“ I’m just thrilled to see that there is such a strong, reliable, smart, insightful source that is freely available on women in the Bible. Because there is so much out there that is just junk—especially when it comes to the Bible…”

— Dr. Julie Faith Parker

WOMEN IN THE BIBLE:

the ultimate directory of scriptural women

WE CAN NAME 800+ WOMEN MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE—CAN YOU?

OUR ESTIMATIONS:

  • + 530 women listed in the Old Testament

  • + 160 women listed in the New Testament

  • + 125 women listed in the Apocrypha

  • + 815 women listed across the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Apocrypha

While most Sunday School lessons focus on only a handful of significant biblical women, The Women in the Bible project has documented over 815 distinct female figures across the biblical texts, and even more if including the Apocrypha. Curated by women and led by Yale Divinity School graduates, our project bridges the gap between academic biblical scholarship and accessible feminist education. 

The Women in the Bible project aims to list every single woman mentioned in the Bible at no cost for users, the first project of its kind that is open to the public on a free online platform. We are a women-run, women-led project with Yale Divinity School graduates curating the resources and scholarship for each listed woman. The project lists all women in the Hebrew Bible, in the Christian New Testament, and also includes women listed in the Apocrypha. This mission includes comprehensive, cross-referenced directories across multiple canons, available for free on our website in both English and Spanish.

Every profile in our database links directly to the specific scriptural verses where the woman appears, alongside curated academic articles, historical books, and theological commentary analyzing her character and legacy. Linked to each woman’s name is a page that features the scriptures in which she is mentioned, alongside a host of academic articles and books that feature her character. 

BIBLICAL WOMEN FAST FACTS

  • There are at least 5 women prophets in the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament: Miriam, Deborah, Hulda, Noadiah, and the unnamed prophetess in Isaiah. The Talmud also counts Sarah, Hannah, Abigail, and Esther.

  • Of the 1,426 names mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, 111 are women.

  • 1 = The number of people in the Bible to name God. The slave woman Hagar names God “El Roi” in Gen 16:13.

  • Two “wise women” appear in 2 Samuel: the Wise Woman of Tekoa and the Wise Woman of Abel Beth-Maacah. That both women are designated as “wise” has led to speculation that the role of “wise woman” was a recognized leadership position.

  • Two books in the Protestant Bible are named after women—Ruth and Esther. The Catholic Bible has 3 books because it includes Judith.

  • The two oldest passages in the Bible are both victory songs attributed to women: Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21) and Deborah (Judges 5).

  • In the New Testament, women are called deacons, missionaries, leaders of house churches, and even apostles.

  • Three women are depicted as accompanying Jesus and funding his ministry in Luke 8, along with “many others” (Luke 8:3). 

  • The name Mary appears 54 times in the New Testament. The number of Marys is disputed, with 6 or 7 being the most common count. There are so many Marys that it's hard to know which is which!

  • ⅓ of the property in the Roman Empire was owned by women in the 1st and 2nd centuries (the New Testament period).

  • Women’s occupations in the New Testament era included the following: brickmakers, mosaic workers, perfumers, jewelers, gladiators, midwives, actors, musicians, merchants, and teachers. Lydia was a “dealer in purple cloth” (Acts 16:14-15).

FEATURED QUOTE:

“Limiting women’s spiritual authority goes hand in hand with limiting women’s economic power… teachings that subordinate women within the home and inside the walls of the church influence attitudes about women in the workplace.”

~ The Making of Biblical Womanhood, by Beth Allison Barr