Mother
“Mother”
Summary
The mother held a position of honor in Hebrew society far exceeding that found in other ancient Near Eastern cultures, with both the Law and wisdom literature commanding children to reverence her equally with the father.
☩Honor Due to Mothers
The superiority of Hebrew legislation over other ancient systems is strikingly demonstrated in the elevated position of the mother. The Fifth Commandment places the child under equal obligation to honor both father and mother, with the penalty for striking or cursing either being death. In one place in the Law, the mother is even mentioned before the father as an object of reverence: 'Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father.' Throughout Proverbs, reverence, love, and obedience toward mothers is constantly inculcated.
☩The Queen Mother
The king's mother occupied a position of special honor in Israel. When Bathsheba came to King Solomon, he rose to meet her, bowed himself to her, and set her on his right hand. Nearly all the kings of Judah are identified not only by their fathers but by their mothers, indicating the importance attached to the maternal lineage. Mothers exercised significant influence over their sons—for good, as Jochebed the mother of Moses, or for evil, as Jezebel the mother of Athaliah.
☩Figurative Usage
Scripture employs the term 'mother' in extended senses. A nation is portrayed as a mother with her inhabitants as children. Large cities are called 'mothers' with their dependent villages as 'daughters.' The Church is spoken of as the mother of believers, and God's tender love is compared to that of a mother comforting her child: 'As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.' Jerusalem above is called 'the mother of us all,' speaking of the heavenly city whose children are those born of the Spirit.
Related Verses298 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Mother," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Mother," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.George Morrish, "Mother," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.James Orr (ed.), "Mother," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).