Women
were not “prohibited” from certain activities, it was the circumstances that
prohibited them
There
are many people who believe that in ancient times and above all in the Bible, women were scorned and even spurned. Some have this in their minds because of their misogynistic
atavism, but there are some who
mistakenly believe it. That did not
occur in the Biblical culture, but
that was introduced to that region as of the imposition of the Islamic religion. The false religions are
distinguishable for having two extreme and erroneous positions towards women:
some scorn them and others see them as semi-goddesses.
The
fact that women were not more outstanding in ancient cultures was because in
past times, physical
strength was indispensable to excel in society.
Up
until the 1800’s what existed was a society which because of the lack of the
technical advances of today,
required brutal strength. Let’s use
the example of war. The ones who
have always exceeded in society have always been war heroes. War was characterized by using heavy mace blows, swords, rocks, running after
the ones who escape running from their captors and persecutors, fighting body to body with the enemy. None of these things could be done by
women with the efficiency of men.
Therefore, they
could not, in general be heroines of
war and consequently they could not be influential characters in society.
On the
contrary, nowadays, they are allowed to enlist in the
Army, the Navy and in Air Force. Any woman can pilot a combat plane, extraordinary physical effort is not
needed for it.
We can
say the same about business. A woman
in ancient times could dedicate herself to certain and determined businesses, but not as much as men.
We have the case of the woman mentioned in Proverbs 31:10-31, and
Nowadays, any woman can safely travel to the
majority of the big cities in the world and conduct extensive business. Even they can conduct many of these businesses
without leaving their offices, via
telephone, fax, computer and the banking services in diverse countries.
If we talk about work on a farm,
the same thing happens. A woman can plow a field on a
tractor or strip down a field full of weeds or undergrowth, sitting on a bulldozer.
It was not the same in the 1800’s when the only thing that could be utilized
was the strong arm of a man and the strength of oxen and horses. It wasn’t easy therefore accumulate
riches in agriculture and livestock.
The issue was not that “before” a woman was scorned;
the issue was that
before, in Biblical times, women could not compete in the brutal
world in which she lived in. No one
was going to give an opportunity to a competitor woman, because they didn’t give it to a competitor man either. That is why women were reserved for a
certain type of work or activity, to which they themselves were restricted by
nature. That does not mean that
there weren’t any exceptions, but it
was just that, exceptions in which, for some reason or circumstance not
frequently, a woman stood out.
As we see,
it was not an issue that it was prohibited for a woman
to be outstanding; it was that
circumstances did not allow it.
Among the jobs that women did were the
domestic ones, because in the city and in their homes they were safer
than walking alone in the countryside. However, they worked in
the farms in the company of their relatives or neighbors, or in places
close to the city where they lived, which were frequented by the
neighbors and people they knew. It is such a case in which women
shepherded the family sheep.
In
Exodus 2:16 we also see that the
daughters of Jethro, Moses’
father-in-law, grazed his father’s
sheep. In this special case, these women, even though they did not receive serious attacks, they were displaced by other
shepherds. Motivated by this abuse
it was that Moses defended them and got involved in Jethro’s family. Rachel was also a shepherd to the sheep of Laban, her father.
“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came
and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.”
(Exodus
2:16)
“And while he yet spake with them, Rachel
came with her father's sheep, for
she kept them.” (Genesis 29:9)
Another
task that at times was given to women was to keep
the vineyards, as is seen in Song of Solomon 1:6.
“Look not upon me, because
I am black, because
the sun hath looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.”
(Song of Solomon
1:6)
Carrying
the water for the household use was another task of women, especially the single ones.
Whoever has watch a horse drink water can comprehend the task that Rebecca had
to undertake in order to provide a drink for ten camels. The pitcher that she
carried upon her shoulders could not have been small, because the stone troughs that are near wells used by animals to
drink was not small, because you
don’t fill a trough for ten camels to drink with small sips of water.
“And she hasted, and
emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.”
(Genesis
24:20)
It
appears that those women, within
certain limits, had rough work. In order to carry the water that is
needed in a house, pitcher by
pitcher is no light feat. Of course, there were probably other young women in the household who shared
the task. In reviewing verse 43, it gives the feeling that the job of going to the well for water was reserved to single women; at least during that time or in that region. In the time of Christ, we see that the Samaritan woman went
to get water.
“Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it
shall come to pass, that
when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray
thee, a little
water of thy pitcher to drink.” (Genesis 24:43)
There were also other activities that were
particular to men, that women did as
is seen in the case of the construction of the walls of
“And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the
ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and
his daughters.”
(Nehemiah
3:12)
In this case, not just a woman but a
whole family of them were working in the restoration of the walls of the city
of
In general, when it came to the activities
of women, there were no prohibitive rules, it was they themselves,
who knew that physically they could not compete, and moved away.
However, those women who considered themselves capable of doing
something, did so without anyone bothering them.
As
for social activities, it is perceived that they participated as much as the
men as we see in the following passage from Job.
“And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every
one his day; and
sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.” (Job
1:4)
In general, it could be said that
women had liberty, but circumstances, competition and the nature
of their sex limited them greatly. Because of the fact of being women and become
pregnant and have to care for newborns, limited them in the use of their
time and in the amount of strength they could dedicate to excel in politically,
socially and economically. This does not mean that none of them did,
what it means is that there were always more impediments for women than for men.
It is good to analyze these things because this allows us to understand the
customs and upon doing so, it helps us to interpret Scripture correctly.