The Woman’s Study Bible reflects the contributions of over 80 women from a wide variety of ethnic, denominational, educational, and occupational backgrounds. Since the publication of the first edition of The Woman’s Study Bible, this landmark study Bible has sold over 2 million copies.

 

Features include:

• Beautiful full-color design throughout for you to enjoy as you engage Scripture
• Detailed biographical portraits allow you to learn from the lives of over 100 women in the Bible
• Thousands of extensive verse-by-verse study notes explain each passage and provide meaning to Scripture
• Over 300 in-text topical articles on relevant issues for you to glean wisdom from and apply to your life
• Insightful essays by women who are recognized experts in the fields of theology, biblical studies, archaeology, and philosophy to deepen your theological knowledge
• Book introductions and outlines provide an overview and context for each book
• Hundreds of full-color, in-text maps, charts, timelines, and family trees give a visual representation of Israel and other biblical themes
• Quotes from godly women throughout history to encourage and guide your faith journey
• Topical index and concordance help locate words and show the number of occurrences throughout the Bible
• Clear and readable KJV Comfort Print® typeface in 10.5-point print size

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781400332632

Book preview

The

Woman’s

Study Bible

Editorial Committee

www.ThomasNelson.com

The Woman’s Study Bible, KJV, Full-Color Edition

Copyright © 2017, 2023 by Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Holy Bible, King James Version,

Published in Nashville, TN, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Maps by International Mapping. Copyright © by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

KJV Concordance copyright © 1995 by Thomas Nelson.

ePub Edition July 2023: 978-1-400-33263-2

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2023930120

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Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

Contents

How to Use This eBible

Foreword

Contributors

Introduction

Epistle Dedicatory

Special Definitions and Abbreviations

God Cares for Women—Eta Linnemann

The Balanced Life: Reconciling Personal Faith with Practicing Dogma—Hilary McFarlane

What They Left Behind: Women, Archaeology, and the Bible—Marsha A. Ellis Smith

Women and Children in Biblical Narrative—Eleonore Stump

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Old Testament Table of Contents

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Flowers and Plants of the Bible Note, Flowers of the Bible Chart

Vegetables of the Bible Chart

Bitter Herbs of the Bible Chart

Herbs of the Bible Chart

Gardens in the Bible Note

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New Testament Table of Contents

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Table of Monies, Weights and Measures

Bibliography

Index: A Reference Guide to the Special Features

Charts Index

Inspirational Quotations Index

Maps Index

Portraits Index

Topical Notes Index

Concordance

Full Color Maps

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OLD TESTAMENT

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Genesis

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50

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Exodus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40

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Leviticus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27

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Numbers

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

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Deuteronomy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34

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Joshua

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

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Judges

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

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Ruth

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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1 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

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2 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

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1 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

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2 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

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1 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29

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2 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

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Ezra

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

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Nehemiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

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Esther

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

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Job

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42

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Psalms

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150

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Proverbs

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

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Ecclesiastes

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

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Song of Solomon

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

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Isaiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66

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Jeremiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52

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Lamentations

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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Ezekiel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48

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Daniel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

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Hosea

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

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Joel

1 | 2 | 3

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Amos

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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Obadiah

1

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Jonah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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Micah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

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Nahum

1 | 2 | 3

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Habakkuk

1 | 2 | 3

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Zephaniah

1 | 2 | 3

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Haggai

1 | 2

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Zechariah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

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Malachi

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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NEW TESTAMENT

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Matthew

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

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Mark

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

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Luke

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

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John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

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Acts

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

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Romans

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

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1 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

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2 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

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Galatians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Ephesians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Philippians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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Colossians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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1 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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2 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3

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1 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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2 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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Titus

1 | 2 | 3

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Philemon

1

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Hebrews

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

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James

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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1 Peter

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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2 Peter

1 | 2 | 3

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1 John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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2 John

1

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3 John

1

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Jude

1

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Revelation

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

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How to Use This eBible

What is the difference between an eBook and a print book?

eBook versions of Bibles contain all the content and supplementary materials found in the original print versions and are optimized for navigation in the various apps and devices used for display. eReaders recognize text as one fluid string and are formatted in a single column, which differs from the multi-column layout seen in many print version Bibles. Therefore, some content may not match the exact appearance of the original print version, but instead uses hyperlinks to navigate between related content.

How do I use the eBook Table of Contents?

* Important Note: Be sure to consult your device manufacturer’s User’s Guide for device-specific navigation instructions. *

The Table of Contents is generally formatted in the same order as the original print version and hyperlinked as follows:

• Front matter – Introductory articles

• Bible books and chapters

• Back matter – Supplementary materials

To navigate to specific Bible books, chapters, or verses, please note the following:

• Book links (Ex. Genesis) go directly to the Introduction of each book, or the beginning of that Bible book if there is no introductory text.

• Chapter links go directly to the beginning of the chapter associated with a book.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the verses in each chapter.

• Every Bible book and chapter hyperlink in the Bible text returns or goes back to the Table of Contents. Or, use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

How do I navigate supplementary materials?

Study Notes (commentary) are hyperlinked to verse numbers where study notes are available in the main Bible text to go to its location at the end of each Bible book.

• Click a hyperlinked verse number to the corresponding study note (commentary).

• Click a hyperlinked verse number to the left of the study note (commentary) and you are returned to the main Bible text.

Articles and Features related to Bible content are accessible through the pointer links that are interspersed throughout the Bible text.

• Select the hyperlinked content title at the end of a referenced Bible verse to go to its location at the end of each Bible book.

• Select the hyperlinked title entry to go back to the Bible verse location, or use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Footnotes (annotations) are marked with a small, hyperlinked letter a, to indicate important textual information.

• Click the hyperlinked letter to the left of the word or phrase in the main Bible text to the corresponding note.

• Click the hyperlinked letter to the left of the note and you are returned to the main Bible text.

Indexes are features that supplement the Bible text and are hyperlinked directly to the content-specific location following the main Bible text.

• Select the hyperlinked entry in the Table of Contents to the specific article, list, or index.

• Select the Bible reference or article hyperlink to the corresponding main Bible text or article.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Topical Notes includes an alphabetic list on subjects of interest to women of all ages.

• Select the hyperlinked letter of the alphabet to the corresponding list of entries from the Table of Contents.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the entries.

• Select the Bible reference hyperlink to the corresponding main Bible text or use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Concordance includes an alphabetic list of important words.

• Select the hyperlinked letter of the alphabet to the corresponding list of entries from the Table of Contents.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the entries.

• Select the Bible reference hyperlink to the corresponding main Bible text or use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Color Maps are included as images and optimized for eReader device display.

• Select the hyperlinked entry in the Table of Contents to a specific map.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Foreword

Praise God for His Story as it is recorded in His Word. My sincere prayer is that this volume will become a tool to guide you in listening to the voice of God as He speaks through His Word.

The thrill of hearing Him speak today from this old Book, His Holy Word, has not left me. It has been life-changing. However, for many the Bible may be something of a closed door. Although its stories are all fairly familiar, there seems to be a great void of understanding exactly what these stories can mean for Christians living in the present day. Many people who read God’s Word believe it; they just don’t believe it works for them today. It does! You will find the factual information in introductory materials, annotations, topical notes, portraits, charts, and maps in The Woman’s Study Bible to be helpful in showing you how it works.

Truth does not change (2 Tim. 3:16). While experts in science, technology, geology, and theology are constantly changing their findings and conclusions, God’s Word has remained unchanged since it was written thousands of years ago. Various challenges may be made to the historical accounts found in the Bible, but you are going to be excited as you begin to read reasonable explanations for many of your questions. There will, of course, be some things—that is, the mysteries of God—for which there are no answers at this time in this life. The challenge of these mysteries will lead you to worship a God whose ways are past finding out, whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Rom. 11:33; Is. 55:9).

Ask God to open your eyes that you might see Him in a fresh way and open your ears that you might hear His voice speaking to you as you read His Word, and let The Woman’s Study Bible be your guide.

—Anne Graham Lotz

Foreword to the Full-Color Edition

Dear Reader,

The Woman’s Study Bible has blessed and touched countless women since it was first published over twenty years ago. While the timeless study content—contributed by an extraordinary team of women who are top scholars and influential teachers—remains as applicable as ever, we felt that a redesign could help this valuable resource continue reaching women today. The Woman’s Study Bible has long been the gold standard in women’s study Bibles in terms of content. With the present edition, it is also the most beautiful study Bible for women, representing the rich study material and invaluable mentoring content for women of all ages. It is with great pleasure that we present to you The Woman’s Study Bible, Full-Color Edition. Our prayerful hope is that you will grow in a deeper knowledge and love for the Lord as He reveals Himself to you through these pages.

In Christ,

The Publishers

The Woman’s Study Bible

Contributors

Aduke Akinola

Myrna Alexander

Emilie Barnes

Shirley Cothran Barret

Susan Wise Bauer

Judy Blue

Mary Ellen Bork

Ann L. Bowman

Vonette Bright

Jill Briscoe

Linda Buhler

Nancie Carmichael

Annie Chapman

Grace Chavis

Debbie Church

Ann Coker

Patty Comber

Dorian Coover Cox

Jan Dargatz

Melinda Delahoyde

Beverly Demaurex

Joy Griffin Dent

Linda Dillow

Elisabeth Elliot

Denise George

Sharon Gritz

Margaret D. Hawley

Karen J. Hayter

Kristina Hemphill

Jeanne Hendricks

Kay Ho

Shari Lee Witt Hofstetter

Carmen Leigh Howell

June Hunt

Susan Hunt

Katherine Hyde

Kay Coles James

Karen H. Jobes

Mary Kassian

Rhonda Harrington Kelley

Grace Ketterman

Diane Knippers

Beverly LaHaye

Tammi Ledbetter

Marilyn Lewis

Eta Linnemann

Florence Littauer

Karen Mains

Hilary McFarlane

Linda McGinn

Janice Meier

Erika Moore

Miriam Neff

Barbara O’Chester

Anne Ortlund

Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Anabel Cantu Reimann

Paula Rinehart

Alice George Rogers

Dale Evans Rogers

Joyce Rogers

Kristi Sberna

Edith Schaeffer

Faye Short

Marsha A. Ellis Smith

Sharon Sneed

Gayle Somers

Delores Steele

Sharon Sterrenburg

Helen Rhea Stumbo

Eleonore Stump

Joni Eareckson Tada

Amanda Shao Tan

Gigi Tchividjian

Laverne Bell-Tolliver

Noemi Vera

Diana Vermillion

Mary Whelchel

Constance N. Wieler

Georgalyn Wilkinson

Miltinnie Yih

Introduction

The Woman’s Study Bible is a unique tool for opening God’s Word to women through a comprehensive study of Scripture prepared by women for women on subjects important to women. Recent history has awakened a growing awareness of and sensitivity to women and their concerns—their value in being made in the image of God, their innermost needs, and their challenging opportunities to serve the Lord. The Bible is one of the most important means by which a woman’s identity and her place in society should be defined. The Creator presented His perfect plan, but Satan used his wiles through a woman to bring sin into the world. God countered this satanic attack by using a woman to give birth to the Savior who would provide redemption. A world distorted by the presence of sin and evil is full of suffering and pain, but God and His Holy Word are not responsible for creating the injustices and tragedies suffered by women or men.

Women in the ancient world did not have an easy or perfect life, but Israelite women were better off than their contemporaries. The Law of Israel was designed to protect women, their rights, and their freedom (Deut. 21:10–14; 22:13, 28). Israelite women did have certain rights as well as greater freedom, more varied pursuits, and better social status than the women from pagan nations. The vast majority of women primarily administered their households and cared for their husbands and children.

Jesus did not hesitate to teach women and to use them in parables and illustrations. Women were present at the crucifixion (Luke 23:49); they prepared the Lord’s body for burial (Luke 23:56); they were first at the tomb on resurrection morning (Luke 24:1); they were the first to bear testimony to the resurrection (Luke 24:9–10); their faith and prayers were vital to the growth of the early church (Rom. 16:1). Everywhere Christianity has gone, the status of women has improved.

In 1895, Elizabeth Cady Stanton published The Woman’s Bible with intent to achieve freedom from what she alleged to be the oppression of Scripture. She commented on passages of particular interest to women and removed verses she considered tainted with a male bias. She was motivated by an agenda based on her own experience and was grasping for a position that would place her over Scripture. This position helped lay the ideological foundation for a feministic theology that makes individual conscience and personal experience the ultimate basis for interpreting Scripture. A century later, the editorial committee of The Woman’s Study Bible has chosen to line up under the authority of Scripture. We have followed an objective approach. We have sought to understand the message of the Bible while committing ourselves to live out its principles in faith and practice. We are bound to the absolute veracity and uniqueness of God’s Word. We do not need to twist or rewrite Scripture, to redefine its words, or to choose what we will accept as authoritative, which would exalt human reason. Rather we are committed to dig deep into Scripture in order to find a word from God about who we are and how we are to live.

More than eighty women from many different denominations, ethnic backgrounds, and occupations comprised the editorial team. Women have worked through every step of production—design and layout, typesetting, proofreading, marketing, and sales. Singles, wives, mothers, and grandmothers—all have combined their training and giftedness to expend the time, energy, and creativity to produce a timeless and Christ-honoring study tool uniquely designed to meet the needs of women whatever their situation in life—whether overwhelmed with family problems, frustrated from career injustices, burdened with the trials of everyday living, challenged with making life-changing decisions, or merely motivated to seek a word from God.

Before any research was begun or manuscript written, these guidelines were prayerfully adopted:

• A distinctive exegesis pulls out the meaning of the text instead of reading personal whims into the text.

• Intuitive scholarship combines the discernment of intuition with the discipline of scholarship, bringing a new dimension to evangelical interpretation.

• Nurturing sensitivity brings new and exciting ways to encourage and inspire.

• Mentoring friendships undergird spiritual bonding, finding more common ground than polarity in a quest to understand and interpret Scripture.

• Creative service links mind and heart to present inspiration and guidance that is fresh and relevant.

The features of The Woman’s Study Bible are skillfully woven together and easily accessed through an extensive referencing system. The articles provide thought-provoking scholarship, devotional meditation, and the practical development of faith.

Introductory material accompanies each book of the Bible with information about the author, date, setting, purpose, audience, literary characteristics, and themes. The outline will lead you through a study of the book in a systematic way. The annotations placed in footnotes are helpful in drawing out of the text necessary information to explain difficult passages, idiomatic phrases, or obscure words as well as in identifying places and people.

The topical notes on subjects of interest to women of all ages and in all stages of life have been prepared based upon principles found in Scripture, enabling and motivating you to make personal application of God’s truth to your own problems.

More than one hundred portraits bring to life the women of the Bible, giving a brief glimpse of life in the ancient world, presenting their problems and how they solved them, showing both the good and the bad, sharing the results of doing something God’s way in contrast to going your own way (Is. 53:6). We are awed by the faithfulness of many of these women to doing God’s work, to obeying His Word, and to making significant contributions to the kingdom. Many of these Bible women will become your examples, your inspiration, your mentors, and your friends.

The charts and maps have been prepared for the unique focus of this volume. Charts include the development of family trees and treatment of other subjects with special prominence given to women.

Inspirational quotations from women of many generations are found throughout. The most important part of studying God’s Word is always a personal reading of the text of Scripture and a willingness to let its words speak to you and perhaps change your life.

Binding all these elements together is an index, an alphabetical guide to the special features—all the topical notes, portraits, charts, maps, and many of the subjects covered in annotations. In the extensive cross-referencing system, topical notes and portraits are noted by book and chapter at the point of reference; charts and maps can be easily located through the alphabetical guide. A concordance of important words in the Bible is also included.

This volume will provide rewarding study for the serious Bible student while also offering a meaningful introduction to the study of God’s Word for any woman who would come reverently to Scripture with an open heart. The inexhaustible Word of God will introduce you to the Father and His love; it will unveil and give understanding of His will; it will reveal His Law and principles for living; it will offer intellectual challenges for your mind, moral values for your will, and spiritual refreshment for your heart. For every woman who opens the Holy Word of God, His/story of redemption can become her/story of deliverance. Let The Woman’s Study Bible become a catalyst for changing your life by helping you unlock God’s Word, share His promises, and offer His challenges.

—Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Epistle Dedicatory

To the Most High and Mighty Prince

James

By the Grace of God,

King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland,

Defender of the Faith, &c.

The Translators of the Bible wish Grace, Mercy, and Peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord

Great and manifold were the blessings, most dread Sovereign, which Almighty God, the Father of all mercies, bestowed upon us the people of England, when first He sent Your Majesty’s Royal Person to rule and reign over us. For whereas it was the expectation of many, who wished not well unto our Sion, that upon the setting of that bright Occidental Star, Queen Elizabeth of most happy memory, some thick and palpable clouds of darkness would so have overshadowed this Land, that men should have been in doubt which way they were to walk; and that it should hardly be known, who was to direct the unsettled State; the appearance of Your Majesty, as of the Sun in his strength, instantly dispelled those supposed and surmised mists, and gave unto all that were well affected exceeding cause of comfort; especially when we beheld the Government established in Your Highness, and Your hopeful Seed, by an undoubted Title, and this also accompanied with peace and tranquillity at home and abroad.

But among all our joys, there was no one that more filled our hearts, than the blessed continuance of the preaching of God’s sacred Word among us; which is that inestimable treasure, which excelleth all the riches of the earth; because the fruit thereof extendeth itself, not only to the time spent in this transitory world, but directeth and disposeth men unto that eternal happiness which is above in heaven.

Then not to suffer this to fall to the ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it in that state, wherein the famous Predecessor of Your Highness did leave it: nay, to go forward with the confidence and resolution of a Man in maintaining the truth of Christ, and propagating it far and near, is that which hath so bound and firmly knit the hearts of all Your Majesty’s loyal and religious people unto You, that Your very name is precious among them: their eye doth behold You with comfort, and they bless You in their hearts, as that sanctified Person, who, under God, is the immediate Author of their true happiness. And this their contentment doth not diminish or decay, but every day increaseth and taketh strength, when they observe, that the zeal of Your Majesty toward the house of God doth not slack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in the farthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of sin, as will not be healed), and every day at home, by religious and learned discourse, by frequenting the house of God, by hearing the Word preached, by cherishing the Teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a most tender and loving nursing Father.

There are infinite arguments of this right Christian and religious affection in Your Majesty; but none is more forcible to declare it to others than the vehement and perpetuated desire of accomplishing and publishing of this work, which now with all humility we present unto Your Majesty. For when Your Highness had once out of deep judgment apprehended how convenient it was, that out of the Original Sacred Tongues, together with comparing of the labours, both in our own, and other foreign Languages, of many worthy men who went before us, there should be one more exact Translation of the holy Scriptures into the English Tongue; Your Majesty did never desist to urge and to excite those to whom it was commended, that the work might be hastened, and that the business might be expedited in so decent a manner, as a matter of such importance might justly require.

And now at last, by the mercy of God, and the continuance of our labours, it being brought unto such a conclusion, as that we have great hopes that the Church of England shall reap good fruit thereby; we hold it our duty to offer it to Your Majesty, not only as to our King and Sovereign, but as to the principal Mover and Author of the work: humbly craving of Your most Sacred Majesty, that since things of this quality have ever been subject to the censures of ill-meaning and discontented persons, it may receive approbation and patronage from so learned and judicious a Prince as Your Highness is, whose allowance and acceptance of our labours shall more honour and encourage us, than all the calumniations and hard interpretations of other men shall dismay us. So that if, on the one side, we shall be traduced by Popish Persons at home or abroad, who therefore will malign us, because we are poor instruments to make God’s holy Truth to be yet more and more known unto the people, whom they desire still to keep in ignorance and darkness; or if, on the other side, we shall be maligned by self-conceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themselves, and hammered on their anvil; we may rest secure, supported within by the truth and innocency of a good conscience, having walked the ways of simplicity and integrity, as before the Lord; and sustained without by the powerful protection of Your Majesty’s grace and favour, which will ever give countenance to honest and Christian endeavours against bitter censures and uncharitable imputations.

The Lord of heaven and earth bless Your Majesty with many and happy days, that, as His heavenly hand hath enriched Your Highness with many singular and extraordinary graces, so You may be the wonder of the world in this latter age for happiness and true felicity, to the honour of that great GOD, and the good of His Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour.

Special Definitions and Abbreviations

Special Definitions

Aram. Aramaic

Bomberg The 1524–35 edition of the Hebrew Old Testament, published by Daniel Bomberg

ch., chs. chapter, chapters

DSS Dead Sea Scrolls

Kethib (Aram., lit. written). The written words of the Hebrew Old Testament preserved by the Masoretes

LXX Septuagint—an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek

M-Text Majority Text

MT-Text Masoretic Text—the traditional Hebrew Old Testament

NU-Text The most prominent text of the Greek New Testament

Qere (Aram., lit. read). Words read aloud that differ from the written words, in the Masoretic tradition of the Hebrew Old Testament (see Kethib)

Samaritan A variant Hebrew edition of the Pentateuch Books of Moses used by the Samaritan community

Targum An Aramaic paraphrase of the Old Testament

Textus Receptus Received Text

Vulgate An ancient text of the Bible into Latin, translated and edited by Jerome

Abbreviations

General

The Old Testament

The New Testament

God Cares for Women

Eta Linnemann

In my preconversion life, I bitterly fought for women’s equality in spiritual office. The thorn of embitterment was ever driven into me anew by my so-called brothers in ministry, especially by those who were my mental inferiors and possessed no other merit than the privilege of wearing trousers on the basis of their physical constitution. If my achievements had not been any better than theirs, I would not have made it even into the position in which I had to bear, of all things, the lifelong title of lady curate (assistant), while my male colleagues after one to two years exchanged the title of curate for that of pastor.

At the general conventions, I was wounded with unkind regularity by such brothers in ministry in that at least one of them, or more likely an entire group, apprised me of the fact that the problem of women in ministry would indeed be solved if each of the women would marry a minister. That was the twofold wounding. Had I completed an entire course of theological study, including the two theological barrier examinations and even taken a doctor’s degree, only to engage myself with children and kitchen as the wife of a minister? Even if I had wanted that—wouldn’t I have only had the remotest possibility for it, now that a considerable portion of the men in my own age group had been killed during the Second World War on the battlefields of Europe?

My dear sisters, I felt that the fight for equal rights for women had been entrusted to me, along with the pain that these inequities caused. This fight was terminated with my preconversion life because now I am prepared to submit myself to God’s Word—even to that which stands written therein concerning the woman. The suffering, however, was not yet ended thereby. It hurt just as badly when a ministering brother made it clear to the sisters, with arrogance and a pasha’s behavior, that the assignment of all women was to work with their hands and to serve the brothers with their time and resources. Perhaps later the Lord would give women a prophetic office. That the ministering brother had made it up to cook in his former life, whereas the sister had made it to a double doctorate in theology and a professorship, was only marginally noted.

The reaction I faced was a rebellion, albeit resisted, against this God and a deep depression over my misfortune to have been created a woman. So it would have remained, had not God Himself taken up my case. I had begged Him to allow me to be done with this situation, which I could not resolve because I could find no acquiescence within myself to the role that He as Creator had assigned to me. Years later I grasped that this role was not simply identical with that which this ministering brother had ascribed to me. That God in the meantime had drastically interfered in the life of this brother should only be noted in passing, since it is not the most important thing.

God intervened. He healed me of my bitterness and the rebellion against being a woman. Renewed by His grace, I became a fulfilled woman—happy, contented, and full of thanksgiving. Perhaps this path is not reproducible for everyone. I am not at all saying that God has the same path in mind for others, but I do desire to share my testimony as a witness to His grace in my own life.

In my quiet time, I read Deuteronomy 21:10–14; through this often-overlooked regulation concerning the treatment of women who had become spoils of war, God healed my heart. By means of these unlikely verses, His concern and love toward women became overpoweringly known to me.

Clearly, in my own heart, this regulation had been given in the midst of the raw reality of a fallen creation. The women of the vanquished became spoils to the victors. After a centuries-long Christian experience, indeed now this tragedy is no longer the usual thing, although even in the last century, it became the gruesome experience of countless German women who were delivered up defenseless to an incited, inflamed red beast called an army.

Among all peoples it was self-evident that a woman who had become the spoils of war could come to be used at will as a slave of lust or labor. But God gave to His people totally different regulations, that served to protect the human worth of such captive women.

When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her. (Deuteronomy 21:10–14)

What tenderness and sympathetic understanding call out from this admonition! The victor was not allowed to rush upon booty; he had to approach the prisoner of war with respect. He had to decide whether to retain her as worker or to take her as wife. Everything else was excluded. If he should take her as wife, he was henceforth not allowed to treat her as a prisoner. He must provide her with clothing because she was supposed to lay aside the clothing of her captivity. He was to allow her a full month of mourning, during which she was to be permitted to mourn and weep, according to proper decorum, for all of the relatives she lost in the war.

How God knows our feelings; how He respects them! With what love has He arranged the individual details that led to the restoration of the woman! She should be permitted to become whole again. She should have the opportunity to earn a positive attitude from her proprietor, who would perhaps then want to become her husband. The respect with which he had to treat this woman made marriage possible and even constituted the prerequisite for her success.

With what love and care had God personally taken precaution in the case of the failure of this marriage, which indeed stood beneath particular burdens because it took place across national and cultural lines! How He lovingly took up the woman Himself, guarded against her being reduced from the position of wife to that of bondslave, and also did not permit her to be treated as an object from which money could be earned at will. Her husband was allowed to put her away only by respecting her as a free person having full disposition over herself. Just as he himself was only allowed to approach her as a husband, with full respect for her personhood, so he was only allowed to dismiss her with full respect for her personhood.

How very much does God love women! How He respects us as persons of equal value to the man in that He has expended such care to decree these regulations concerning our protection! I can believe His disposition concerning me is that I should be a woman—together with what all that means according to God’s Word—for my ultimate good. Once I began to accept His decree concerning me—to be a woman, then, little by little, I also have been made conscious of the good that He has thereby intended for me.

The Balanced Life: Reconciling Personal Faith with Practicing Dogma

Hilary McFarlane

Dame Julian of Norwich said, Prayer unites the soul to God. To know God is possible, and such knowledge is found through personal devotional life and spiritual practice. The private and personal dimension of spiritual life is important. It is woven throughout the Bible in the lives of different women of faith. Yet, at the same time, equally viable within Scripture is a very public dimension to the life of the believer and in the history of the church. The life of faith is not a purely subjective one; it is not allowed to follow its own private thoughts and opinions without restriction. Rather the believer is instructed what she is to believe and how she is to live, sometimes very clearly and directly with little room for dissent and at other times more obliquely, with a wider horizon for personal input. The Books of Leviticus or Deuteronomy or Paul’s exhortations to the Christians living in Ephesus or Galatia identify the various rules and regulations given for living as the people of God. The Bible and subsequent Christian witness, then, make a clear distinction between private devotion and public testimony.

What is more problematic, however, is the way the two are combined. One can easily be dismissed in favor of the other, such as to insist that the personal is more important than the public, that private spirituality takes precedence over the teachings of the church, which may be defined as doctrine or dogma. Does God’s revelation come first to the individual, then expand into wider dogma? Do words of doctrine or dogma serve only to express what we mean and make it possible for us to express what we already know and experience? This may well be true, but it is also true that without the boundaries of dogma and doctrine, we are prey to flights of fancy that, historically, have led groups of people into serious error. Without the guidelines of dogma, we are adrift on a sea of relativism and uncertainty. While each believer has a personal and unique testimony, each must be read against the backdrop of a whole history of testimonies that constitute what is believed.

Faith, then, clearly requires guidelines: personal devotion and faith need public doctrine and dogma. If this is true, how do we reconcile dogma and doxology, faith and practice?

Perhaps this is best answered by first identifying what is meant by faith. Faith is identified as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). This is clearly set within the context of relationship, the relationship between God and each individual who has dared to trust God despite what may be touched, seen, heard, or tasted—the criteria of materialism. For each of us, this assurance is based on things about which we have been told, that which has been handed to us (doctrine). This is not blind faith: it is intelligible and based on very specific content that we together can identify as our common belief.

Faith, then, can be identified as the actual relationship that exists between the believer and God and should be distinguished from three very specific issues that will be unpacked through the lives of women in the Bible:

1. Legalism—the relationship between faith and practice that rests on following rules and regulations.

2. Propositionalism—the belief that the content of faith is made up of statements that cannot change.

3. Secularism—what one believes must be correlated with the law of the land.

Legalism

One of the greatest dangers to faith is the temptation to believe that what can be seen is the real and that the unseen is less real. Paul makes the point that for the believer what cannot be seen is the most important, for it is what is real (2 Cor. 4:18). This sounds a bit strange until we realize that Paul is talking about the life of faith: faith is the substance of things unseen. The life of faith is characterized by a constant and firm belief that something will happen. If we let go of this, then we begin to trust what we can see. When this occurs, we have taken a very small step toward legalism because we can see when people are obeying rules and subscribing to regulations. In turn, we can also see when they are not! When this happens, we begin to judge such people by what can be seen. The dogmas of correct behavior cancel out the belief or faith that a person may change or that a person may not be as she appears.

One such example of the triumph of faith over dogma in this context can be seen in the way Jesus related to a Greek woman who had a demon-possessed daughter (Mark 7:24–30). Although according to Jewish laws Jesus did not need to relate to this woman, He chose to do so. He responded to someone who was unclean—a Greek, and a woman at that—but one who had a faithful heart. Here was someone who had faith even though Jewish dogma condemned her. She did not let the rules and regulations of the day stop her from receiving Jesus. She did not allow legalism to rob her of her desire to have her daughter healed.

Propositionalism

Those within religious circles have a tendency to want to control God. Dogmatic statements about the character of God and what He does offer little room for true faith in the unseen or the invisible. Belief in what is commonly held by the majority often is party to the tendency to legalism.

While it is very important to have fundamentals, that is, certain values and beliefs that remain constant, if these beliefs become rigid and fixed, then we often lose any meaningful space for faith. Once this space has disappeared, faith evaporates.

The triumph of faith over propositionalism is no clearer than in the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. In the example of Mary, we see a belief that God is higher than what is accepted as the norm. In Mary’s case, God is higher than science.

A young woman, not yet married and thus with no sexual relationship with a man, is told that she will conceive and bear a son. Mary asks a natural question concerning the means by which this will happen, since she is not married. In addition, as an unwed woman, to become pregnant would have devastating social implications. However, she is told simply that, while humanly impossible, the birth of a child would not be impossible with God. The story of Mary has become so familiar that we can lose sight of the tremendous step of faith she took in saying, Let it be unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38). In these words, we are confronted with the triumph of faith over propositions that would say God can only do one thing and not another. For Mary, faith was very much the substance of things unseen.

Secularism

Communicating the gospel in ways that are intelligible to the people around us is essential. Without such communication we would have nothing to say. What destroys the relationship between faith and dogma is that which radically alters what is believed to make it palatable to the surrounding culture. The gospel of health and wealth is a clear example of this. The Bible challenges this kind of approach again and again.

There is one example that resonates with tension and excitement as the story of faith over secularism unfolds. Rahab the prostitute refused to conform to the standards around her but took charge of her destiny in a remarkable way (Josh. 2:1–21). Perhaps a rather scheming woman and probably opportunistic enough to recognize her moment, Rahab tacitly acknowledged that the God of the Israelites was greater than her gods. She protected the Israelite spies, lying to her own people concerning the whereabouts of the spies in return for protection from the Israelites during their ensuing invasion.

What sets Rahab the prostitute apart is the fact that she too had faith in the unseen and marked her behavior accordingly, so much so that her story is recorded in Scripture, and she is commended for her faith. She did not demonstrate blind allegiance to the standards and norms of her society. Rather she chose to believe what she had heard concerning the God of the Israelites. Turning her back on her own culture, Rahab found the true God. Despite her dubious profession, Rahab is marked as a woman who, in a rather circuitous way, stands as an outstanding example of one who opposed what was familiar and trusted in the unseen.

The intention of Scripture does not appear to reconcile absolutely faith and dogma. Rather the two should be held in tension as the individual believer wrestles with the life of faith and appropriates the Word of God for herself.

See also notes on Access to God (Rom. 10); Priesthood of the Believer (1 Pet. 2).

What They Left Behind: Women, Archaeology, and the Bible

Marsha A. Ellis Smith

Many of the topical notes and annotations in this Bible have information that deals with women’s lives during Bible times. What kind of clothes did women wear? Did they wear makeup? What kind of foods did they cook? Did they have perfume? Many questions such as these have been answered. The purpose of this article is to give some idea of how the answers to these questions about women in Bible times are derived.

At one level, archaeology is a bit like the search for a missing person, which is a very difficult, time-consuming, and painstaking process. The search would begin in the home of the missing person with what the person had left behind. The likes, dislikes, and everyday activities of the person would be important as would each material object and how it was used. However, in archaeology, the difficulty of being removed by thousands of years from the missing person and her belongings is added to that process. You now have an accurate analogy for understanding the enormous task of biblical archaeology.

What is the purpose of biblical archaeology? Its purpose is not to prove the Bible is true. That is unnecessary. Archaeology, however, can provide invaluable information on the customs and background of the biblical time period and therefore can be a tremendous help in understanding and interpreting the biblical material.

Women Archaeologists

Archaeology as a science began in the 1800s. The archaeological expeditions prior to that time were mostly treasure hunts. Although most of the names found among the more famous biblical archaeologists are male, some women have reached a high-ranking status in the world of archaeology.

Possibly the first person to excavate an artifact in the Middle East was Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope, an English noblewoman. In 1815, Lady Stanhope traveled to Ashkelon, a site near the Mediterranean Coast in Palestine, to search for gold. Instead of finding gold, she found a colossal marble statue, which she ordered smashed into pieces before she left Palestine so that the Ottomans would not think she was trying to smuggle it back to England.

Dame Kathleen Kenyon is probably the most familiar name among female biblical archaeologists. She conducted extensive excavations at Jericho from 1952 through 1958 and has made many other contributions to the world of archaeology. Among