Tag: Biblical Characters

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Biblical People

Biblical People: The Wife of Noah

The Wife of Noah

What would you do if your best friend or your spouse came to you and said, “God spoke to me. He told me to do something that doesn’t make sense and will take a long time”? Would you stand by that person? Would you support him or her?

This is the position Noah’s wife finds herself in. God tells Noah to build a huge boat, big enough for animals to live on, along with enough food to sustain them. He says there will be a flood, and everyone and everything not on the boat will die. 

However, there’s no water nearby. Everyone laughs. They mock Noah for being foolish. Surely, he’s crazy. From everyone’s perspective, she’s married to a madman, one who claims to hear from God and persists in doing something audacious.

This goes on for years, one hundred years. Surely friends and neighbors ostracize them. Not only must they work hard to build their boat, but I’m sure they do so in isolation.

The Bible doesn’t tell us if Noah’s wife supports him or not, but since she’s allowed to go on the boat and be saved from drowning, it’s likely she stood by her man despite what others thought, said, or did. That’s loyalty. That’s commitment. 

She’s an example for us all to follow.

How loyal are we to our spouse, family, and friends? Do we need to make any changes?

[Discover more about Noah’s wife in Genesis 5–9, specifically Genesis 5:32, Genesis 6:10, 18, Genesis 7:7, 13, and Genesis 8:16.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Adah (1) and Zillah

Adah and Zillah.

Lemech is the first polygamist in the Bible. His two wives are Adah and Zillah. Adah has two sons: Jabal and Jubal. Zillah also has a son, Tubal-Cain, as well as a daughter, Naamah (1). 

Though Adah and Zillah must share their husband’s affections, there’s no mention of strife between them. This is not the case for most of the other polygamist marriages that follow it in Scripture. Having multiple wives is certainly different than God’s idea of two people joining to become one. 

From what we know, however, Adah and Zillah get along. This is a tribute to them and their character. They must make an intentional effort to live together in harmony. For them, having the same husband is the highest level of sharing.

It’s not fair that they need to divvy up the attention of one man, and doing so is not God’s intent. However, they do what they need to do to make their situation work and avoid contention. 

When we find ourselves in an unfair circumstance outside of our control, do we work to make the best of it or show our displeasure by causing problems for everyone around us?

[Discover more about Adah and Zillah in Genesis 4:19–23, along with Genesis 2:24.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Eve

eve.

Eve is a well-known biblical figure. Surprisingly, she’s only mentioned by name four times in the Bible, twice in Genesis and twice in the New Testament.

Sometimes called the mother of humanity, she is best known for picking the fruit God specifically prohibited—and giving some to her husband.

Eve often receives the heaviest criticism for disobeying God. Adam, however, is likewise culpable. He could have—and should have—put a stop to eating the forbidden fruit. More contemptible is the serpent, who lies to seduce her into disobeying God.

Because of their actions, all three—Adam, Eve, and the serpent—suffer consequences, which they pass on to future generations, including ours.

Looking specifically at Eve, she receives three punishments for her disobedience: pain in childbirth, a desire to control her husband, and him ruling over her.

So before Adam and Eve messed up, we can assume things must have been the opposite for women: childbirth would have been easy, women did not seek to control their husbands, and men did not rule over their wives.

The judgment Eve receives transfers forward to future generations, with women trying to control men and men wanting to rule women. However, in the beginning, there is neither controlling nor ruling. There is equality, with God intending men and women to live as equals.

Do we try to control those around us? Do we let others rule over us? How might God want us to change?

[Discover more about Eve in Genesis 2–4, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and 1 Timothy 2:13.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.