"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."
Proverbs 31:30 · King James Bible
From Genesis to Ruth
Eve — the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).Sarah — the mother of the promise; laughed and then bore Isaac.
Hagar — the Egyptian servant to whom God appeared in the wilderness: 'thou God seest me' (Genesis 16:13).
Rebekah — met at a well; agreed to a marriage she had never seen (Genesis 24).
Rachel and Leah — Jacob's wives; mothers of the twelve tribes.
Tamar — Judah's daughter-in-law; in the line of Christ (Matthew 1:3).
Miriam — sister of Moses; prophetess; led the women in the Song of the Sea.
Rahab — the harlot of Jericho who hid the spies and was saved with her whole family. In the line of Christ (Matthew 1:5) and among the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:31).
Deborah — prophetess and judge under the palm tree.
Jael — killed Sisera with a tent-peg.
Naomi — bereaved of husband and both sons; returned to Bethlehem.
Ruth — the Moabitess who would not leave her mother-in-law; in the line of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
From Samuel to the exile
Hannah — barren, prayed at Shiloh, bore Samuel.Abigail — David's wise counsellor.
Bathsheba — mother of Solomon.
Queen of Sheba — came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 10).
The widow of Zarephath — fed Elijah in the famine (1 Kings 17).
The Shunammite woman — set up a room for Elisha; her son raised from the dead (2 Kings 4).
Huldah — the prophetess whom King Josiah consulted (2 Kings 22).
Jezebel — the wicked queen who set up Baal-worship in Israel (a warning, not a hero).
Esther — the Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people. 'If I perish, I perish.'
In the Gospels
Mary the mother of Jesus — 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord.'Elisabeth — mother of John the Baptist.
Anna — the prophetess in the temple, 84 years a widow (Luke 2).
The Samaritan woman at the well — the first evangelist to a Gentile city (John 4).
Mary Magdalene — delivered of seven devils; the first witness of the resurrection.
Mary of Bethany — sat at Jesus's feet; anointed him for burial.
Martha of Bethany — 'Yea, Lord: I believe' (John 11:27).
The woman with the alabaster box — 'wheresoever this gospel shall be preached… shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her' (Mark 14:9).
The widow with two mites — gave more than all the rich (Mark 12:41–44).
Salome — mother of James and John; at the cross.
In the Early Church
Mary the mother of James — at the cross and at the tomb.Dorcas / Tabitha — raised by Peter at Joppa (Acts 9).
Lydia — seller of purple; the first convert in Europe (Acts 16).
Priscilla — with her husband Aquila; taught Apollos.
Phebe — deacon of the church at Cenchreae (Romans 16:1).
Eunice and Lois — Timothy's mother and grandmother, of unfeigned faith (2 Timothy 1:5).