In the Hebrew Bible, Gebirah (/ɡəˈbɪərə/ gə-BEER-ə; Hebrew: גְּבִירָה, romanized: gəḇīrā, lit. 'lady') is a title ascribed to queen mothers of Israel and Judah.

Description

Literally translated, the title means '[Great] Lady', with the word being the feminine counterpart to gəḇīr (גְּבִיר), 'lord'. However, given that this title is most often attributed to a queen mother, the two have become synonymous, and therefore gəḇīrā is most often translated as 'Queen Mother'. When romanised, "gebirah" can be used as both a common noun ("a gebirah", "the gebirah") or a proper noun ("the Gebirah"), as with most royal titles. Although not present in the Masoretic Texts, the plural form gəḇīrōṯ (גְּבִירוֹת) is commonly used by academics to avoid the intra-word switching of "gebirahs".

The gebirah is believed by some scholars to have held great power as counsel of the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba, seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you". The position of the queen mother was a privilege of the highest honour, and was the highest authority for a woman in Israel or Judah. In fact, the only time a woman held higher office was in the case of Athaliah, who usurped the throne of Judah.

To further complicate matters, the word gəḇereṯ (גְּבֶרֶת; also גְּבִרְת gəḇīrət and גְבָרֶת gəḇāreṯ, meaning 'lady', 'mistress', or 'queen') occurs 9 times in the Masoretic Text. In comparison, gəḇīrā occurs only 6 times. Scholars generally take one of two stances with gəḇereṯ: either classing it as an acceptable variation of the word gəḇīrā within the ketiv (featuring a common qere), or opting for a distinct separation of the two words, despite their converged meanings.

In Christianity

William G. Most, a Catholic author, sees in the gebirah a type of Mary.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Most, William G. "Mary's Queenship", Our Lady in Doctrine and Devotion, 1994.

Further reading

  • Ackerman, Susan (1993). "The Queen Mother and the Cult in Ancient Israel". Journal of Biblical Literature. 112 (3): 385–401. doi:10.2307/3267740. JSTOR 3267740.
  • Andreasen, Niels-Erik (1983). "The Role of the Queen Mother in Israelite Society". Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 45 (2): 179–194.
  • Ben-Barak, Zafrira (1991). "The Status and Right of the Gĕbîrâ". Journal of Biblical Literature. 110 (1): 23–34. doi:10.2307/3267147. JSTOR 3267147.
  • Bowen, Nancy (2001). "The Quest for the Historical Gĕbîrâ". Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 64: 597–618.
  • Brewer-Boydston, Ginny M. (2016), Good Queen Mothers, Bad Queen Mothers: The Theological Presentation of the Queen Mother in 1 and 2 Kings, Catholic Biblical Association of America.
  • Cushman, Beverly W. (2006). "The Politics of the Royal Harem and the Case of Bat-Sheba". Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 33 (3): 327–343. doi:10.1177/0309089206063438. S2CID 145638498.
  • Spanier, Ktziah (1994). Brenner, Athalya (ed.). The Queen Mother in the Judaean Royal Court: Maacah - A Case Study. A Feminist Companion to the Bible. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. pp. 186–195. ISBN 9781850754800. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)

See also

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