Who were the ten women in the Bible who spoke the most? While it’s tempting to suggest some of the best known women in the Bible (Mary Magdalene; Mary, Sarah, Eve, etc.) none of them come close to being on the list. None of the women in the New Testament make the cut, and many of the top ten may be surprising…but totally worth knowing and remembering.

The Top Ten

1. Judith: A widow, a warrior, a murderer, and a woman of faith. 2689 words. accounts for almost 20 percent of total words spoken by women. (Judith/Apocrypha)
2. The Shulammite woman: A woman determined to find her lover and exalt in his love-physically, emotionally and spiritually. 1425 words. (The Song of Solomon)
3. Esther: A queen, a diplomat, and a hero who saves her people from annihilation. 1207 words. (Esther)
4. The mother of seven sons: A widow who was forced to watch her seven sons be tortured to death because of their faith, but urged them to be strong and not deny God. 616 words. (2, 4 Maccabees/Apocrypha)
5. Hannah: A mother, a wife, and a woman suffering from infertility who successfully and publicly negotiated with God for a child. 474 words. 1 Samuel 1-2
6. The Wise Woman of Tekoa: A wise elder, diplomat, and story-teller who helped convince King David to seek reconciliation with Absalom, his estranged son. 437 words. (2 Samuel 14:1-21)
7. Huldah: A prophet, wife, and resident of Jerusalem who could read,  understand and articulate ancient words that the king’s wisest men could not. 416 words. 2 Kings 22:14-20, (2 Chronicles 34:22-28)
8. Naomi: A stubborn widow who wants nothing more than to return to the land of her birth and die there. But she has a daughter-in-law who loves her dearly…and will not leave her side. 411 words. (The Book of Ruth)
9. Abigail: One of the greatest diplomats of all time. Her family is about to be slaughtered because her husband, in a drunken stupor, has loudly and stupidly insulted King David. Abigail whips up food and drink for hundreds of David’s troops and successfully negotiates her family’s freedom with David. 316 words. (1 Samuel 25; 2 Samuel 2:2, 3:2; 1 Chronicles 3:1)
10. Rebekah: Just a girl when she leaves home to marry a man sight unseen…and, twenty years later, gives birth to Esau and Jacob. One of the few women who talks individually with God and one of only two girls in the entire Bible to have a recorded dialogue with her mother. 293 words. (Genesis 24-27)

Compelling. Smart. Faithful and full of life. All worth knowing. All beloved daughters of God, whom this writer believes, must have made–and still make–God very proud.