Woman (old testament)

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The woman appears only marginally in the Old Testament , which was written in a patriarchal society.

etymology

The Hebrew word "woman" ( אִשָּׁה 'iššāh ) is not the feminine form of the word "man" (אִישׁ 'îš ). A derivation for both terms is uncertain.אִשָּׁה 'iššāh , German ' woman ' can perhaps be derived from the Hebrew verb rootאנש 'nš , German to derive ' to be sick / weak ' . But it is also possible that it is a primary noun, that is, that the noun cannot be derived from a verb. Forאִישׁ 'îš , German ' man ' is derived from the rootאישׁ \ אושׁ 'îš /' ûš , German ' to be strong' discussed. However, such a root has not been proven. This is probably also a primary noun.

The word אִשָּׁה 'iššāh has the two main meanings "woman" and "wife". It initially describes the woman as opposed to the man, so it is used to indicate the female gender (e.g. Koh 7.26  EU ). As “wife” it describes the relationship between the woman and her husband, the designation could also be used as “betrothed” (e.g. Dtn 22.24  EU ) or “bride” (e.g. Gen 29.1  ) before the wedding EU ) can be used. In addition, the word "woman" serves as a swear word for cowardly men (e.g. Jer 51,30  EU ).

The woman in the Tanach or Old Testament

The family structure in the Jewish Tanach or in the Christian Old Testament was ordered patriarchally . With the marriage, the man received legal authority over his wife. If the rule of virginity was violated before marriage, it could also lead to stoning ( 5 Mos 22.20  ELB ). A woman was married to a single man, while a man could marry several women (polygamy).

When a man was intimate with a girl, he had to pay the bride price and marry her.

An engagement preceded the marriage. The bride lived in her father's house until the wedding celebration. Fertility and legitimate children strengthened family cohesion, while childlessness was perceived as a tragedy. Adultery was punishable by death in the Tanakh . The good qualities of a woman are highlighted in the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs ( Prov 31: 10-31  ESV ).

The Tanakh tells of some women who have been called prophets. Women did not have unlimited access to the temple. The Jewish women had their own prayer room in it, which was entered through the women's forecourt.

The women could get an inheritance . Job's daughters received an inheritance among their brethren ( Hi 42,15  NIV ). Moses gave an inheritance to women when there were no male siblings to receive the inheritance ( 4 Mos 27 : 1  ELB ). The acquisition was also possible for the woman ( Prov. 31:16  ELB ). In the Old Testament family tree, women are rarely listed by name.

See also

literature

  • Ulrike Sals:  Woman (AT). In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.
  • NP Bratsiotis: Art. אִישׁ, THWAT I, pp. 238-252.
  • §3 Gender and Generational Aspects , in: Bernd Janowski : Anthropology of the Old Testament: Basic Questions - Contexts - Topic Areas, Tübingen 2019, pp. 93-134.
  • Karen Engelken: Women in Ancient Israel. A conceptual historical and social law study on the position of women in the Old Testament (= contributions to the science of the Old and New Testament. 130 = volume 7, no.10). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart et al. 1990, ISBN 3-17-011034-9 (At the same time: Mainz, Univ., Diss., 1987/88: The woman - the women. ).
  • G. Karssen: Woman, Man and Mother in the Bible. (Genesis 2, 23) (= Telos books 1088, ZDB -ID 1163108-9 ). Hänssler, Neuhausen-Stuttgart 1976.
  • Clemens Locher: The honor of women in Israel. Exegetical and comparative law studies on Deuteronomy 22: 13-21 (= Orbis biblicus et orientalis 70). Universitäts-Verlag et al., Freiburg (Switzerland) 1986, ISBN 3-525-53697-6 (also: Frankfurt (Main), Phil.-Theol. Hochsch. St. Georgen, Diss., 1984).
  • Erhard S. Gerstenberger , Wolfgang Schrage : woman and man (= Kohlhammer paperbacks 1013 = biblical confrontations ). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-17-005067-2 .
  • Christl Maier: The "Strange Woman" in Proverbs 1-9. An exegetical and socio-historical study (= Orbis biblicus et orientalis 144). Universitäts-Verlag et al., Freiburg (Switzerland) et al. 1995, ISBN 3-7278-1017-3 (also: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diss., 1994).
  • Ernst Modersohn : The women of the Old Testament. Hänssler, Neuhausen-Stuttgart 1972, ISBN 3-7751-0056-3 .
  • Eckart Otto : On the position of women in the oldest legal texts of the Old Testament (Exodus 20:14; 22, 15f.). In: Eckart Otto: Continuum and Proprium. Studies on the social and legal history of the Old Orient and the Old Testament (= Orientalia Biblica et Christiana 8). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1996, ISBN 3-447-03835-7 , pp. 30-48.
  • Gerda Weiler : The matriarchy in ancient Israel. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart et al. 1989, ISBN 3-17-010773-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bratsiotis, NP: Art. אִישׁ, THWAT I, pp. 238-252, 239.
  2. ↑ Bratsiotis, NP: Art. אִישׁ, THWAT I, pp. 238-252, 240.
  3. ↑ Flavius ​​Josephus, Section 199 Jewish Historians 1st Century.