top of page
Anji Russell
Poetry and Design
Voices in the Wilderness (1)
These poems are written from the perspectives of forty remarkable women in the Old Testament, imagining their fears, courage, faith, and longing, voices remembered, overlooked, silenced, searching, grieving and hopeful. Some of the poems are about women who were chosen to be part of the lineage of Jesus, the ‘Golden Thread’ as I have called it. These are Eve, Naamah, Sarai, Rebekah, Leah, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Nitzevet, Bathsheba and Anna, the grandmother of Jesus. In the poems about women who were part of the ‘Golden Thread’, not only have I mentioned it in the narrative, but I have also used a strong line of gold in the background design to represent their part in this amazing lineage.
01
Eve - Genesis 1 to 4
Wife of Adam
Mother of Cain, Abel and Seth
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Seth
A 'Helper Suitable' for Adam (Heb. Ezer Kenegdo)
02
Naamah - Genesis 6 to 10
Wife of Noah,
Mother of Shem, Ham and Japheth
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Shem
(Naamah named according to Jewish oral tradition)
03
Sarai - Genesis 11 to 23
Sarai (later called Sarah),
Wife of Abram (later called Abraham),
Mother of Isaac
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Isaac
04
Hagar - Genesis 16 and 21
Secondary wife to Abram (later called Abraham)
Handmaiden to Sarai (later Sarah)
Mother of Ishmael
05
Lot's Wife - Genesis 19
Lot was the nephew of Abraham
06
Rebekah - Genesis 24 to 27
Wife of Isaac
Mother of Esau and Jacob
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Jacob
07
Rachel - Genesis 29 to 35
Wife of Jacob
Mother of Joseph and Benjamin
08
Leah - Genesis 29 to 34
Wife of Jacob
Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah.
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Judah
09
Bilhah - Genesis 29 to 35
Secondary wife of Jacob
Handmaiden to Rachel,
Mother of Dan and Naphtali
10
Zilpah - Genesis 29 to 35
Secondary wife of Jacob
Handmaiden to Leah
Mother of Gad and Asher
11
Dinah - Genesis 34
Daughter of Jacob and Leah,
Sister to Jacob's 12 sons.
12
Tamar - Genesis 38
Daughter–in-law of Judah (who, through her deception, also became the father of Perez and Zerah)
Mother of Perez and Zerah
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Perez
13
Zuleikha - Genesis 39
Potipher’s wife
Named according to medieval Jewish sources
14
Asenath - Genesis 41
Wife of Joseph
Mother of Ephraim and Manasseh
15
Shiphrah and Puah - Exodus 1
Hebrew midwives ordered by Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt
16
Jochebed - Exodus 2
Wife of Amram son of Levi.
Mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam
17
Miriam - Exodus 2 and 15, Numbers 12 and 20, and Micah 6.
Daughter of Jochebed and Amram
Of the House of Levi
Sister of Moses and Aaron
18
Bithiah - Exodus 2
Daughter of Pharaoh
Rescuer of Moses
19
Zipporah - Exodus 2 and 4
Daughter of Jethro, Priest of Midian
20
Tirzah - Numbers 27
Daughter of Zelophehad
01 / 20
Eve - Genesis 1 to 4
Wife of Adam
Mother of Cain, Abel and Seth
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Seth
A 'Helper Suitable' for Adam (Heb. Ezer Kenegdo)
Go to link01
Eve - Genesis 1 to 4
Wife of Adam
Mother of Cain, Abel and Seth
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Seth
A 'Helper Suitable' for Adam (Heb. Ezer Kenegdo)
02
Naamah - Genesis 6 to 10
Wife of Noah,
Mother of Shem, Ham and Japheth
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Shem
(Naamah named according to Jewish oral tradition)
03
Sarai - Genesis 11 to 23
Sarai (later called Sarah),
Wife of Abram (later called Abraham),
Mother of Isaac
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Isaac
04
Hagar - Genesis 16 and 21
Secondary wife to Abram (later called Abraham)
Handmaiden to Sarai (later Sarah)
Mother of Ishmael
05
Lot's Wife - Genesis 19
Lot was the nephew of Abraham
06
Rebekah - Genesis 24 to 27
Wife of Isaac
Mother of Esau and Jacob
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Jacob
07
Rachel - Genesis 29 to 35
Wife of Jacob
Mother of Joseph and Benjamin
08
Leah - Genesis 29 to 34
Wife of Jacob
Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah.
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Judah
09
Bilhah - Genesis 29 to 35
Secondary wife of Jacob
Handmaiden to Rachel,
Mother of Dan and Naphtali
10
Zilpah - Genesis 29 to 35
Secondary wife of Jacob
Handmaiden to Leah
Mother of Gad and Asher
11
Dinah - Genesis 34
Daughter of Jacob and Leah,
Sister to Jacob's 12 sons.
12
Tamar - Genesis 38
Daughter–in-law of Judah (who, through her deception, also became the father of Perez and Zerah)
Mother of Perez and Zerah
Ancestor of Jesus - Part of the Golden Thread, through Perez
13
Zuleikha - Genesis 39
Potipher’s wife
Named according to medieval Jewish sources
14
Asenath - Genesis 41
Wife of Joseph
Mother of Ephraim and Manasseh
15
Shiphrah and Puah - Exodus 1
Hebrew midwives ordered by Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt
16
Jochebed - Exodus 2
Wife of Amram son of Levi.
Mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam
17
Miriam - Exodus 2 and 15, Numbers 12 and 20, and Micah 6.
Daughter of Jochebed and Amram
Of the House of Levi
Sister of Moses and Aaron
18
Bithiah - Exodus 2
Daughter of Pharaoh
Rescuer of Moses
19
Zipporah - Exodus 2 and 4
Daughter of Jethro, Priest of Midian
20
Tirzah - Numbers 27
Daughter of Zelophehad
- A poem about Eve, the wife of Adam and ancestor of Jesus. Read about her in Genesis chapters 1 to 4.
- A poem about Naamah, Wife of Noah. Read about her in Genesis chapters 6 to 10
- A poem about Sarai, the wife of Abram. (Their names were changed later to Sarah and Abraham.) Sarai's story is found in Genesis chapters 11 to 23
- A poem about Hagar, mother of Ishmael. Read about her in Genesis chapters 16 and 21
- A poem about the wife of Lot who was a nephew of Abram (Abraham). Read about her in Genesis chapter 19
- A poem about Rebekah, wife of Isaac and an ancestor of Jesus through her son Jacob. Read about her in Genesis chapters 24 to 27.
- Poem about Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Read about her in Genesis chapters 29 to 35.
- A poem about Rebekah, the wife of Jacob and ancestor of Jesus through her son Judah. Read about her in Genesis chapters 29 to 34
- A poem about Bilhah, a secondary wife of Jacob and mother of Dan and Naphtali. Read about her in Genesis chapters 29 to 35.
- A poem about Zilpah, a secondary wife of Jacob, Leah's handmaiden, and mother of Gad and Asher. Read about her in Genesis chapters 30 - 35.
- A poem about Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. Read about her in Genesis chapter 34
- A poem about Tamar, daughter–in-law of Judah and, by deception, mother of his sons, Perez and Zerah. Read about her in Genesis chapter 38.
- A poem about Zuleikha, Potiphar's wife in Pharaoh's household. Read about her in Genesis chapter 39.
- A poem about Asenath, wife of Joseph and mother of Ephraim and Manasseh. Read about her in Genesis chapter 41.
- A poem about Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives ordered by Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt. Read about them in Exodus chapter 1.
- Poem about Jochebed, wife of Amram son of Levi, and mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Read about her in Exodus chapter 2.
- A poem about Miriam, Daughter of Jochebed and Amram and sister of Moses and Aaron. Read about her in Exodus chapters 2 and 15, Numbers 12 and 20, and Micah 6.
- A poem about Bithiah, the Daughter of Pharaoh and rescuer of Moses. Read about her in Exodus chapter 2.
- A poem about Zipporah, daughter of Jethro who was a priest of Midian. Read about her in Exodus chapters 2 and 4.
- A poem about Tirzah, daughter of Zelophehad. Read about her in Number chapter 27.
bottom of page