All of the Women of the Bible

by Edith Deen

All the women of the Bible offers a rich biographical perspective on evey female figure in scripture -- including the famous, the little-known, and even the unnamed. In more that 300 engaging and insightful portraits, Edith Deen brings alive the saints and sorceresses, queens and servants, mothers and daughters, wives and widows whose profound influence is felt through-out the Bible. "You can almost trace light and darkness in the Bible by the women themselves,"she writes. "Hannah, praying mother of Samuel, gave birth to a son who became the first great Hebrew prophet. And, of course, there was the mother of Jesus. On the other hand, Jezebel and Herodias were vile influences, the first tearing apart the northern kingdom of Israel, the second causing John the Baptist to be beheaded." Combining thorough detail with a lively and dramatic narrative, All of the Women of the Bible portrays the real women behind the Biblical stories and shows how, in their human struggles and triumphs, they are very much like the women of today. With each major biography identified by Bible chapter and verse and prefaced by a key passage of scripture, this is an ideal resources for teachers, Bible students, preachers, and writers, as well as anyone who wants to learn what it was really like to be a woman in Biblical times.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Reference, Christian, Womens, History, Biography

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Edith Deen (1905--1994) was the bestselling author of All of the Women of the Bible, Great Women of the Christian Faith, Family Living in the Bible, The Bible's Legacy for Womanhood, and All the Bible's Men of Hope. Five of her books were Christian Herald Family Bookshelf selections, and her six books, published in several editions and many languages, have sold over two million copies.

Reviews

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book, though since it was written in 1955 it hasn't the benefit of modern bible scholarship. For a new Christian like myself reading this book peaked my interest in some of the women & encouraged further reading on them.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read. I am sure a current editor would edit out all the dated opinions of the author but if you can look past her 1950's ideals, you will find some wonderful historical nuggets.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. It was about every single woman mentioned in the Bible. The more important women had whole chapters devoted to them, while bit players had just a few paragraphs. And, then there was the list of "daughter", "wife", or "mother." Overall, a very interesting read for someone who wants to learn more about the women of the Bible.

[Megan L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking it would be a great resource on women in the bible. I was disappointed to find that it wasn't. The author makes too many false assumptions on these women and adds unneeded commentary. She also draws physical descriptions that aren't realistic of women from the area or time period. In addition, there wasn't a great deal of sources mentioned which worried me. Left room for error, which was evident. Definitely skip this book.

[Dione Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a dictionary of the women of the bible, not a novel. I have had it for years and read through it every now and again for fun or use it when doing research.

[Graemme Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative!

[Ulana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read the entire Bible in the past. It was interesting to read about each women. I learned more about each of them. So many ladies named Mary in the New Testament.

[Pamela Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I stated earlier when I began reading this book, I read it during my quiet prayer and devotional time. It is a good book for research and to get you thinking about the different woman in the Bible and how they were viewed by God, mentioned by Jesus, and treated in their own communities. What I found was that the author's writing is somewhat colored by her doctrinal leanings, and the times she lived in: copyright 1955. There is one important woman missing that I wouldn't have noticed except my morning reading happened to be on that very woman. Her name was Susana and her story is important to know today. It is found in the Old Testament and it is the story of a beautiful, sweet, well loved, and married woman who went to bathe in her walled garden. There were two elders who lusted after her and hid in her garden. When she refused to have sex with them they wanted to blackmail her and said they would say she had a young lover in the garden. She trusted that God would save her from death, rather than give into their demands. You'll have to find out what happens in the Bible. Anyway the author has another Susanna noted who is in the New Testament but it is missing this woman. I would recommend All the Woman of the Bible for a good reference book and a jumpstarter for Bible Studies.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Of The Women Of The Bible offers a rich biographical perspective on every female figure in scripture -- including the famous, the little-known, and even the unnamed.

I read this book on my Kindle. I enjoyed this book. It was very interesting. I learned a lot. I would recommend this book for a Women’s Bible Study group and I would recommend it if you’re not in a Women’s Bible Study group and just want to read it for fun. I’m not in a Women’s Bible Study group. I just read this book for fun but I still got a lot out of reading it.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cohesive, easy to read, Bible study and commentary on every woman mentioned in the Bible!

I learned interesting things! And thought about others in ways I hadn't considered before.

I don’t agree with everything she concluded, or mentioned, but I'm glad I read it! A useful book.

She clearly did a lot of research, and included all her references at the back of the book. I'm excited to sift through those!

[Sarah Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a 25 year Sunday School teacher, I was really looking forward to a complete, in depth, study on ALL the women of the Bible. My personal hero, Jael (Book of Judges) gets a scant paragraph in the back of the book. There are a lot of pages here, but not much more detail or information than I could have gleaned from the Bible itself. It's a fine reference, but a little disappointing.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting reading about the women of the Bible and their attributes. How, in many cases, they were the faithful and strong leaders - some silent leaders that helped shape our faith and beliefs.

[Bess · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a book to use as as a reference guide when seeking to learn about Women in Scripture. I’m not certain that l would use it exclusively.

[Beautiful Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!

Very informative! If you are doing a study of the women in the bible this should be your "go to" along with your bible. Its well written and easy to understand!

[Ruth Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Delilah typifies the terrible energy of evil in a woman just as Samson typifies the preternatural strength in a man." girl what

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes some pretty impressive leaps, especially in terms of physical descriptions, in some of the "biographical" material, but as a reference book it should prove to be pretty handy.

[Karlie Nyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a listing of the women that are mentioned in the Bible. It isn't a novel, but it is an interesting book. While I cannot agree with everything that the author praises about the "good" women and scorns about the "bad" women, I still found this to be an enjoyable and insightful read. This book shall remain on my bookshelf, for many reasons, but partly for research, partly for enjoyment.

[Rebekah Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource and information for every time a woman is mentioned in Scripture be she nameless or a major character. The only criticism I have is the book insists on the 1950s stereotype that a husband, son and brother end up being good or evil based on the decisions of the wife, mother and sister in their lives. Albeit, this book was published in the 50s.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older edition that I read. I will look for more current work but Deen's work is classic.
Her assessments sometimes sound a bit harsh to the 21st century mind,. She is a product of her times.
Still this is a worthwhile read to include among others if one is doing a study.

[Cws]

220.92

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing research for a class I'm teaching. Very informative.

[Dr. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute crap. False doctrine, illogical conclusions, feminist theory in a patriarchal society.

[Natalya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but the author tried to apply feminism and other modern influences to the Biblical women which was absotively ridiculous.

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 220.9 DEE C.1 and 220.9 DEE C-2

Available.

[Tanya]

Great resource book.

[Melissa Michelle]

It was thought-provoking. Some of the women I did not immediately recognize but I'm glad I gained more in depth information about them.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun read!! Edith just says whatever's on her mind. She's got some pretty horrifying ideas about women past and present but you know, so does the bible. She loves to extrapolate wildly about the outfits these historical figures were wearing which is honestly pretty charming of her