Bible Heroes & Heroines

A beautiful young Jewish orphan who is cared for by cousin Mordecai. Chosen to be a possible wife for the great king Xerxes I. Becomes wife of the Persian emperor, who does not know she is Jewish. Intelligent, discreet - the perfect wife. Saves the Jewish people from the danger of an ancient Holocaust.

This extraordinary woman was a prophetess and a judge in ancient Israel.. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah ('Deborah' means 'bee') between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelite people came up to her for judgment and wise advice.

Who was this legendary figure who came flaunting herself (and her wealth) at King Solomon's court? Nobody really knows. Most probably she was from Ethiopia, a queen in her own right - a royal woman used to getting her own way and confidently sure of her worth.

Ruth is one of the most famous women of the Bible - which is strange when you realize she was not an Israelite at all, but a Moabite woman, a foreigner, an outsider.

Left alone when her husband died, she had one great asset: a shrewd old Jewish mother-in-law who loved her, and whom she loved.

The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus.

Jael was a murderess, but a great heroine of Israel nevertheless. She finished what Deborah had started.

Jael was a small, unarmed woman, but the Song of Deborah records with a certain macabre glee the way Jael murdered the fearsome enemy general Sisera.

Rahab lived in a seedy part of town, up against the outer wall of the city. It was not a desirable location in ancient real estate, but in this case it turned out to be the right address.

Rahab was ideally placed to help Joshua capture the city of Jericho.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for what was to be his last visit, Joanna knew the danger he was in. She knew the Jewish and Roman political world well, and she was terrified.

His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040–970 BC, his reign over Judah c. 1010–1002 BC, and his reign over the United Kingdom of Israel c. 1002–970 BC.

Moses hammered out one of the central ideals of Judaism: concern for social justice. This unique leader freed his people from slavery in Egypt, and led them to freedom, setting an example for later generations of Jews.

Unlike most of us, Noah was able to keep himself clear of the evil around him. He was not naive or stupid - he saw the sins that people did, but he kept himself apart, untainted. He was married, with three sons who were also married, and he and his family lived somewhere in ancient Mesopotamia, the Land of the Two Rivers

Paul's dominant characteristic must have been courage, both intellectual and physical, since he never hesitated to stand up for his beliefs, no matter who or what opposed him. It is because of his dedication that Christianity found a foothold in the ancient world and eventually grow into a religion that changed the world.

Samson was the son of conservative, godly parents, and was consecrated as a Nazirite at his birth - which meant that he was dedicated to God, would never drink alcohol and would always leave his hair uncut, to show his calling. His parents knew he was special, since his birth had been heralded by the appearance of an angel of Jahweh.

Joseph was an ordinary man from an obscure village in rural Galilee. He could never have guessed how many millions of people would know about his life and speak of him with respect and affection.