Introduction
It’s no secret that the Bible is packed with stories of great people doing great things. But what about the not-so-great people? The Bible is also filled with tales of bad husbands and wives—people who often make terrible decisions with terrible consequences.
In this article, we’ll look at three famous faithless females from the Bible: Potiphar’s wife and Jezebel. We’ll examine their stories, explore what went wrong, and see what we can learn from them.
Eve: The Original and Complicated Bad Wife
Eve is often cited as the original lousy wife in the Bible. She was the one who tempted Adam to eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
But there’s more to Eve than that. She was also the first mother and had a complex relationship with her children. She was both fiercely protective and brutally destructive. In some ways, she represents the best and worst of motherhood.
Intrigued? You should be. Eve is a fascinating figure; her story can teach us a lot about bad wives in the Bible.
Jezebel: A Woman of Power and Evil
Jezebel was a woman of power and evil.
She was a Phoenician princess who married Ahab, the king of Israel. And she used her position to manipulate and control him. Jezebel was a wicked woman who was ruthless in her pursuit of power and wealth. She was even willing to kill to get what she wanted.
The Bible says that God eventually judged Jezebel for her wickedness, and she met a terrible end. But her story warns us all: We should never underestimate the power of a bad wife.
Potiphar’s Wife: A Case of False Accusation
Potiphar’s wife is one of the most well-known bad wives in the Bible. She falsely accuses Joseph of trying to rape her, so he’s put in prison.
What’s interesting about this story is that Potiphar’s wife is never actually named. She’s only referred to as “Potiphar’s wife.” Some people have speculated that this was because she was of a lower social status than Potiphar; therefore, her name didn’t matter. Others have suggested that the author didn’t want to give her any more attention than she already had.
Whatever the case may be, Potiphar’s wife is a prime example of how a false accusation can ruin someone’s life.
Idolatry: Herodias and Athaliah
We now turn our attention to the wives who clung to their idols. First is Herodias, whose story is quite a dramatic one. Herodias married her uncle (totally against God’s laws), and then she moved on to marry King Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. What did she do next? She encouraged her daughter Salome to dance for King Herod for her gain in power and influence.
The other example of idolatry can be found in Athaliah, who made a covenant with the Babylonian gods and killed all potential successors to the throne. She even served as high priestess of these false gods before being killed in an uprising.
Both stories demonstrate how women can choose to bow down before false gods and reject their faith when it suits them—a stark warning from past examples!
Hosea’s Wife: The Tragedy of Infidelity
Gomer is perhaps the most famous of the bad wives in the Bible. She was married to Hosea, a prophet of Yahweh, who had to endure unthinkable betrayal as his wife committed adultery with countless men. Gomer was a prostitute, and when Hosea found her for sale in the marketplace, he paid her the price that she may be his wife. Though Hosea was willing to be loyal and forgiving, Gomer repeatedly betrayed him, and the relationship ended tragically.
What’s even sadder is that Gomer had children from other men, yet despite this, Hosea kept faith with her—to the point where he risked becoming a laughingstock among his peers—because he wanted to demonstrate God’s mercy and love. It’s truly heartbreaking and admirable at the same time.
Greed & Unfaithfulness: Sapphira
Sapphira is a good example of how greed and faithlessness go hand in hand. She and her husband, Ananias, sold some of their lands and donated the proceeds to the church.
But then Sapphira led her husband astray by lying to the church elders about how much they had given. She thought they could keep a portion of the money without anyone finding out, so she told them that it was all they had – when it was only part.
The result? The couple both died on the spot for their deceitfulness. They were punished for being untruthful and feigning piety, proving how deeply God values honesty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bible contains many examples of bad wives, from Eve to Jezebel. These women were unfaithful, disobedient, and often caused great harm to their husbands and families. While there are also examples of good wives in the Bible, the bad wives warn all women of the dangers of being unfaithful and disobedient.