20 Powerful Lessons from 20 Powerful Women in the Bible

Mary was a young woman chosen by God for an amazing purpose. Her story is predicted in the Book of Isaiah, and is fully told in the Gospels.

“’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her” (Luke 1:38).

Mary shows us that we can completely trust in God.

2. Deborah

Appointed to be a judge over Israel, Deborah instructed a warrior named Barak to go into battle. When Barak refused to go without her, the book of Judges quotes Deborah’s reprimand.

“‘Certainly I will go with you,’ said Deborah. ‘But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.’ So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh” (Judges 4:9).

Deborah shows us that God demands obedience.

3. Miriam

The cousin of Moses, she led worship for the people of Israel. Because she spoke against the wife of Moses, however, she was struck with leprosy but was later healed. Her story is told in the books of Exodus and Numbers.

“Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing” (Exodus 15:20).

Miriam shows us that all our words matter to God.

4. Rahab

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. When Joshua sent two spies into the city, she took them in and protected them from the king. The book of Joshua tells the request she makes of them.

“‘Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them — and that you will save us from death’” (Joshua 2:12-13).

Rahab shows us that God will protect us when we stand for Him.

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She married a son of Naomi. When they both became widows, Ruth followed Naomi to her homeland. Marrying a man named Boaz, she became part of Jesus’ family line. The book of Ruth tells this wonderful story.

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God’” (Ruth 1:16).

Ruth shows us that seeking God results in a better life.

6. Pricilla

She and her husband Aquilas met the Apostle Paul, working alongside him. She taught and traveled as part of her ministry. Introduced in the book of Acts, she’s mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Romans.

“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scripture…When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:24, 26).

Pricilla shows us that we are to help each other mature in our faith.

7. Mary Magdalene

This Mary, after being healed of demons by Jesus, became an integral part of His group of disciples. She appears in many Gospel accounts.

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance” (John 20:1).

Mary Magdalene shows us what God can do with a heart submitted to Him.

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A shepherdess, Rachel met Jacob when he arrived at her father’s house. She later became his wife and bore him Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis shares the many twists and turns of her life.

“Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel’” (Genesis 29:18).

Rachel shows us that God will give us the patience we need to wait on Him.

9. Hannah

One of two wives of Elkanah, Hannah was in despair because she was barren. 1 Samuel tells the account of her tearful vow to God in the temple, and the result.

“...they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, ‘Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord’” (1 Samuel 1:25-28).

Hannah shows us the need to be faithful to God.

10. Esther

Esther became queen and learned of a plan to destroy the Jews by one of the King Xerxes’ nobles. Despite great danger to herself, Esther went before the king. The book of Esther explains how she helped save God’s people.

“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish’” (Esther 4:15-16).

Esther shows us that God will grant us courage to be bold for Him.

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Sarah was the wife of Abraham, a wealthy man of Ur. Told by God to leave their home, they went to Canaan. And at 90 years old, she was blessed by God’s gift of a son. Their account is found in Genesis.

“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her’” (Genesis 17:15-16).

Sarah shows us that it’s never too late to receive God’s miracles.

12. Abigail

When her husband’s bad behavior caused King David to threaten her home, Abigail’s wisdom in bringing a peace offering to David prevented destruction. Soon her husband died, and she became one of David’s wives.

“David said to Abigail, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands’” (1 Samuel 25:32-33).

Abigail shows us that God will equip us with wisdom for any situation.

13. Elizabeth

Elizabeth was the cousin of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Elizabeth had been barren, but by God’s blessing became pregnant. Mary soon visited her, and the book of Luke records their great joy at what God had done.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’” (Luke 1:41-43).

Elizabeth shows us how to keep a sense of awe about God.

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Mary was one of two sisters who hosted Jesus when He came to the village. When He taught, Mary placed herself right at His feet. Later, she washed His feet with oil as a display of worship. And as the Gospels tell, she fell at His feet with grief when her brother died.

“’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-42).

Mary shows us what it looks like to give ourselves completely to God.

15. Martha of Bethany

Martha was the other sister from Bethany. She loved Jesus, as did Mary, but displayed it differently, using her gifts to nurture Him. In the Gospel accounts, we also see a woman who held Jesus in great esteem.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him” (Luke 10:38).

“‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’”  (John 11:21-22).

Martha shows us that God gifts us in practical as well as spiritual ways.

16. Jochebed

The birth mother of Moses, Jochebed put her son in a wicker basket and placed him in the river to protect him from the king. Exodus tells how Moses was rescued, and Jochebed became his nurse.

“Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:1-3).

Jochobed shows us that we can rest in God’s care for our loved ones.

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The servant of Sarah, Hagar gave Abraham a son. But after the boy was born, her mistress began to hate her and eventually cast them out. She wandered in the desert, almost dying. But as Genesis recounts, the Lord knew of her distress.

“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation’” (Genesis 21:17-18).

Hagar shows us that God will give us the strength to move forward in life.

18. Anna the Prophetess

An old prophetess, Anna had spent her life at the temple in Jerusalem, devoted to prayer and fasting. The book of Luke describes how the sight of young Jesus led her to evangelize about Him.

“Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

Anna shows us that we must keep watch for and be ready to praise God’s works.

19. Lydia

A cloth dealer in Thyatira, Lydia was a believer when she heard the Apostle Paul speak one Sabbath. But his words brought her to a deeper faith, and her house eventually became a meeting place for other followers.

“When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us” (Acts 16:15).

Lydia shows us that we are to grow in love for God and for others.

20. Rebekah

Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, was childless until God blessed them with twin boys, Esau and Jacob. She asked the Lord why the babies were pushing against each other inside her, and Genesis details the surprising prophecy.

“The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger’” (Genesis 25:23).

Rebekah shows us that though God’s plans are sometimes mysterious, they are always good.

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