A Woman's Place Is in the Story: Seeing Women in the Biblical Narrative

by Sandra L. Glahn

How We Misread the Bible When Women Are Left Out Ignore them, vilify them, or treat them as isolated cameos—these have been common approaches to Christian teaching about the women in the Bible. As a result, we not only miss the significance of women in the biblical narrative but also misunderstand important questions in the text more broadly. Scholar Sandra Glahn argues that we need to rightly recognize the nature of biblical narrative by seeing the women in the stories as essential. In A Woman's Place Is in the Story, Glahn models how we can better read stories in their literary context and understand why the original authors included what they did. She reexamines both well-known and neglected passages, such as Tamar and Judah, the Hebrew midwives, Abigail, and the Samaritan woman at the well. Even when they seem to be minor characters, biblical women are key to moving the plot forward and revealing truths about God. In this book, you'll explore how leaving women out of the biblical story changes the plot and meaning that was intended, how distorting women as they appear in the biblical story affects the way we view women in general, and how misunderstanding how women appear in the story affects the way we view God. Women have always been part of the whole story of God. With A Woman's Place Is in the Story, discover how rightly seeing women in the biblical narrative leads to more faithful interpretation and application for the benefit of all God’s people. It’s time to tell the whole story.

Genres: Womens

240 pages, Paperback

Expected publication August 25, 2026

About the author

Dr. Sandra Glahn is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. She is the author or co-author of more than twenty-five books, including Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament and her forthcoming work (August 2026), A Woman's Place Is in the Story: Seeing Women in the Biblical Narrative.

Reviews

[Carmen Imes]

Preaching often centers the male experience--Bible stories about men, illustrations about men, practical applications for men. As a result, many women wonder whether they have a place in God's story. Dr. Glahn introduces us to many forgotten women who are central to the plot of the Bible and whose stories are essential reading if we want to understand God's purposes. She teaches us to read more carefully, to reconsider negative stereotypes, and to reenter God's story as full-fledged participants. A compelling book with a crucial message!

[Kelley Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a very early reader of this one, so I'll wait to give a full review. But it's an easy 5-star, highly recommended book you'll want to plan your book budget around come next August. Glahn taps her deep understanding of both storytelling and the Bible as she shows how a number of women in the biblical text are essential to the story of the Bible itself. Not cameos, not tokens...essential. Along the way, we are treated—and I do mean it's a treat!—to a mini-lesson on writing, literature, and the elements of excellent storytelling, straight from Glahn's long experience as a writing professor, author, and journalist.