Queen
Summary
In biblical usage, the term 'queen' applies to three distinct roles: a female sovereign ruling in her own right, the chief wife of a king, or most distinctively in Oriental courts, the queen mother who held the highest position of female authority.
☩Hebrew Terms for Queen
Three Hebrew words are translated as 'queen' in English Bibles, each with distinct meanings. Malkah, the feminine of melek ('king'), refers to a queen regnant or the chief wife in a royal harem. Shegal means 'wife' of the first rank, distinguished from concubines, and is applied to Solomon's bride and to wives of Chaldean and Persian monarchs. Gebirah, meaning 'powerful' or 'mistress,' designates the queen mother, who in Oriental households exercised the highest female authority.
☩The Queen Mother's Authority
In polygamous societies, the wife's position was inherently unstable, shared among multiple women with precarious hold on the king's affections. The mother alone occupied a fixed and dignified position, receiving the title gebirah ('mistress'). Solomon's deference to Bathsheba illustrates this authority—he rose to meet her, bowed, and seated her on a throne at his right hand. Maachah held this position until Asa deposed her for idolatry, and Jezebel wielded similar influence as queen mother.
☩Notable Biblical Queens
The Queen of Sheba traveled over a thousand miles to test Solomon's wisdom with hard questions, representing a queen regnant ruling in her own right. Jesus cited her example to condemn the unbelieving generation of His day, declaring that she would rise in judgment against them because she sought wisdom while they rejected One greater than Solomon. Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, appears in Acts when her treasurer encountered Philip and was baptized. Ethiopia frequently had female sovereigns, with 'Candace' apparently serving as a dynastic title passed from one ruler to another.
☩The Queen of Heaven
Jeremiah condemned the worship of the 'queen of heaven,' a pagan deity associated with the moon or with Ishtar/Astarte. Israelite women made cakes for this goddess and poured out drink offerings to her, claiming that their prosperity had ceased when they stopped these practices. This idolatrous worship persisted despite prophetic warnings and represented a serious breach of covenant faithfulness.
Related Verses56 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Queen," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Queen," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Queen," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Queen," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 5.James Hastings (ed.), "Queen," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).