What the Bible can teach us about writing strong female characters

What the Bible can teach us about writing strong female protagonists.

Daisy Torres.

The oceans part. The Earth (or whatever your fictional world is) quakes.

The people stare in awe as your head-strong, snarky Female Protagonist walks through the sea, draped in an ethereal, bubbling dress of water.

She’s here. She’s sarcastic. She’s gorgeous. She can throw a mean punch to anyone who dares disrespect her. She’s a strong female character.

People are catching on now. Mean ‘pseudo-strong’ characters aren’t what we actually want when we think, “Oh, I want to write a strong female character!” So this won’t be another post talking about how you need to make sure you make your female characters have a vulnerable, soft. dorky, or even humorous side.

This post is delving into the best book of all, written by the ultimate Author: The Bible. I mean, when you think about it, what better source to look for writing advice in than the very book written by God Himself?

Character Study Numero Uno: Hadassah.

First off, let me just say, I am a HUGE fan of Hadassah/Esther.

She was one of the bravest women in the Bible, was raised an orphan, became the Queen of one of the most powerful nations, was the most beautiful maiden in the land, and won the King’s heart! Who wouldn’t love her?

Haaman, of course.

Hadassah/Esther knew one thing: She had to step out of her comfort zone to save her people. And she needed help.

Esther is such a strong woman of God, and yet she couldn’t pull off what she needed to do alone. In fact, she had to ask her uncle Mordecai to have the entire Hebrew people fast and pray before she could face the king--her husband!--and ask for help.

And even then, she still couldn’t do it.

We had to watch her not once, but twice as she went before her husband to accuse his closest servant of trying to persecute her and her family--all while hiding the fact that she herself was a Jew.

Esther had troubles. She was afraid. She didn’t have the nerve to go through with her plan--even though she had already risked being killed by the king if he didn’t accept her in his courts--to save her family.

But she’s one of the first women we think of when someone asks us to name a strong woman in the Bible.

What does this teach us?

• It teaches that it’s okay to have a fearful--and yes, human--character. She can be afraid of heights, yet face that fear to save her younger brother who wandered out on a cliff ledge. Actually, facing such a gripping fear makes her all the more memorable! It’s also okay to let her ask for help. It won’t make your character weak. In fact, it can show how your character knows when to step back and admit that she’s just like everyone else--and that makes her relatable.

Character Study Two: Deborah

Deborah was a Prophetess who was one of the Judges of Israel--a position normally taken by men--and helped keep Israel under the law of God.

Now tell me that already isn’t a feat?

To top it off, she was responsible for guiding an army to defeat Sisera and prophesying from the start that Sisera himself would be delivered into the hand of a woman, not Barak, who was a General of Israel.

Sisera was no easy foe to defeat. The Bible says he had 900 chariots of iron in his possession. That’s not even counting his actual men. And yet God used Jael Heber’s wife--thus fulfilling Deborah’s Prophecy--to kill him and save Israel.

What does this teach us?

• Deborah had to have the Faith to listen directly to God’s voice. Don’t you think being a female prophet took bravery? What if Barak hadn’t listened to her? What if she got something wrong? Not only did she carry God’s message to Barak, she also wisely allowed him to fulfill his own position as General, in spite of her being the one who was actually leading the army.

• Deborah didn’t yell a message at Barak about “girl power” and how she can do it better than him, she just calmly took the role God was placing on her. I’ve seen a lot of supposedly “strong” and “independent” female characters that were just a little too dependent on their anger. Hate and anger are not always good things for your “strong” character to run their personality on.

Character Study Number Three: Ruth

Ruth is the second woman in the Bible to have a book named after her--the other being Esther. And you know what? She totally deserved it!

Ruth was a Moabite whose husband died. However, instead of leaving her Hebrew Mother-in-law to fend for herself on her journey back to Israel, she went with her. She didn’t have to, and in fact, her mother-in-law protested this action. That act of love and loyalty was absolutely beautiful, and in the end, it was that love and loyalty that won the heart of Boaz.

When Ruth left Moab, she also left behind the gods of her family. This is shown when she tells her mother-in-law that she will worship Who she worships. That’s how great her devotion was. And she was rewarded by becoming the great-grandmother of King David! And, eventually, Jesus, her very Saviour.

What does this teach us?

• Love is not a bad thing. Ruth was literally such a strong, powerful woman--and we can apply this with our characters. They don’t have to act calloused or have a stone heart to be determined and strong. Love is such a strong driving force and makes many character arcs feel so much more complete when that is the drive behind a strong character instead of brute force and unbacked willpower.

• Perseverance makes a character so much stronger. Imagine Ruth’s will to not turn back to her home, back to the life she knew--especially when the very Israelites she loved didn’t trust her because of where she was born.

Character Study Four: Hannah

Hannah was the mother of the prophet Samuel. She couldn’t have children, which she wanted dearly. Imagine the pressure she felt from the other women--specifically her husband’s other wife, who had two sons and constantly put Hannah down--in her town who had children and picked on her for not doing the same. Even though her husband assured her that he still loved her even without children, she was still desperate.

So she prayed.

She humbled herself before God and silently pleaded with HIm to bless her with a child. The priest thought she was drunk for her pleading and silent tears, but of course, she was not. When the priest--named Eli--realized this, he told her God had heard her prayers. Hannah’s prayers were heard by God and she was given a son.

She promised God that the moment her son Samuel was weaned, she would give him back to God by letting him serve Eli in the temple.

What does this teach us?

• Although Hannah was belittled for not having children, she remained strong. She placed her faith in God and kept her promise to Him by giving the one thing she had truly wanted back to Him. Your character may go through trials. It’s okay for them to weep and to be sad about their trial. That doesn’t make them weak. Hannah is known as strong for her faith in God, even though she was mocked for her weakness.

Character Study Five: Sarah

Like Hannah, Sarah could not have children. She was old and barren. When Jesus Himself--amidst two Angels--came to Abraham and Sarah, she laughed. This was known as her weakness. But her strength is mentioned in Hebrews 11, which is also known as The Faith Chapter. She still had faith, even if she did laugh at first. This faith went on to make her the Mother of Israel.

What does this teach us?

• Your main character can start out laughing at an idea, only to later on truly believe the same idea. It’s not uncommon for humans to change their opinion on an idea, so why not do the same thing for your character? These arcs are one of my favorites for a character, because it shows the truth of our fallibility, even in a strong character.

Character Study Six: Jochebed

I’m just going to pause for a moment and applaud this amazing Mama.

*moment of applause*

This amazing mother saved baby Moses’ life by hiding him from the Egyptian guards. She then made a basket waterproof enough to hold an infant and sent him on his way down the Nile. After the Egyptian Princess found him, Moses’ sister (another strong character, but that’s a tale for another day) got their mother to act as a nurse for Moses until he was old enough to be weaned.

During that time, I can easily imagine Jochebed telling her baby stories of his family, of his people, in hopes that someday he would remember. That maybe someday, he would come back to her.

What does this teach us?

• Strength during silence and Faith during persecution. A strong woman can have just as much strength during her silence as she can using her voice. Consider having a character who isn’t afraid to speak up, but knows it’s sometimes wise not to. The opposite of this is also true. There is a season for everything, after all.

• Jochebed was a strong mother of three who did what she could to keep her family together. Maybe your character isn’t rebelling against the government for themselves, but for the lives of their family. This reasoning behind a character’s choice of revolt can be very gripping, just as it was in the tale of Moses and Jochebed.

The Bible tells of so many more powerful women, but this article would be way too long, so I’m afraid I’m cutting it off here. I hope you enjoyed this list of powerful Biblical women, and maybe even found some ideas to strengthen your own characters!

Who is another example of a powerful woman in the Bible? Are there any others you really love reading about? Let me know in the comments!

With love,

Daisy <3