Week 2: Bible Women Unit Review (Essay)

The reading Unit I chose for week 2 was the unit which focused on Biblical Women.

I enjoyed this unit a lot. Most of the stories I was at least partially familiar with, since I grew up in a Christian household. However, some details of each of the stories surprised me, either because of details that I hadn't heard before or of aspects I had heard but weren't actually in the story.

My favorite of the stories were the story of Esther, Susannah, and Bathsheba. I had heard Esther's story many times, but it was always my favorite growing up. I had never heard Susannah's story before, but I thought it had a great message and I wish it was taught more. Bathsheba was another story I liked. I hadn't ever realized that the King George and the Ducky was based off this. That was my brother's favorite VeggieTale when he was little (mine was the Esther one). That may have been a big reason why the story of Bathsheba stood out.

I didn't like the Witch of Endor as much. I thought that the story didn't focus enough on her. The story just didn't seem to fit into the unit as well as all of the other stories. Besides that, I thought they were all great and fit well together.

I don't have any regrets about the unit I chose. The only thing that some people may want to know is that the stories are in the original King James Bible, and not one of the more modern translations. I didn't mind the old version at all but some people may not want to read the old English.

In this unit, I learned about two new stories, but I also learned a lot about how the women and stories I had learned about as a kid fit together into a timeline. The stories went in such an order where I could see more of a family history and timeline than I ever had with these stories before. That was really interesting to me. This was especially applicable in the first half's old testament stories where they went in order through a families generations, like Sarah to Rebekah, to Leah and Rachel.

By Dante Rossetti, "Dante's Vision of Rachel and Leah"

Overall I thought this was a very good unit. I enjoyed the stories and think they will work well with the mythologies and ancient stories that we will be studying in this class. I would recommend this unit to anyone who is interested in women's stories from folklore.

Week 2: Nice for a Wife (Storytelling)

I was raised to be nice and hospitable to strangers. When I helped someone, I would feel like I had a good purpose.

I was sitting in the corner of the family room weaving when my mom shouted. “Rebekah! We need water. Can you go fetch some?”

“Okay, but if I do, I’m going to finish this pattern when I get back.” I motioned to the weaving I had been working on. It was just over half done. “I think it’s my best one yet.”

Mom rolled her eyes dramatically, “You say that about all of them.”

I grabbed the empty pitcher skipped towards the door. “Well they just keep getting better.” I glimpsed my mom’s smile as I shut the door behind me.  

The well was only a ten minute walk, but I would get distracted along the way. I stopped and talked with a friend of mine and then one of my mothers. I helped David, the old man who lived down the street, find his grandson who had wandered away during his afternoon nap.

Finally I made it to the well. 

I lifted up mom’s filled pitcher and balanced it on my shoulder, before turning to go back home. A man I’d never seen before stood nearby the well. He held ropes that circled many camels. He must me a traveler. The man walked towards me. He stared intently and looked a bit anxious.

“Excuse me, miss… May I have a drink from your pitcher?” He was still staring, studying me.  

I was a little nervous but I nodded to the man. “Of course.” I handed him the pitcher and he drank deeply from it. His camels were staring at me too, but not as intently as the man. The man handed the pitcher back to me. “I’ll go get more,” I said, “For your camels. If you were so thirsty, I’m sure they are as well.”

He smiled widely but continued staring. “Thank you, miss.”

After the camels had drunk what they wanted, I filled one more pitcher for my mom. The man never stopped studying me. I fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze.  We made some small talk but soon he asked, “Who is your father? Do you live close by?” he asked. “Would your father have room for me and my camels for the night?”

“Umm… Yes, I do. And I think so. My father is Bethuel…” He didn't say anything else, just stood staring and smiling. “I’ll run home quickly and get everything arranged with my parents and brother.”

“Alright,” he said. “But before you go, I want you to have these… for your trouble.” He handed me an earring and bracelets he had been wearing, along with some money and gold.” I held the pieces in my hand, not quite knowing whether to accept. Eventually I thanked him and took off for home, spilling some water along the way. By the time I got home the pitcher was only half full.

“Mom!” I yelled as I haphazardly took the pitcher off my shoulder and put it on the table, more water sloshing out. “There’s a guy by the well with a ton of camels and I gave him water and now he wants to stay here. And he gave me these.” I showed her the jewelry and money as I breathed hard. I was out of breath, both from the running home and the quick relaying of information.

“Who is he?” she asked, my brother came into the kitchen from the family room to listen.

“I don’t know but he’s waiting by the well. He kept looking at me weird, like he was studying me or something.”

My brother, Laban, laughed. “You’re too boring to study… or to give fancy presents to.”

I shot him a glare and turned back to mom, she was looking around the room. “Okay, Rebekah,” she said, “I’ll start getting things around here, why don’t you go get him. But on your way back walk slowly. The house isn't presentable yet.”

“Mom, please no! I don’t want to go get him and get stared at for another twenty minutes of slow walking. Let Laban go get him!”

My mother sighed but agreed despite Laban’s complaints. “How am I even supposed to know who he is, Rebekah?”

“It’s like I said, Laban, he’s the only one with a dozen camels.” Laban huffed out the door and mom started rushing around straightening everything. She sent me out to find dad. I told him what happened and the two of us went to the stables and moved around some things to make room for the camels. When we were done we went back inside where my mom was finishing up.

A couple minutes later Laban came in with the man. He greeted my family and quickly pulled my parents aside. Soon after my father called my mother and me outside, leaving Laban to entertain our guest.

My father looked seriously at me, “He’s a servant, sent to find a kind woman for his master’s son.” I stared blankly at my father trying to process what he said. “He thinks you’re the one.”

“What?” I asked dumbly. “Who does that? Send a servant to find a random wife?  What should I say?”

Mom and Dad both exchanged looks, “He is well off. You would have a good life. We think you should.”

I thought for a while, they both stared, similarly to the way the man had earlier. “If you want me to I will.”

A couple days later I was on the road, with the man and my nurse, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. We traveled a long time before we finally reached a field. I saw a middle aged man walking towards us. “Is that him?” I asked.

“Yes.” And so began my new life as the wife of... wait... what's his name?

By Gustave Dore "Eliezer and Rebekah"

Author's Note: This is adapted from the story in the Bible about Issac's wife Rebekah. The story is found in Genesis 24 & 25, as well as the online version here. Issac sends a servant to go find him a wife. The servant devises a plan to find a kind woman who will allow him  and his camels to drink. Rebekah is the first to respond in the correct way and the servant asks her family if he can take her to Issac to become his wife. Everyone agrees and they soon leave. 

Work Cited: King James Bible (1611) Gen. 24-5

Week 2: Bible Women Reading Diary

For the Bible Women's reading homepage, click here.

Reading A: For this week, there were twenty different stories in the Bible Women's unit. Of the first ten, two stood out to me the most. Those were the stories of Jephthah's daughter and Hannah. Both of these stories involved loss of only children in one way or another. 

Okay, so first was Jephthah's daughter. Many elements of this story surprised me. One of those elements, in my opinion was the father's stupidity. I understand why he wanted to make a vow or deal with God to win the war. And it's obvious by his reaction when he sees his daughter he is distraught and regretful and expected to sacrifice some animal, but how he worded the vow led to that happening. 

This is a man who has been off to war for a while. So when he words the vow 'whatever greets me first at home'... does he think a sheep will walk up to him before his only child after he has been gone so long? He should have thought through his wording more and just promised God an animal or the 'first of my livestock that I see'. He could have been a tad more specific and everything would have worked out great for him.

Then there is his daughter, who seems scarily okay with her father killing and burning her. She agrees immediately and asks for time to more the loss of her virginity and life. I thought she wouldn't return after the two months and her dad would die or something. But she willingly returns and lets her father sacrifice her. I know this was a different time and I am not religious like these characters, but I feel like most children would not be okay with being killed for God. 

(By Debat-Ponsan, The Daughter of Jephthah )

 Now on to Hannah's story. This story I had more prior knowledge of but it brought up some similar questions to Jephthah's story although not nearly as extreme. Once again I understand where the vow came from. Hannah has been craving a child, and wanting to be a mother for years. But what I don’t understand is making a vow with God for a child, which will cause you to permanently lose that child from a young age.

Especially in the biblical time period, while children were loved, they were also needed to work, to carry on the family line, and to care for the parents in their old age. Promising to give a child up if you are given one seems counter intuitive for many of the desires for a child. To me it goes to a debate that have heard, is it better to have and to lose or to never have had at all. 

(By Van Den Eeckhout, Hannah Presents Her Son)

For Reading B: The two stories I'm going to discuss from the second half of the readings are of Susannah and Herodias. All of the other stories from this unit I had encountered at least once before, although some only briefly. However, the stories of Susannah and Herodias I had never heard or read before.

I'll talk about Susannah's story first.  I had never even heard of Susannah before this. Her story is one that I wish was still in the modern Bibles. The story was disturbing and thought provoking. The story itself, of attempted rape, is very applicable even today in modern society.

Susannah stood up for her principles even when it would have been easier to give in. And because of her morals, she is sentenced to death for a crime she didn't commit. Susannah is the type of woman that people should admire and look up to.

I also found it interesting that this story had a young Daniel in it. I had grown up hearing about the lion's den and such but I loved that the story included this well known biblical hero standing up for a girl who everyone else condemned.

by de Boulogne, "Daniel and the Elders" 

The story of Herodias just generally disturbed me. This woman was obsessed with having John the Baptist executed because he called her and her husband out about marrying when her previous husband had been brothers with her current husband.

But I think the most disturbing thing about her is that she used her daughter, Salome's request to have John executed. When her daughter came to her for advice on what to do with the request, she could have helped her make a wise decision that would have bettered her daughter's future. Or if she was intent on John dying, she could have just asked to have him killed. But instead she tells her daughter to ask for John's head at the feast they are attending.  This is just overall disturbing in so many ways.

(by Ansaldo,"Herodias and Salome". )