BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Prophetesses in the Bible

Who are they, and what did they do?

Although often overshadowed by their male counterparts, prophetesses in the Bible play an important role. Yet, their role does not always match our common understandings of biblical prophets. So, who were the prophetesses in the Bible, and what did they do? This is the very question tackled by biblical scholar Susan Ackerman in her article “Women and Prophecy in Biblical Israel,” published in the Summer 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, only five women are explicitly referred to as prophetesses: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, and an unnamed woman in the Book of Isaiah. Like prophets, the Hebrew word for prophetesses in the Bible comes from the root nb’ (“to call”) and refers to one called by God. Yet, throughout the Hebrew Bible, the defining trait of prophets appears to be the delivery of God’s messages. This is undoubtedly the case with some of the biblical prophetesses as well.

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Deborah is one such example, delivering the command of God that the Israelite commander Barak should raise an army and go to war against the Canaanite general Sisera (Judges 4). When Barak is too cowardly to go to the battlefield without Deborah joining him, she gives a second message that God will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman, thus taking the glory from Barak.

Huldah is another example of a prophetess in the Bible delivering a message from God. As recounted in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34, Huldah provides a message to Josiah stating that the “book of the law” he discovered in the Temple reflects the will of God. Furthermore, as the people of Judah have failed to live up to this law, they will be punished for their transgressions. According to rabbinic literature, Huldah was a relative of the prophet Jeremiah and, like him, preached repentance; she also taught the law publicly. One of the most prominent female prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition, Huldah’s name was commemorated in one of the gates to the Second Temple complex, and her tomb is believed to have been located directly in front of the southern gates of the Temple Mount. Even today, two sets of gates at the site of the Temple Mount are still referred to as the Huldah Gates.

However, the three other prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible less easily fit the standard prophetic role of delivering messages from God. The prophetess Noadiah, for instance, is recorded simply as being opposed to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6), and the unnamed prophetess in Isaiah 8 is known only for having borne Isaiah a son. Meanwhile, Miriam, the sister of Moses, is referred to as a prophetess in Exodus 15:20–21, despite never performing an action that appears, at least on the surface, to align with the act of delivering a message from God. Nonetheless, in Numbers 12:2, she does mention that God has spoken to her. Finally, while not dealing with any specific prophetess, Ezekiel 13:17–23 includes Ezekiel’s condemnation of women who prophesy while using arm bands and head coverings, likely in reference to an ancient magical ritual.

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With all this in mind, what was the role of prophetesses in the Bible? Of course, they could function in the same way as their male counterparts, but the biblical account seems not to confine them to this role alone. Could it be that the role of the prophetesses was more varied than that of their male counterparts? Read Susan Ackerman’s article “Women and Prophecy in Biblical Israel,” in the Summer 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, to find out.

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Subscribers: Read the full article, “Women and Prophecy in Biblical Israel,” by Susan Ackerman, published in the Summer 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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