The Female Touch: Six Women Who Committed Murder in the Bible

In a man’s world, the women got their hands dirty too.

God created a perfect world.

But, Adam and Eve jacked it for everyone when they disobeyed Him. Sin entered the world as a result of their rebellion. And murder, that terribly evil act of taking another person’s life, has run rampant across the earth ever since. The Bible’s murder rate is high.

It is littered with numerous accounts of humans shedding the blood of other humans. In just the first few pages of the book of Genesis, Cain murdered his brother Abel. It was the first murder recorded in the Bible. But it wouldn’t be the last. Drop down a few sentences. There you’ll discover that one of Cain’s descendants became the second murderer in the Bible.

After that, it’s all downhill for humanity.

Other Male Murderers in the Bible

Decades before the prophet Moses led the Israelites out from Egyptian bondage, he killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Ehud the judge assassinated King Eglon. Abimelech, devoid of any family loyalty, murdered his seventy half-brothers. King David got caught up in palace intrigue and murdered Uriah, the husband of his lover, Bathsheba. Adrammelech and Sharezer assassinated their own father, King Sennacherib.

And that’s the short list.

And as the men inched into overtime, a few women got in on the blood-spilling action as well. Whether they twisted in the knife themselves or simply orchestrated the demise of their victims, these ladies were deadly indeed.

Athalia, the Deadly Grandma

After the assassination of her son the king, Athalia murdered anyone in the palace who had a legitimate claim to the throne — including her own grandchildren. Without a hint of shame or remorse, Athalia then crowned herself queen. She didn’t realize that one child, Joash, managed to escape her bloody crusade. That obliviousness cost her in the long run. Six years later Joash executed Athalia, the deadly grandmother.

The Devious Mother Daughter Duo

Herodias despised John the Baptist because he called out her illegal marriage to her brother-in-law, King Herod. She wanted him dead. But Herod refused to kill John. Instead, he let the prophet languish in prison.

Herodias waited patiently for her opportunity to off the holy man. Her chance finally came at Herod’s birthday party when her daughter, Salome, danced for the king. On the spot he promised to give Salome anything she asked for. Herodias, already anticipating Herod’s reaction to the dance, told the girl what to ask for: John’s head on a plate.

Herod kept his word. John’s head was delivered to Salome which she presented to her triumphant mother.

Queen Jezebel Kills for a Vegetable Garden

There was a fertile vineyard close to King Ahab’s palace. Ahab didn’t own the land, but he had his eye on it because he wanted to plant a vegetable garden there. The vineyard belonged to a man named Naboth who refused to sell it.

King Ahab, though a grown man, went home and pouted like a child. He even refused to eat his dinner! When Queen Jezebel realized that Ahab was sulking because he couldn’t legally buy it, she devised a scheme to snatch the coveted land. Naboth was falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit and executed. Afterwards, King Ahab claimed the vineyard, thanks to his queen.

The Wise Woman and the Decapitated Troublemaker

Sheba, son of Bicri, led a revolt against King David and then high-tailed it to the remote city of Abel-beth-maacah. Joab, King David’s general, trailed the outlaw to the city and began attacking it. An unnamed wise woman who lived in the town called for a meeting with Joab. She proposed giving Sheba’s head as a means to recapture the peace that was lost when the troublemaker chose their town for refuge. Joab agreed. The people in the town also agreed with her. Sheba was promptly executed, and the woman tossed his head over the wall. Then Joab left the town in peace.

A Crushed Skull

This unnamed lady with true aim dropped a millstone from the roof of a tower. It landed squarely on the head of Abimelech, who was busy trying to set fire to that very same tower. As he lay dying from a crushed skull, Abimelech ordered his armor bearer to stab him with a sword because he couldn’t bear to die at the hands of woman.

Nailed to the Ground

Sisera, a commander of the Canaanite army, was soundly defeated by Deborah the judge and Barak. While his men were being slaughtered, Sisera fled from the battlefield. He hid in the tent of a woman named Jael, the wife of a sympathizer. She offered Sisera some refreshments and the AWOL general promptly fell asleep. While he was snoozing, Jael grabbed a tent peg and hammered it through his temple and into the ground.

If you enjoyed this article, try this one about Bible “zombies.” Or, this one entitled ‘God or Satan: Who Are You Going to Serve?’. For lighter fare, try ‘3 Things We Let Our Pets Get Away With’ here.

Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.