(Women and Words) Refined Gold: The Resilience of Strong Women in Scripture with Dr. Boaz Johnson

Mutuality Matters

Building on part one, Dr. Boaz Johnson considers how women throughout the Old Testament are characterized by strength (Chayil in Hebrew). Part of women’s strength is the result of much suffering, like Job’s wife who becomes the mother of seven boys and three girls. The girls are named but not the boys. Consider the Song of Songs, the Shulamite woman was also a shepherdess who experienced much pain but also and exhibited even more strength. Consider Ruth who is considered a Proverbs 31 woman. She is also a foreign woman who had much to overcome including much pain. Consider Esther, also portrayed as a Proverbs 31 woman. She too faced unbearable circumstances, but God was faithful and evident in her strength. It is by passing through much suffering that we are made rich with insights and intimacy with God, particularly noted in the Psalms of lament.
Consider Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” These are the 7 last words of Jesus on the cross. Scholars note that while dying on the cross, Jesus was singing Psalm 22-23 which are songs of hope! The translation team came to the conclusion that this is not a cry of despair. It’s not a question but a statement that God will not forsake those in pain and who are suffering. Psalm 22: 9-10 was translated by the team as: “You are the one who drew me from the womb. You made me safe at my mother’s breast. Upon you I was cast from my birth. You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” In this passage, God is portrayed both as the father and also as mother. Remember, that while Christ was dying on the cross, the disciples ran away and hide behind locked doors. But the women remained with him, listening to Christ sing as he died. These words were preserved by the women as they remained vigilant with their dying Lord.
Throughout the podcast, Boaz expresses his delight in hearing the voices and insights of the women scholars on CBE’s translation team. The power of their collective wisdom will definitely bring much healing to our world overall, and to the future of Bible translation teams going forward. Thanks be to God!
Guest Bio: Dr. Boaz Johnson, PhD
Dr. Rev. Boaz Johnson (PhD, Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is a professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park University in Chicago, IL. His writing has appeared in publications such as Priscilla Papers, Mutuality, Christianity Today, and The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Boaz is a member of CBE’s translation team and a sought-after speaker. As an Old Testament scholar, Boaz has served on CBE’s Bible Translation Team from the very beginning. See CBE’s website for more resources from Boaz.

References
Women of Strength, in Hebrew—Chayil
Who is a Virtuous Woman?
Correcting Caricatures: Women and Bible Translation
Finding “The Proverbs 31 Woman”
Psalm 22 NIV
Books by Dr. Boaz Johnson
The Marys of the Bible: The Original #METOO Movement

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in CBE’s Mutuality Matters’ podcast are those of its hosts or guests do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members or chapters worldwide. The designations employed in this podcast and the presentation of content therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of CBE concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers.