DID ANCIENT ISRAEL HAVE QUEENS?

:
refuting the misinformation of modern Israelite
Chauvinism
By Panehesi
Hebrew Israelites are well known for standing on corners around America
and countries abroad. Teaching what they consider to be the truth, according
to their interpretation of the biblical narratives. This understanding is widely
gathered from the KJV 1611 ( King James Version 1611 edition). This street
corner, soap box style of "teaching" is only afforded to men. Spectators and
acquiring minds often raise the question, why aren't women allowed to teach
on the corners? More than likely the Hebrew will reply with scriptures which
seems to answer the question. There's also a doctrinal teaching which
suggest, Ancient Israelite kingdoms only had Kings ruling in authority over the
nation. Most modern Hebrews today teach their followers, that only pagan "heathen" nations of
people appointed queens. Within this short article I'll refute such conjecture, and restore the
Royal office of Gebiyrah "Queen Mother" or "Great Lady". The re-establishing of this office is
vital to the restoration and unification of the Nation of Israel.

The Royal Office of Gebiyrah (The Kings Mother)

The Gebirah, the Queen Mother of the Kingdom of Judah, was an official position held by the
mothers of the Davidic kings. Throughout the whole period of the monarchy, the influence which
the king's mother {gebirah) wielded in the southern kingdom was considerable in the royal court
and the king's council. The Hebrew word gebirah (Strong's Hebrew: 1377.
)is found 15 times
in the Old Testament and can be translated as "Queen Mother," or "Great Lady" [Genesis 16:4,
8, 9, 1 Kings 11:19 (used for the Egyptian Queen Mother); 15:13; 2 Kings 5:3; 10:13; 2
Chronicles 15:16; Psalm 123:2; Proverbs 30:23; Isaiah 24:2; 47:5, 7; Jeremiah 13:18; 29:2]. In
Sacred Scripture the mother of the Davidic king is listed along with her son in the books of 1 & 2
Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles when he assumes the throne. The only queen mother not listed are
those of King Jehoram, who married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel [2 Kings
8:17-18]; King Ahaz [2 Kings 16:2-3]; and King Asa [1 Kings 15:10]. In the case of Jehoram and
Ahaz, their mothers may have died prior to their sons assuming the throne of David, and in the
case of Asa, his grandmother is named as the Gebirah, his mother having died or perhaps his
grandmother, the former Gebirah, did not relinquish her power and authority upon the
succession of her grandson.

Power & Authority of the Office of Gebirah

The royal kings of Israel and the House of David had many wives and no single wife of the king
had the influence that his mother enjoyed as the chief confidant of her son. Scripture indicates
that the Gebirah assumed a throne alongside her son [see 1 Kings 2:19] and exercised her role
as counselor [2 Chronicles 22:3] and intercessor to the king [1 Kings 2:13-21]. In times of
conquest, both the king and his mother represented royal power [2 Kings 24:12].

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ARTIFACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE QUEEN MOTHER

PLAQUE OF A ROBED WOMAN IVORY WITH GLASS EYES MEGIDDO (MODERN

ISRAEL) STRATUM VIIA LATE BRONZE IIB 1300-1200 BCE (LEFT) UTRECHT OLD
TESTAMENT SCHOLAR MARJO KORPEL CONCLUDES THE SEAL MUST HAVE
BELONGED TO THE INFAMOUS QUEEN JEZEBEL 9TH CENTURY BCE , BIBLICAL
ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW (RIGHT)

ANCIENT JEWELRY WORN BY ISRAELITE WOMEN

BRONZE MIRROR AND GOLD JEWELRY, FROM THE CEMETERY OF DEIR EL-BALLAH. LATE
BRONZE/EARLY IRON AGE
ISRAEL MUSEUM(IDAM), JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (LEFT)
NECKLACES: ONE WITH CARNELIAN BEADS AND GOLD CAPS; ANOTHER WITH ELONGATED
AGATE BEADS AND GOLD CAPS; THE THIRD A FLAT AGATE PENDANT WITH GOLD CAPS. FROM
DEIR EL-BALACH, LATE BRONZE/EARLY IRON AGE, TIME OF THE JUDGES. INV. H 1459
REUBEN AND EDITH HECHT COLLECTION - UNIVERSITY, HAIFA, ISRAEL (RIGHT)

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Necklace (44 cm) and two pairs of earrings from a tomb cave south of Bethlehem. Gold,
emeralds, and garnets Necklace (44 cm) and two pairs of earrings from a tomb cave south of
Bethlehem. Gold, emeralds, and garnets (Left) Huge earrings decorated with knobs, from Tell
el-Ajjul Gold, Late Bronze Age (right) Israel Museum(IDAM), Jerusalem, Israel *Tell el-'Ajjul (aka
Tell Sharuhen; Ancient Gaza) is a Bronze Age site in Southern Palestine at the mouth of the
Ghazzah Wadi just south of the town of Gaza1. Tell el-'Ajjul was excavated 1930-1934 by a British
team led by Sir Flinders Petrie.

Necklace of beads of rock crystal, amethyst and gold plaques decorated with hieroglyphs. From
Canaan, Tell el-Ajjul Late Bronze Age (Left) Gold pendants and a ring, from the rich ancient
town at Tell el-Ajjul Late Bronze Age (RIGHT) Israel Museum(IDAM), Jerusalem, Israel

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RULER & DATE

FATHER & MOTHER

BIBLICAL SCRIPTURE REF

1. Rehoboam 930-913

Son of Solomon Mother:

Naamah the Ammonite

1 Kings 11:42-14:312 Chronicles

9:31-12:16

2. Abijam (Abijah) 913-911

Son of Rehoboam
Mother: Maacah (Micaiah)
descendant of David's son
Absalom

1 Kings 14:31-15:8
2 Chronicles 13:1-23

3. Asa 911-870

Son of Abijam
Gebirah = grandmother Maacah

1 Kings 15:8-24
2 Chronicles 13:23-16:14

4. Jehoshaphat 870-848

Son of Asa
Mother: Azubah

1 Kings 15:24 22:41-51 2

Chronicles 17:1-21:1

5. Jehoram 848-841

Son of Jehoshaphat
Mother: ?

2 Kings 8:16-24
2 Chronicles 21:1-20

6. Ahaziah 841- ?

Son of Jehoram
Mother: Athaliah

2 Kings 8:24-29; 9:14-26

2 Chronicles 22:1-12

7. Athaliah (Queen Mother)

841-835

Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of

Israel

2 Kings11 1-20
2 Chronicles 22:1-15

8. Jehoash 835-796

Grandson of Athaliah and son of

Ahaziah; Mother: Zibiah
(Beersheba)

1 Kings 11:1-12:21
2 Chronicles 22:10-23; 24:27

9. Amaziah 796-781

Son of Jehoash
Mother: Jehoaddan

2 Kings 14:1-22
2 Chronicles 26:1-23

10. Uzziah 781-740

Son of Amaziah
Mother: Jecoliah

2 Kings 15:1-7
2 Chronicles 26:23-27:9

11. Jotham 740-736

Son of Uzziah
Mother: Jerushah

2 Kings 15:32-38
2 Chronicles 26:9-27:9

12. Ahaz 736-716

Son of Jotham
Mother:?

2 Kings 15:38-16:20
2 Chronicles 27:9-28:27

13. Hezekiah 716-687

Son of Ahaz
Mother: Abijah

2 Kings 16:20; 18:1-20:21

2 Chronicles 28:27-32:33

14. Manasseh 697-642

Son of Hezekiah
Mother: Hephzibah

2 Kings 21:1-18
2 Chronicles 32:33-33:

15. Amon 642-640

Son of Manasseh
Mother: Meshullemeth

2 Kings 21:18-26
2 Chronicles 33:20-25

16. Josiah 640-609

Son of Amon
Mother: Jedidiah

2 Kings 21:26-23:30
2 Chronicles 33:25-35:27

17. Eliakim/Jehoahaz 609

Son of Josiah
Mother: Hamutal

2 Kings 23:30-34
2 Chronicles 36:5-8

18. Jehoiakim ?

Brother of Eliakim Mother:

Zebidah

2 Kings 23:34-24:6
2 Chronicles 36:5-8

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Queen Of Heaven Cult: Divine Counterpart Of The Royal

Office of Queen Mother (Gebirah)
According to leading biblical scholars, The Queen of heaven "Asherah" was seen as the divine
counterpart (Consort) to The Office Gebrih (Queen Mother). In the Southern Kingdom of
Judah, religious tensions emerged at the beginning of the ninth century BCE. Due to religious
reforms ushered in by new kings, folk religions and practices became outlawed when they were
once tolerated. The Mother Who Held this Office was more than likely High Priestess of the
Queen of Heaven Cult, partaking in rituals inside of the temple and overseeing temple servants.
In the book of Proverbs there's verses that seems to hint towards rituals of a High Priestess.
The verses read as follow: Proverbs Chapter 8:1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath
hewn out her seven pillars (Possibly alluding to the construction of a temple): 2 She hath killed
her beasts (Meat offering); she hath mingled her wine (Drink offering) ; she hath also furnished
her table (Offering table) . 3 She hath sent forth her maidens (Temple servants) : she crieth
upon the highest places of the city (The High Places were associated with Places of worship) , 4
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. The biblical narrative
illustrates this in the case of King Asa, Who deprived his grandmother Ma`akah of the rank of
Gebirh because she had commissioned cultic statues of Asherah to be fashioned. It is in this
context that the cult of the goddess experienced great declined. Three Thousand pillar
Figurines, that is, female terracotta, many of them with strong emphasis on the breast (The
divine name of El Shaddai meaning "Self Sufficient one" the Hebrew noun
shad meaning breast) were found in the archeological strata of the ninth century BCE. Two
thousand of these figurines were found in Jerusalem alone.

ARTIFACTS OF THE QUEEN OF

HEAVAN CULT

Figurines Collection of the Mother Goddess 'Asherah' Israel Museum, Jerusalem (Left) A dove
and two bird-like female figures perch atop this Iron Age house shrine to symbolize Asherah and
her counterparts Astarte and Tanit. Credit: Ardon Bar Hama (RIGHT)

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ANCESTRESS OFFICE: QUEEN MOTHER OFFICE AMONGST

THE DIASPORA
After the nation of Israel split into two separate kingdoms (southern Judah, Northern Israel) the
office of Gebirh falls into obscurity. Most scholars believe after the various Israelite diasporas,
this office was long gone and forgotten. From months of research, I was able to uncover
evidence of the Royal Office of Gebirh (transliteration miggrh or Magira), still being held by
women amongst the Royal Courts of west Africa. The Ancient Kanem Empire was located in the
present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya. At its height it encompassed an area covering not
only much of Chad, but also parts of southern
Libya and eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria
and northern Cameroon. The "Mai" (king) was
the highest authority in the kingdom's political
structure. His mother, "Magira" (the queen
mother) is a very important and respected powerwielder. This office of Magira was a very
important institution, so much so it comprised of
three women title holders: Gumsu (The Kings
First wife) The Magara (The Kings Senior sister)
and finally The Magira (Queen Mother). The
three women performed important activities in the
palace of the Kings Court, they were charged
with the duty of training the princes. The Queen
Mother is known to have presided over the cult of
divine patroness (High Priestess) of the Royal
Dynasty. In the pre-Islamic period her power was
so great that she could sanction the king himself
and even depose him. This is illustrated in the
case of Mai Biri who was imprisoned on the
Magiras Orders, and Magira Asia controlled the
whole political life of the empire in his untimely
absence.

Seated: The Magira "Queen Mother" Two fully

clothed over here right and left is The Gumsu and
Magara 1932 West Africa

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MORE ARTIFACTS OF THE QUEEN MOTHER OF HEAVEN

Four Astarte figurines. Clay (around 1000 BCE) Iron Age II, Israel Museum (left) The goddess
Astarte, from the Hebron area, Israel. Pottery relief (around 1400 BCE) Late Bronze Age II
(RIGHT)

Openwork plaque with a "woman at the window" METROPOLITAN MUSEUM Period: NeoAssyrian Date: ca. 8th century B.C levant .(Right) elaborate ornament with pendants in her hair.
The image fits the description of Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30-37. The woman at the window with her
head adorned (above), is a frequent motif in the ancient near-Eastern world. Jezebel is
described like this immediately before her death (2 Kings 9:30-37).

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FURTHER READING & SOURCES

ASCRIBE TO THE LORD: BIBLICAL & OTHER ESSAYS IN MEMORY OF PETER C. CRAIGIE
EDITED BY PETER C. CRAIGIE, LYLE M. ESLINGER, GLEN TAYLOR PAGE 131-132
LOOKING THROUGH A GLASS BIBLE: POSTDISCIPLINARY BIBLICAL INTERPRETATIONS ...
EDITED BY AKM ADAM, SAMUEL TONGUE PAGE 147
COME AND SEE: THE RISE AND FALL OF ANCIENT ISRAEL BY FR. JOSEPH PONESSA, LAURIE MANHARDT,
SHARON DORAN
DICTIONARY OF THE HOLY BIBLE
BY AUGUSTIN CALMET PAGE 595
AMONG THE HOST OF HEAVEN: THE SYRO-PALESTINIAN PANTHEON AS BUREAUCRACY
BY LOWELL K. HANDY PAGE 74
THE ELIJAH ENIGMA: THE PROPHET, KING AHAB AND THE REBIRTH OF MONOTHEISM IN ...
BY HILLEL I. MILLGRAM PAGE 336
AGAPE BIBLE STUDY: RULERS OF JUDAH AND THEIR QUEEN MOTHERS (GEBIRAH)
FROM 930BC'587/6BC: ONE RULING FAMILY = THE HOUSE OF DAVID
(DATES FROM NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE TRANSLATION) WWW.AGAPEBIBLESTUDY.COM
A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE HOUSE: ROYAL WOMEN OF JUDAH AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN
THE HOUSE OF DAVID
INDIGENOUS AFRICAN INSTITUTIONS, 2ND EDITION
BY GEORGE AYITTEY PAGE 255
WOMANISM AND AFRICAN CONSCIOUSNESS
BY MARY EBUN MODUPE KOLAWOLE PAGE 45
HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF WOMEN IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA BY KATHLEEN SHELDON PAGE 207
BIBLICAL PATRIARCHS FROM A PRE-CANONICAL SOURCE MENTIONED IN THE DWN OF KANEM-BORNU
(LAKE CHAD REGION) BY DIERK LANGE

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