By Clement Harrold
April 3, 2025
In a previous post we highlighted seven examples of amazing New Testament women. Now we turn our attention to some of the many exceptional women who appear in the pages of the Old Testament. Like the woman of Proverbs 31, these biblical heroines were “clothed with dignity and strength” (Prov 31:25), and they still have much to teach us today.
1. Rebecca
First on our list is Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, whom she first encountered when he was praying in a field in the evening (Gen 24:63). In a striking departure from the conventions of the time, Rebecca was Isaac’s only wife. While taking concubines was commonplace among the patriarchs—a practice which inevitably led to familial strife—Isaac cherished Rebecca and trusted that she would in time become “the mother of thousands of ten thousands” (Gen 24:60). When Rebecca suffered from infertility, Isaac prayed to God for his wife’s healing (see Gen 25:21). Following the patriarch’s intercession, Rebecca conceived twins: the boys Esau and Jacob who “struggled together within her” (Gen 25:22). Of these, we are told that Rebecca had a soft spot for Jacob, the younger son who “was a quiet man, dwelling in tents” (Gen 25:27), and who would later be renamed Israel.
2. Miriam
Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She is traditionally identified as the sister who watched on when the baby Moses was placed in a basket on the Nile and picked up by Pharaoh’s daughter (Ex 2:1-10). Miriam is the first woman in Scripture to be described as a “prophetess”—a title associated with her after she leads the Israelite women in song following their Exodus from Egypt (Ex 15:20-21). At one point, Miriam received a rebuke from God in the form of a skin disease when she challenged Moses’s authority, but she was later healed when Moses interceded on her behalf (Num 12:9-15). Despite this setback, Miriam continued to be recognized as a leading figure among the Israelites (Mic 6:4). Upon her death, the water supplies of the Israelites suddenly dried up (Num 20:1-2), leading later Jewish commentators to emphasize the life-giving role she played in the hearts of God’s people.
3. Rahab
The book of Joshua recalls how the Israelite commander sent two spies to scout out the city of Jericho and the surrounding area (Jos 2:1). Upon their arrival, the spies took refuge in the house of Rahab, a prostitute who agreed to conceal them from the authorities. Rahab’s decision to help the Israelites was motivated by her newfound faith in the God of Israel (Jos 2:8-14)—a faith she is praised for in the New Testament (Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25). When the Israelites eventually began their assault on Jericho, Rahab saved herself and her family by hanging a scarlet cord outside her window, indicating that her household was not to be touched. The strategy proved effective (Jos 6:17 and 22-25), and the Church Fathers often interpreted Rahab’s scarlet cord as a type, or symbol, of the saving Blood of Christ. Rahab also has the honor of appearing in St. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:5).
4. Deborah
Although the era of Old Testament judges was notorious for its wickedness (Judg 4:1, 17:6, 21:25), there were a handful of figures who stood out because of their virtue. Among these figures is the prophetess Deborah, who is famously the only female judge in the Bible. During her tenureship, she is forced to call on her military commander, Barak, to launch an attack against one of Israel’s northern enemies (Judg 4:6-7). When Barak proves too timid for the task, Deborah agrees to accompany him and prophesies that the Lord will grant victory at the hands of a woman (Judg 4:9). This prophecy is realized not only in Deborah’s successful campaign, but also in the involvement of Jael, a woman from a neighbouring tribe who slays the enemy general by driving a tent peg through his skull when he is sleeping in her camp (Judg 4:17-22). These events are recounted in an epic poem found in Judges 5. Both Deborah and Jael have traditionally been identified as types of Mother Church, who cares for her spiritual children and destroys her spiritual enemies.
5. Ruth
Like Rahab, Ruth enjoys the distinction of being mentioned in the genealogy of Christ (Mt 1:5). Also like Rahab, Ruth was a Gentile. She grew up in the land of Moab but married one of the sons of an Israelite named Naomi. When both Naomi’s and Ruth’s husbands die in short succession, Ruth agrees to accompany Naomi back to Israel. Her words to her mother-in-law on this occasion are some of the most famous in the Old Testament: “for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Thereafter, Naomi and Ruth travel to Bethlehem, where Ruth meets and eventually marries Boaz, a relative of the family. Through its various twists and turns, Ruth’s story offers a beautiful testament to God’s providence through times of crisis. This providence has a ripple effect down the centuries, since the son of Ruth and Boaz’s union, Obed, later becomes the grandfather of David, the greatest king in Israel’s history (Ruth 4:13-17).
6. Judith
Judith is one of those books of the Bible not recognized as canonical by our Protestant brethren—which is sad, because it is awesome! When the Assyrian general, Holofernes, threatens nearby Jerusalem, the wealthy widow Judith uses her beauty and charm to win his favor (Jdth 11). When Holofernes starts lusting after her, he invites her to his tent one night, but he quickly becomes drunk and goes into a stupor (Jdth 12:20). It’s at this point that Judith says a prayer and decapitates the general with his own sword (Jdth 13:4-8). All told, Judith’s life offers a remarkable witness of chastity, fortitude, and faith. With good reason she was hailed as “the great glory of Israel” (Jdth 15:9), since it was her courageous yes to God which helped save His people from destruction. St. Jerome rightly compared her to the Church, whose mission it is to cut off the head of the devil.
7. Esther
When King Ahasuerus of Persia seeks a new queen, he quickly falls for the lovely Esther. Together with her cousin, Mordecai, Esther is a member of the Jewish community living in exile. Mordecai instructs Esther to keep her Jewish identity secret (Esth 2:10), and the strategy proves effective when she is crowned queen (Esth 2:17). Things take a turn for the worse, however, when Mordecai refuses to pay homage to the king’s top advisor, a man named Haman (Esth 3:1-2). In a rage, Haman devises a scheme to exterminate all the Jews in the kingdom (Esth 3:6). Realizing their dire circumstances, Mordecai sends word to Esther exhorting her to disclose her Jewish faith to the king, and to intercede for her people (Esth 4). Esther consents to this request; and when she makes the king aware of Haman’s wicked designs, the king sends his advisor to the gallows and installs Mordecai in his place.
The Catechism sees Esther, together with several of the other women we’ve discussed here, as prefiguring the role that Our Lady plays both as Queen Mother and as mediatrix on behalf of God’s people:
Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one, as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living. By virtue of this promise, Sarah conceives a son in spite of her old age. Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women. Mary “stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of salvation is established” [Lumen Gentium 55]. (CCC 489)
Further Reading
Mike Aquilina, The Witness of Early Christian Women: Mothers of the Church (Our Sunday Visitor, 2014)
Stacy Mitch, Courageous Women: A Study on the Heroines of Biblical History (Emmaus Road Publishing, 2002)
About Clement Harrold
Clement Harrold earned his master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, and his bachelor’s from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2021. His writings have appeared in First Things, Church Life Journal, Crisis Magazine, and the Washington Examiner.
