100 Fun Facts About Women in the Bible

According to Genesis, from what part of Adam was Eve created?

Her name is usually read as meaning 'living one' or 'source of life'.

Eve's third son, from whom Noah and all humanity are descended, was named what?

Cain and Abel came first; Seth was born after Abel's murder.

What was Sarah called before God gave her a new name?

Her husband was renamed from Abram to Abraham at the same time.

Sarah laughed when told she would have a son in old age; what does her son Isaac's name mean?

Abraham was a hundred years old when he was born.

At what age did Sarah die, according to Genesis?

She was buried in the Cave of Machpelah at Hebron, the first plot of land Abraham owned in Canaan.

Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, was a handmaid from which country?

Islamic tradition has her searching for water between the hills of Safa and Marwah until the Zamzam well appeared.

Rebecca was chosen as Isaac's wife after doing what for Abraham's servant at a well?

She was the daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban, from Paddan Aram.

Which of her twin sons did Rebecca help to obtain Isaac's blessing by deception?

She overheard Isaac's plan and dressed Jacob in goatskins to fool the blind old man.

Which sister did Laban trick Jacob into marrying instead of the one he had worked seven years for?

Jacob had worked seven years for the younger sister and got the elder under the wedding veil.

How many sons did Leah bear to Jacob?

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, plus a daughter, Dinah.

Rachel died giving birth to which son?

Her tomb on the road to Bethlehem is still a pilgrimage site.

What did Rachel steal from her father Laban when Jacob's family fled?

She hid the teraphim in her camel's saddle cushion and sat on them while he searched.

What name do later Jewish and Islamic traditions give Potiphar's wife?

Genesis never names her; Joseph left his garment in her hand and fled.

Lot's wife is unnamed in Genesis but is called what in some Jewish traditions?

She looked back at Sodom and became a pillar of salt; Jesus told his followers to 'remember Lot's wife'.

Zipporah, wife of Moses, was the daughter of which Midianite priest?

She met Moses at a well and later circumcised their son with a flint, calling him a 'husband of blood'.

Miriam, the sister of Moses, is called a prophetess when she leads the women in song after which event?

She was later struck with a skin disease for criticising Moses, and rabbinic legend gives her a travelling well.

Rahab of Jericho hid Joshua's two spies under what on her roof?

She hung a red cord from her window and her family was spared; Matthew lists her among the ancestors of Jesus.

Rahab married Salmon of Judah and became the mother of which man, who later married Ruth?

That makes her a great-great-grandmother of King David.

Deborah, the only female judge of Israel, gave her judgments sitting under what?

She summoned the general Barak to fight Sisera and Jabin of Hazor.

Jael killed the Canaanite commander Sisera with what?

She had first given him milk to drink; the Song of Deborah calls her 'most blessed of women in the tent'.

How many pieces of silver did each Philistine lord offer Delilah for Samson's secret?

She is the only woman in Samson's whole story who is given a name.

Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, came from which people?

Hers is one of only two books of the Bible named after a woman; the other is Esther.

In whose fields did Ruth glean grain after returning to Bethlehem with Naomi?

He was a wealthy relative of her dead husband and later married her.

After losing her husband and sons in Moab, Naomi asked to be called what, meaning 'bitter'?

She returned to Bethlehem with Ruth and ended up nursing Ruth's son Obed.

The priest Eli mistook Hannah's silent prayer at Shiloh for what?

She was praying for a child, and later dedicated her son Samuel to God at the sanctuary.

Hannah's rival, the other wife of Elkanah who had borne him children, was named what?

Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion at the yearly sacrifice 'because he loved her'.

Abigail averted the future king's revenge on her husband Nabal by doing what?

When Nabal heard what she had done he collapsed and died, and Abigail became David's wife.

Bathsheba was the wife of which soldier before David took her?

David had him placed on the front line at Rabbah, and the prophet Nathan condemned the king for it.

Bathsheba's son who succeeded David as king was famous above all for what quality?

Their first child died in infancy after Nathan's rebuke.

Modern historians place the Queen of Sheba's kingdom in which country?

Ethiopian tradition nonetheless names her Makeda and makes her son by Solomon, Menelik I, the founder of its royal line.

In Ethiopian tradition, which dynasty founder was the son of Solomon and Makeda?

In Arabic sources she is Bilqis.

Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, was the daughter of the king of which Phoenician city?

She promoted the worship of Baal and was thrown from a window at Jezreel, where dogs ate her, as Elijah had foretold.

Who ordered Jezebel's servants to throw her from the window to her death?

Her name became a byword for false prophets and scheming women.

Huldah the prophetess was consulted under which king of Judah after the Law was found?

She appears in only nine verses but was trusted over male prophets of the day.

What was Queen Esther's Hebrew birth name?

Her cousin Mordecai raised her, and her courage before King Ahasuerus is celebrated at Purim.

Which queen did Esther replace after she refused to appear at the king's banquet?

Vashti was banished or executed for the refusal, depending on the reading.

Which official's plot to kill the Jews did Esther expose to King Ahasuerus?

The Book of Esther is unusual in that it never once mentions God.

The Book of Esther is unusual among Bible books because it never mentions what?

That is one reason it was the last book admitted to the Hebrew canon.

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was described as being descended from whom?

She was already old when she conceived, and her baby leaped when Mary greeted her.

Mary's hymn of praise, spoken when she visited Elizabeth, is known by what Latin name?

Luke has the angel Gabriel announce the birth in Nazareth in Galilee.

Mary prompted Jesus's first miracle at a wedding in which town?

She is mentioned many times in the Quran, which has a chapter named after her.

Anna the prophetess, who recognised the infant Jesus in the Temple, was a widow of what age?

She was of the tribe of Asher and 'never left the temple'.

The Samaritan woman Jesus met at Jacob's well had had how many husbands?

Eastern Orthodox tradition venerates her as Saint Photini, 'the enlightened one'.

What did Martha of Bethany busy herself with while her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet?

Jesus told her she was 'worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed'.

According to Luke, how many demons had gone out of Mary Magdalene?

Her reputation as a repentant prostitute has no basis in the gospels; it dates from a sermon by Pope Gregory I in 591.

Which pope's 591 sermon merged Mary Magdalene with the unnamed 'sinful woman'?

John's Gospel makes her the first witness of the resurrection, the 'apostle to the apostles'.

Where does the name Salome come from, since the gospels leave Herodias's daughter unnamed?

Wilde's 1891 play and Strauss's 1905 opera gave her the Dance of the Seven Veils.

Dorcas, whom Peter raised from the dead in Joppa, was known for making what for the poor?

Her Aramaic name Tabitha means 'gazelle'.

Lydia, the first documented Christian convert in Europe, traded in what?

Paul met her by a river at Philippi, and her whole household was baptised.

Priscilla and her husband Aquila shared what trade with the apostle Paul?

They had left Rome when Claudius expelled the Jews, and Priscilla's name is usually listed first.

Phoebe, the deacon of Cenchreae whom Paul commends, is thought by some scholars to have done what?

Paul calls her a benefactor 'of many people, including me'.

How many small coins did the poor widow put in the Temple treasury in the story praised by Jesus?

A lepton was the least valuable coin in Judea, worth about six minutes of a day's wage.

In the Book of Judith, which Assyrian general does Judith behead?

The deuterocanonical book tells of a widow who saves her besieged city of Bethulia; most scholars now regard it as a parable or novel.

Which daughter of Ahab and Jezebel seized the throne of Judah and reigned as queen in her own right?

She ruled c. 841-835 BC after killing rival claimants; her grandson Jehoash was hidden and raised by the priest Jehoiada.

What did Saul demand from David as the bride price for his daughter Michal?

David killed 200 Philistines and brought a double bride price; Michal later saved him by lowering him from a window.

In Genesis 38, Tamar secures which items from Judah as a pledge for a promised goat?

When Judah ordered her burned for pregnancy, Tamar produced the pledges to prove he was the father of her twins Perez and Zerah.

How many daughters of Zelophehad petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's land?

Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah raised the case at the Tent of Meeting, and Moses took it to God.

Dinah, Jacob's only named daughter, was born to which of his wives?

Genesis 34 tells of her rape by Shechem and the revenge taken by her brothers Simeon and Levi.

Lois, praised by Paul for her sincere faith, was the grandmother of which of his companions?

Her only biblical mention pairs her with her daughter Eunice as the source of the faith that now dwells in Timothy.

A midrash of Judith feeding her enemy cheese and wine underlies a dairy custom at which festival?

In that tradition the heroine fills the antagonist with cheese and wine before cutting off his head.

Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the destruction of which city?

Sodom was burning under a rain of fire and sulphur when she glanced back. A salt column on Mount Sodom, beside the Dead Sea, is still nicknamed Lot's wife.

Outside the empty tomb, whom did Mary Magdalene at first mistake the risen Jesus for?

The gardener was her first guess, until Jesus spoke her name and she recognised him. She went to tell the disciples, earning the later title 'apostle to the apostles'.

During the trial of Jesus, the wife of which ruler sent him a warning prompted by a troubling dream?

Pontius Pilate received her warning while he sat on the judgment seat. Matthew never names her, but Eastern churches honour her as a saint called Procla.

Which brother of Martha and Mary did Jesus raise from the dead after four days in the tomb?

Lazarus came out still bound hand and foot in his burial wrappings. Martha had objected to opening the tomb, warning that there would be a smell.

Which Jewish festival of costumes and noisemakers celebrates Queen Esther saving her people?

Purim means 'lots', after the lots cast to pick the day of the killing. In synagogue the villain's name is drowned out with noise each time it is read aloud.

Michal, the daughter of King Saul, despised her husband David for doing what before the Ark?

Dancing with all his might in a linen ephod, David led the Ark into Jerusalem. Michal watched from a window and told him it was undignified for a king.

What did Adam and Eve sew together to cover themselves after eating the forbidden fruit?

Fig leaves from this story became art's shorthand for modesty: later, more prudish ages added them to nude statues and paintings.

Which angel was sent to Nazareth to tell Mary that she would give birth to Jesus?

Gabriel's visit is known as the Annunciation, and many churches celebrate it on 25 March, nine months before Christmas.

Shiphrah and Puah defied Pharaoh's order to kill newborn Israelite boys while working in which role?

Midwives Shiphrah and Puah let the boys live, then told Pharaoh that the mothers were so vigorous they gave birth before help could arrive.

Which cousin adopted the orphaned Esther and raised her as his own daughter in Persia?

Mordecai later saved the king's life by exposing a plot by two palace officials to assassinate him, a deed the king got round to rewarding only much later.

The 'woman of valor' poem sung at Jewish Sabbath dinners closes which Old Testament book?

Proverbs ends with this 22-verse acrostic, which works through the Hebrew alphabet line by line in praise of a capable and hard-working wife.

Which priest, the husband of Elizabeth, was struck mute after doubting an angel's promise of a son?

Zechariah got his voice back only when he spelled out the baby's name on a tablet, overruling relatives who wanted the boy named after his father.

When a woman accused of adultery was brought before Jesus in the Temple, he bent down and did what?

He wrote on the ground with his finger, the only scene in the Gospels that shows Jesus writing. What he wrote is never revealed.

A bleeding woman touched Jesus's cloak as he hurried to the dying daughter of which synagogue leader?

Jairus's daughter was twelve, the same number of years the woman had been ill. The delay meant the girl died before Jesus arrived, and he raised her.

Mary Magdalene's name probably refers to Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of what?

The Sea of Galilee town of Magdala was known for its fishing, though some scholars read 'Magdalene' as an honorific nickname meaning 'tower' instead.

Which Israelite commander refused to fight Sisera unless the prophetess Deborah went with him?

Barak got his victory, but Deborah warned him the glory would not be his: the enemy general was destined to fall by a woman's hand.

Which young maid was so overjoyed to hear Peter's voice at the gate that she forgot to let him in?

Rhoda ran to tell the believers praying inside, who said she was out of her mind, while the newly escaped Peter stood in the street and kept knocking.

Which wife of Ananias fell dead at Peter's feet after repeating a lie about the price of their land?

Sapphira arrived about three hours after her husband had died for the same lie. Unaware of his fate, she gave Peter the same false figure.

Dorcas, the disciple Peter raised from the dead, also went by which Aramaic name meaning gazelle?

Tabitha and Dorcas are the same name in Aramaic and Greek. Acts gives both, perhaps because she lived in a port where many people spoke Greek.

Abigail told David that her husband Nabal lived up to his own name, which means what in Hebrew?

Fool is the usual translation of Nabal, and the rich landowner earned it by insulting David's men after they had guarded his flocks. He died about ten days after learning how near he had come to being killed.

Which daughter-in-law of Naomi kissed her goodbye and went home to her own people while Ruth stayed?

Orpah is the name on Oprah Winfrey's birth certificate, chosen after this very figure. People mispronounced it so regularly that the spelling Oprah stuck.

Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem just as the harvest of which grain was beginning?

Barley ripened first, and Ruth went on gathering through the later wheat harvest as well. Jewish communities chant her story each year at the festival of Shavuot.

When the fleeing Sisera asked Jael for a little water, which drink did she give him instead?

Milk from a skin was what she poured him, before covering him up to rest. The victory song in the next chapter adds that she brought him curds in a lordly bowl.

Mary of Bethany poured a pound of which costly perfume over the feet of Jesus?

Nard was so costly that Judas protested: it could have been sold for 300 denarii, roughly a labourer's pay for a year, and the money given to the poor.

A captive Israelite girl told the wife of which Syrian commander that a prophet could cure his leprosy?

Naaman nearly stormed off when told simply to wash in the Jordan, until his own attendants talked him into trying it and he came up healed.

A woman of Shunem built a rooftop guest room for which prophet, who later revived her dead son?

Elisha passed her house so often that she talked her husband into building it, with a bed, table, chair and lamp. In return he promised the childless couple a son.

During a long drought, Elijah was fed by a widow in which town, whose jar of flour never ran out?

Zarephath lay outside Israel, in Sidon's territory, and when Jesus pointed that out in the Nazareth synagogue the angry congregation tried to throw him off a cliff.

Queen Esther risked death by approaching King Ahasuerus uninvited, until he held out what?

His golden sceptre was the only reprieve from a law that put uninvited visitors to death, and Esther had not been summoned for thirty days.

In Revelation, which creature waits to devour the child of a woman crowned with twelve stars?

A dragon, huge and red, waits for the birth, but the child is snatched to safety. One of the designers who proposed Europe's flag suggested its twelve stars came from her crown.

Rachel gave up a night with her husband in exchange for which plants found by young Reuben?

Mandrakes were prized as a fertility aid, and Rachel had no children yet. The bargain backfired: it was her rival who went on to conceive another son.

Which man gave his daughters Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-Happuch an inheritance alongside their brothers?

Job fathered them after his fortunes were restored. The book calls them the most beautiful women in the land, and it gives all three names while never naming their brothers.

Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna travelled with Jesus and the Twelve doing what for them?

Paying their way came out of the women's own means, Luke says. Joanna could afford it: her husband Chuza was steward to the ruler Herod Antipas.

The Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon gold, precious stones and a never-equalled quantity of what?

Spices in such abundance never came to Jerusalem again, the Book of Kings says. She had travelled there to test Solomon with riddles.

Priscilla and Aquila took aside which eloquent Alexandrian preacher to teach him more accurately?

Apollos knew only the baptism of John when the couple heard him in the synagogue at Ephesus. Most modern translations name Priscilla before her husband in four of their six mentions.

The prophet Hosea was told to marry which adulterous woman as a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness?

Gomer bore three children whose names were warnings to the nation: one daughter was called Lo-Ruhamah, a sign of the kingdom's coming ruin.

King Saul disguised himself to visit a medium in which village on the eve of his final battle?

Endor's medium feared a trap, because Saul himself had driven every medium out of the land. He had to swear that she would not be punished.

A woman of Thebez mortally wounded which short-lived king of Shechem by dropping a millstone on his head?

Abimelech, dying, ordered his armour-bearer to run him through so that nobody could say a woman had killed him. The Book of Judges recorded it anyway.

In which small town did Jesus stop a funeral procession and raise a widow's only son to life?

Nain enters the Gospels only for this miracle, which Luke alone records. Jesus told the grieving mother not to weep, touched the bier and told the young man to get up.

Philip the Evangelist, who hosted Paul at Caesarea, had four unmarried daughters known for doing what?

Prophesying made the sisters famous well beyond Caesarea: the early bishop Papias is said to have met them and collected their stories.

After the death of Sarah, Abraham married which woman, who bore him more sons including Midian?

Keturah's sons were given gifts and sent away to the east, while Abraham left everything else he owned to Isaac. Her name may mean 'incense'.