Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Who were the prophetesses of the Old Testament?

1.) Deborah 2, a "judge" and prophetess, who summoned Barak to undertake the contest with Sisera. She went with the former to the field of battle.
2.) Huldah, a woman in the time of King Josiah, who prophesied.
3.) Isaiah's wife - (Isa. 8:3). In the entire period of political decline which preceded the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. and of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. only two prophetesses appear in the record: Huldah, and Isaiah's wife, whom he speaks of as a prophetess. In the case of Isaiah's wife, she was probably called a prophetess because she was the wife of a prophet, rather than one who prophesied herself.
       Isaiah tells that he went unto her and she conceived. Their son was Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning "Hasten the spoil, rush on the prey." In Isaiah 7:3 another son of Isaiah is mentioned. He is Shearjashub, and his name means "A remnant returns." The names stand for two of Isaiah's prophecies concerning Jerusalem.
4.) Miriam 1, sister of Moses, who led the women of Israel in that  oldest of national anthems, "Sing Unto the Lord."
5.) Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), a false prophetess, who with Sanballat, Samaritan leader, and Tobiah, Ammonite governor, made insidious attempts to prevent Nehemiah, a Jew of the captivity, from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in about 445 B.c.
       She and her allies used various stratagems to intimidate him. For example, they told him that during the night his enemies would kill him. They advised him to shut himself up in the house of God. He declined such advice, exclaiming, "My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in
fear."
       Despite the stratagems of this false prophetess and her friends, the Jerusalem wall was finished, and those who saw it perceived that it was the work of God.
6.) women who sew pillows, The women who sew pillows to armholes (Ezek. 13:18) were the false prophetesses who made cushions to lean on, typifying the perfect tranquillity which they foretold to those consulting them. Their pretended inspiration enhanced their guilt as prophetesses.
       The translation of this phrase in the Revised Standard Version paints a slightly different picture, but the basic idea is the same. Instead of "women that sew pillows to all armholes - they are described as "women who sew magic bands upon all wrists." This refers to the amulets people bought from false prophetesses or sorceresses and wore to give them a sense of security. But the security was false.
       The men who are said to have built a wall (Ezek. 13:10), and the women who sewed pillows or made magic arm bands - both alike promised a false peace and security.

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