Mothers of Promise: Women in the Book of Genesis
Overview
Genesis’ women played a vital part in shaping Israel’s foundation, growth, and development, but most exegetes have not given them adequate attention—until now. Through a fresh close reading, respected Hebrew scholar Tammi Schneider examines the roles and functions of these women who, with the men, form the basis for the future of Israel.
Schneider looks at each woman’s story from various angles and within the context of her relationships Genesis’ message as a whole. Allowing the details of the text to challenge traditional readings, Schneider also includes ancient Near Eastern background material and archaeological insights for a fresh reading of familiar stories. Sections cover the matriarchs (from Sarah to Rachel), mothers of potential heirs (including those who threaten the promise), mothers before the promise, and women who do not bear children but still play a role. Women not often discussed, such as the wives of Lamech and Esau, are included. The result is a creative and reliable discussion to supplement studies of Genesis and of the roles and importance of women in the Bible.
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- Examines the lives of women in the book of Genesis and their role in the narrative
- Discusses the relationship between women in Genesis and the promise to the Israelites
- Approaches each female character from the original Hebrew
- Matriarchs
- Mothers of Potential Heirs (or Slaves, Concubines, Daughters, and Daughters-in-Law)
- Mothers Who Predate the Promise
- Women Who Do Not Bear
Top Highlights
“Nowhere does the text reveal a plan by which Abraham will retrieve Sarah from Pharaoh’s house. Thus far the Israelite Deity has promised the land to Abraham’s descendants, not to him (12:7). One way of understanding Sarah’s beauty is that Abraham uses it to rid himself of her, his barren wife, in Egypt.” (Page 23)
“Sarah knows that her husband considers her a liability. He has given her away once before when he considered her a threat. The reference to Pharaoh treating her as a wife implies that Abraham is not concerned about guarding sexual access to Sarah. Sarah cannot bear children, which is apparently the one thing her husband wants.” (Page 26)
“Based on the few references to weaning, von Rad determines that children were weaned around three to four years of age (citing 1 Sam. 1:23; 2 Macc. 7:27).60 Thus there is some period of time when Isaac is born and Ishmael and Hagar are living with them in some configuration in which there is no turmoil, or at least none that is reported. It is only when Isaac is weaned or only when Sarah sees Ishmael ‘playing’ with Isaac that trouble erupts.” (Pages 39–40)
Schneider’s extensive study of the women in Genesis revitalizes and enhances the current understanding of these women and the book of Genesis as a whole. . . . It has the potential to be used as a textbook for a variety of courses, yet it is thorough, well-documented, and deals with the original language of the text and thus is a good resource for further scholarly research.
—Review of Biblical Literature
With remarkable clarity, precise detail, lucid thought, comprehensive research, and careful attention to text and translation, Tammi Schneider offers scholars and students a marvelous and intriguing volume that brings to life the women of Genesis. This beautifully crafted text raises new questions and presents new insights, especially with regard to the male characters in Genesis. Schneider’s work makes a brilliant contribution to the field of biblical and gender studies.
—Carol J. Dempsey, associate professor of theology, University of Portland
You might be tempted to think that over the past couple of decades everything that could be said about the women in Genesis has been said. Tammi Schneider shows that this is not so, bringing a whole new set of questions and making it possible for us to see some quite new things.
—John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
Tammi Schneider has marshaled impressive amounts of raw data to re-examine two dozen female characters in the book of Genesis. Using an innovative method that focuses primary attention on the precise wording of each woman’s appearance(s) in Genesis, Schneider investigates each character with both passion and rigor. Readers who have grown too complacent in their putative understandings of these literary figures will find fresh breezes rustling every page of this study.
—R. Christopher Heard, associate professor of religion, Pepperdine University
Many interpreters of the book of Genesis, conscious of the male preference obvious within the stories, argue that the women portrayed there serve men’s goals. This position might describe the way many stories seem to unfold but it ignores the fact that Genesis, indeed the entire Bible, really highlights God’s goals. Schneider’s reading of several biblical stories shows how God works through women to accomplish these ends. . . . [Her] approach brings the women alive in new and exciting ways. The book is meant for readers who have some basic knowledge of biblical analysis. It will also make a fine contribution to the area of gender studies.
—Bible Today
Schneider’s extensive study of the women in Genesis revitalizes and enhances the current understanding of these women and the book of Genesis as a whole. This work serves to demonstrate how inadequate the term ‘Patriarchal History’ is to describe these texts and revolutionizes the way this biblical book should be read. . . . [Schneider] has presented a very convincing and complete portrait of the women in Genesis. This book provides several services to the academic community. It has the potential to be used as a textbook for a variety of courses, yet it is thorough, well-documented, and deals with the original language of the text and thus is a good resource for further scholarly research.
—Choice
- Title: Mothers of Promise: Women in the Book of Genesis
- Author: Tammi J. Schneider
- Publisher: Baker Academic
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 240