Abstract This book considers how specialized roles for women are reflected in the texts of the Hebrew Bible, focusing on four: weavers, midwives, diviners, and sex workers. It investigates the practice of each role in the ancient world and its corresponding portrayal in biblical texts, incorporating linguistics, material culture, comparative literature, and ethnography. Feminist theories situate the investigation of individual roles into a broader discussion of how ancient texts construct gender roles. This project contributes to understanding the nature of specialized work in ancient society and the social roles of women in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient world. It also offers feminist historiographical approaches to the study of the Hebrew Bible. It emphasizes the need to explore gaps in biblical texts and scholarly knowledge, the paradoxes of women’s inclusion and exclusion, and the need to disambiguate the category of “women” in biblical texts and historical reconstructions.
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