Biblical Interpretation

Biblical Interpretations Historically, women have been subjected to a wide range of oppression by the patriarchal male societies in which they live. It is almost a universal phenomenon that the female gender is suppressed by the more powerful male gender. This historical precedent is cemented by the negative depiction of women in the Bible. Throughout this text, women are directly or indirectly responsible for a great deal of the suffering of mankind, beginning with the eating of the apple from the tree of knowledge by Eve.

For better or for worse, and most often it is for the worse, the women of the Bible heavily influence the events of those around them and indeed influence the course of history as related in this text. The influence of women can be seen in the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy, and the book of Ruth. In Genesis 19: 30-38, the story is told of Lot and his daughters following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

His wife has turned to salt and he and his two daughters live up in a cave where there are no people around. The eldest daughter comes to the conclusion that the only way to continue their family line is to seduce her father and bear his grandchildren; she also convinces her sister to do the same. She says to the younger sister, "Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father" (19:34).

The sisters put the continuation of the family above the taboo of incest. They do not ask the father whether he agrees to their plan, instead getting him drunk and raping him, forcing this man who was already chosen by God to commit a sin himself. The marginalization and minimizing of women is also shown in the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 25:5-12, laws are described regarding the subsequent marriage of a woman after her husband has passed away.

It is stated that once a woman is widowed, she must marry her husband's brother. According to the text, "When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased man shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her" (Deuteronomy 25:5).

The intention of this is that she will get pregnant and produce a son who will be given her first husband's name. If he will not marry her, she is to go to the elders of the community and demand they force him. If the brother will still not marry her, he will face community punishment. There is never a choice in the matter for the young woman regarding her desire or lack thereof to marry her former brother-in-law. Everything is up to the brother-in-law.

Finally, the Book of Ruth shows two contrasting women who show the two different positions that different women were expected to hold in this society. Naomi, the older woman, is overbearing. She demands her daughter-in-law present herself sexually to a relative stranger so that the two of them will be treated better. Then she forces Ruth to marry the man. She represents the demanding, selfish type of.