In the first creation story (Genesis 1:27) God is described as creating man, both male and female at the same time. This might be interpreted as implying equality between the two genders. But in the second creation story, (Genesis 2:7) God formed only a man. Realizing that he needed a helper (Genesis 2:18), God marched all of the animals past Adam (Genesis 2:19-20) looking for a suitable animal. Finding none suitable, God created Eve out of one of Adam's ribs. The term "helper" has historically been interpreted as implying an inferior role for Eve. ("The Hebrew translated word helper is used twenty-one times in the Old Testament: twenty of these cases refer to help from a superior.")(Coogan 813)Ada

The Hebrew Scriptures describe many other Prophetesses, including Miriam, Noadiah, and Isaiah's wife. Throughout the Scriptures, Wisdom was visualized as a type of female Goddess who was present at the creation of the world, and who has intervened in human affairs. This showed that women were capable of having knowledge and wisdom giving her the respect she deserved.

When it came to such things like goods and inheritance the same concept of women being inferior took place again. In Numbers 27:8-11, Moses described the rules of inheritance that God has stated. If a man died, his son inherited the estate; his daughter received nothing. If there was no son, then his daughter inherited. If there were no children, then the estate was given to the man's brothers; his sister(s) received nothing.The more important people, meaning the men, received everything and the women only got something when there were no men. Also in Numbers chapter 30 it described that a vow taken by a man was binding. But her father could nullify a vow taken by a woman, if she was still living in her family of origin, or by her husband, if she was married.

There are other books as well that depicted women rationally. Joshua 2:1-16 describes how Rahab, a prostitute, hid two Israelite spies and saved their lives by misdirecting the soldiers. Although she was a prostitute she still contributed greatly to Joshua's army thus showing women in a respectable way. There were other instances where the women were shown as intelligent and able to contribute something to society. Some of which include Judges 4 and 5, where Deborah is described as both a Judge of Israel and as the leader of the army and in 1 Samuel 19:11-13, where David's first wife, Michal, tricked soldiers and engineered David's escape.

In 1 Kings 11 it once again described women as sexual predators. It talked about how Solomon's many foreign wives and concubines convinced him to worship other gods and build Pagan temples. This led to his downfall. This chapter puts all the blame onto the woman saying that they are bad influences.

Callaway, M.C. Women in the Old Testament. San Fransisco: Harper, 1999.

Another example of degrading women was during the Second Temple period, when women were not allowed to testify in court trials. "They could not go out in public, or talk to strangers. When outside of their homes, they were to be doubly veiled. They had become second-class Jews, excluded from the worship and teaching of God, with status scarcely above that of slaves" (Callaway 201).

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