Category: motherhood

Every Mother Mentioned In The Bible

Some moms on this list were far better than others. The mom that loves God more than her own children couldn’t love them any more completely. She understands what biblical love is all about and she shows and showers it on her kids.

Dale Pollard

Did you know that there are 36 mothers explicitly named in the Bible? There’s several mentions throughout the canon where a mother is implied but no name is given (i.e., “the mother of Abijah,” 2 Chronicles 13:2). 

Here’s the list! 

Mothers in the Bible (In Order of Their First Appearance):

1. Eve (Genesis 3:20, 4:1-2)
• Mother of Cain, Abel, Seth, and other children (Genesis 4:25).
• First woman and mother of all humanity.

2. Sarah (Genesis 21:1-3)
• Mother of Isaac (son of Abraham).
• Key figure in the Abrahamic covenant.

3. Hagar (Genesis 16:15)
• Mother of Ishmael (son of Abraham).
• Egyptian servant of Sarah.

4. Rebekah (Genesis 25:21-26)
• Mother of Jacob and Esau (sons of Isaac).

5. Leah (Genesis 29:31-35)
• Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah (children of Jacob).

6. Rachel (Genesis 30:22-24)
• Mother of Joseph and Benjamin (sons of Jacob).

7. Bilhah (Genesis 30:4-7)
• Mother of Dan and Naphtali (sons of Jacob, through Rachel’s servant).

8. Zilpah (Genesis 30:9-12)
• Mother of Gad and Asher (sons of Jacob, through Leah’s servant).

9. Tamar (Genesis 38:18-30)
• Mother of Perez and Zerah (sons of Judah).

10. Asenath (Genesis 41:50-52)
• Mother of Manasseh and Ephraim (sons of Joseph).

11. Jochebed (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59)
• Mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (children of Amram).

12. Zipporah (Exodus 18:2-4)
• Mother of Gershom and Eliezer (sons of Moses).

13. Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20)
• Mother of Samuel (and other children, 1 Samuel 2:21).

14. Peninnah (1 Samuel 1:2-4)
• Mother of unnamed children (rival wife of Elkanah, Hannah’s husband).

15. Naomi (Ruth 1:2-4)
• Mother of Mahlon and Chilion (mother-in-law of Ruth).

16. Ruth (Ruth 4:13-17)
• Mother of Obed (son of Boaz).

17. Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:24)
• Mother of Solomon and other sons (wife of David).

18. Mother of Sisera (Judges 5:28)
• Unnamed mother of Sisera, mentioned in Deborah’s song.

19. Samson’s Mother (Judges 13:2-3)
• Unnamed wife of Manoah, mother of Samson.

20. Abijah (1 Kings 14:1)
• Mother of Jeroboam’s son (wife of Jeroboam, “Abishalom” in some texts).

21. Maacah (1 Kings 15:2)
• Mother of Asa (king of Judah), though possibly a grandmother in some interpretations.

22. Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31; 2 Kings 9:22)
• Mother of Ahaziah and Joram (wife of Ahab).

23. Athaliah (2 Kings 8:26)
• Mother of Ahaziah (king of Judah).

24. Huldah (2 Kings 22:14)
• Mother of unnamed children (wife of Shallum), noted as a prophetess.

25. Hamutal (2 Kings 23:31)
• Mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah (kings of Judah).

26. Zeruiah (1 Chronicles 2:16)
• Mother of Joab, Abishai, and Asahel (sister of David).

27. Abigail (1 Chronicles 2:16-17)
• Mother of Amasa (sister of David, distinct from David’s wife).

28. Esther’s Mother (Esther 2:7)
• Unnamed, mother of Esther (deceased, mentioned indirectly).

29. Job’s Wife (Job 2:9-10)
• Unnamed, mother of Job’s children (Job 1:2).

30. Hosea’s Wife (Gomer) (Hosea 1:3)
• Mother of Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi.

31. Isaiah’s Wife (Isaiah 8:3)
• Unnamed, mother of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (referred to as “the prophetess”).

32. Ezekiel’s Wife (Ezekiel 24:18)
• Unnamed, mother of unnamed children (died during Ezekiel’s ministry).

33. Elizabeth (Luke 1:13-60)
• Mother of John the Baptist (wife of Zechariah).

34. Mary (Matthew 1:18; Luke 2:7)
• Mother of Jesus (and her other children, Mark 6:3).

35. Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5)
• Mother of Timothy (wife of an unnamed Greek man).

36. Lois (2 Timothy 1:5)
• Mother of Eunice (grandmother of Timothy).

Some moms on this list were far better than others. The mom that loves God more than her own children couldn’t love them any more completely. She understands what biblical love is all about and she shows and showers it on her kids. 

Note: If you’re nerdy/curious, this is based on the NIV & ESV translations, compiled with the aid of Blue Letter’s Key-Word tool. 

A Poem For Mom On Her Birthday

Neal Pollard

My mom was born in the Delta of Mississippi on March 19, 1945, to H.E., Sr., and Isabelle Mitchell. She grew up working hard on the farm near Leland. Christ and the Bible were always at the center of the home, which she shared with two older brothers and two younger sisters. In 1962, she met my dad, a freshman Bible major from Freed-Hardeman College who came home with his buddy, her brother Larry, to Mississippi. Dad preached his second-ever sermon at Leland that Sunday, and dad and mom met. There was a spark between them strong enough that mom decided to attend FHC in 1963. They married in 1964, and mom has lived life as a preacher’s wife since then, setting up house in various places in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia, North Carolina, but mostly Georgia. She raised three children to adulthood as well as caring for three foster-children. She’s the master of cooking and living frugally, but we never felt deprived. She has been a master with a sewing machine, making many articles of clothing for my older sister, younger brother, and me. Yet, above all, she put Christ in our hearts from an early age. Though dad is retired from full-time work a few years ago, the church and Christian service are still at the heart of who they are.

Below is a poem I wrote for her on Mother’s Day, 2014. It still seems appropriate today on her 77th birthday. I could not be more proud of my mom, usually quiet and in the background, but one of the biggest-hearted, servant-minded people you will ever know.

Not a day goes by but that I remember something you said
Or did or showed me. I often play it out in my head
From when you read story books or sang to me
Or made breakfast for supper or tended a scraped knee
Peanut butter and chocolate sandwiches made me smile
Or strolls in the woods, identifying trees or flowers by the mile
When you helped me plant potatoes and saw me throw the cat
Or told me riddles and old sayings, cut my hair while I squirmingly sat
You made much of little but it felt like we had an abundant plenty
And you knew how to treat me when I was five, twelve and twenty
Homemade clothes I was proud of, and your gentle kind way
Mom, you’ve blessed me and shaped me. God bless you this day! 

MOM’S STEWARDSHIP OF CHILDREN

Neal Pollard
Feeding schedules, diaper changes, and runaway toddlers seem to consume a mother’s world for what seems like forever.  It may seem like an eternal duty, but those days very quickly pass.  What you learn in each new stage of your children’s development is that God gives you grace and strength to meet the challenges that accompany it.  Sleepless nights, drained energy, and unfinished housework discourage you.  Unappreciative, uncooperative children at times confront you.  Unsympathetic, clueless husbands may (though surely only rarely) irritate you.  But, you, ma’am, are doing important, yea, eternal work!

You hold more than a baby in your arms.  You lead more than a toddler or small child by the hand.  You mold and shape more than a child’s mind, social skills, and heart.  You, dear lady, are influencing this world and eternity.  As you rise to the challenges and succeed in keeping Christ in the center of your children’s hearts, you are partnering with God.  He can help you cope with the temporary trauma, the short-lived chagrin, and fleeting frustrations of motherhood.  God designed the home, and as such He designed it as a place where mother’s touch and influence would settle deep into the hearts and lives of those eternal souls you helped bring into existence.  You can dedicate them to God like Hannah did Samuel (1 Sam. 2:28).  You can sacrifice for them like Samson’s mother did for him (Jud. 13:13-14).  You can treasure the things about your children in your heart as Mary did about Jesus (Lk. 2:19).

In the meantime, while you are coping with the daily frustrations of motherhood, remember the words of Jan Dunlap:

Help me remember, when I feel it’s a chore,
The time will come when I’ll hold baby no more,
Asleep on my chest, the crib refused, the blanket,
the pacifier, gone unused.

What better place is there to lay baby’s head
Than against my heart, my arms her bed?

For children grow up and leave us behind
With only memories left to remind us
Of midnight walking and predawn rocking,
Of sweet, crying babies unable to sleep.

So, keep me patient and keep me awake
While I cradle this dear child,
And don’t let me begrudge another long night
With this baby, my darling, my joy, my delight.

The trials of motherhood are a relative moment.  The lessons you leave them last beyond a lifetime.  Thank you for willingly, lovingly, and righteously pursuing this important facet of God’s work on earth!
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