Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

QUEEN

A king’s wife, mother, or a ruler in her own right. Five foreign queens are mentioned in the Bible: the queen of Sheba (1 Kgs. 10), Taphenes of Egypt (11:19-20), Vashti of Persia (Esth. 1), Esther of Persia (Esth. 2–10), and Candace of Ethiopia (Acts 8:27). Of these, only those of Sheba and Ethiopia are presented as sovereign rulers, while those of Persia are dependent on their husband’s status.

Royal marriages helped establish alliances and strengthen treaties. Four (perhaps five) specific instances of intermarriage between Israel and Judah’s royal houses and those of other nations are: David and Maacah of Geshur (2 Sam. 3:3); Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter (1 Kgs. 3:1); Ahab and Jezebel (16:31); Jehoram and Athaliah (2 Kgs. 8:18); and possibly Solomon and Naamah (LXX 1 Kgs. 12:24). Other unions — both royal and common — are implied (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:1-2).

In spite of the warning in Deut. 17:17, some Judean and Israelite kings had numerous wives: Saul (2 Sam. 3:7; 12:8); David (3:2-5; 5:13; 11:27; 15:16; 16:21-22; 20:3); Solomon (700 wives, 300 concubines; 1 Kgs. 11:3); Rehoboam (18 wives, 60 concubines; 2 Chr. 11:21); Abijah (14 wives; 13:21); Ahab (1 Kgs. 20:3-7); Jehoiachin (2 Kgs. 24:15); Jehoram (2 Chr. 21:14, 17); and Zedekiah (Jer. 38:23).

Perhaps the most influential position occupied by a royal wife was that of the king’s mother. These women, often mentioned as part of their son’s introductory regnal formulas, rarely have narratives detailing their activities. Only Bathsheba, Maacah, Hamutal, Jezebel, Athaliah, and Nehushta have more than cursory mention in their son’s accounts. Of these, only Athaliah of Judah (2 Kgs. 11) attained the power base necessary for independent rule.

Scholars debate whether or not queen mother was an institutional position in Judah or Israel, whether such a position arose from outside influence (i.e., the Hittites) or from within Israel (i.e., a prior matriarchal social structure), and whether its duties and powers were primarily cultic, political, or personal. Zafrira Ben-Barak argues that individuals like Bathsheba, Maacah, Hamutal, and Nehushta gained power by enlisting support for a younger son with no claim to succession, thereby grasping power normally outside the reach of kings’ mothers. The queen mother’s influence then would be personally rather than institutionally or religiously derived. In contrast, Susan Ackerman argues that the queen mother’s duties were both political (king’s advisor) and cultic (Asherah’s representative in the Judean royal court, perhaps even the surrogate of Asherah). The queen mother would then be second in power only to her son, the king.

Bibliography. S. Ackerman, “The Queen Mother and the Cult in Ancient Israel,” JBL 112 (1993): 385-401; Z. Ben-Barak, “The Status and Right of the Gĕbîrâ,” JBL 110 (1991): 23-24; L. S. Schearing, “Queen,” ABD 5:583-86; K. Spanier, “The Queen Mother in the Judaean Royal Court: Maacha — A Case Study,” in A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings, ed. A. Brenner (Sheffield, 1994), 186-95.

Linda S. Schearing

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

QUEEN

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)