Women of God: Maternal Grief and Religious Response in 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 4

Abstract

1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 4 are narratives about bereaved mothers who turn to men of God to heal their dead sons. These narratives support anthropologist Susan Starr Sered’s supposition that bereaved mothers turn to non-normative religion in response to the deaths of their children and often become innovative religious leaders. Though the patriarchal context of the Bible does not allow the women in these narratives to serve as healers, this article demonstrates that their prominence in the narratives and their interactions with the men of God supports Sered’s premise and proves that bereaved mothers in the Bible are, if not religious innovators, powerful religious seekers and activists.