Bible Dictionaries
Woman

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Was "taken out of man" (Genesis 2:23 ), and therefore the man has the preeminence. "The head of the woman is the man;" but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, "as unto the weaker vessel" (1 Corinthians 11:3,8,9; 1 Peter 3:7 ). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Exodus 15:20 ), Deborah (Judges 4:4,5 ), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14 ), Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14 ), Anna (Luke 2:36,37 ), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8,9 ). Women are forbidden to teach publicly (1 Corinthians 14:34,35; 1 Timothy 2:11,12 ). Among the Hebrews it devolved upon women to prepare the meals for the household (Genesis 18:6; 2 Samuel 13:8 ), to attend to the work of spinning (Exodus 35:26; Proverbs 31:19 ), and making clothes (1 Samuel 2:19; Proverbs 31:21 ), to bring water from the well (Genesis 24:15; 1 Samuel 9:11 ), and to care for the flocks (Genesis 29:6; Exodus 2:16 ).

The word "woman," as used in Matthew 15:28 , John 2:4,20:13,15 , implies tenderness and courtesy and not disrespect. Only where revelation is known has woman her due place of honour assigned to her.