Gebirah

In the

Israel and Judah

.

Description

Literally translated, the title means '[Great] Lady', with the word being the feminine counterpart to gəḇīr (גְּבִיר), 'lord'. However, given that this title is most often attributed to a queen mother, the two have become synonymous, and therefore gəḇīrā is most often translated as 'Queen Mother'. When

Masoretic Texts, the plural form gəḇīrōṯ (גְּבִירוֹת) is commonly used by academics to avoid the intra-word switching

of "gebirahs".

The gebirah is believed by some scholars to have held great power as counsel of the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba, seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you". The position of the queen mother was a privilege of the highest honour, and was the highest authority for a woman in Israel or Judah. In fact, the only time a woman held higher office was in the case of Athaliah, who usurped the throne of Judah.

To further complicate matters, the word gəḇereṯ (גְּבֶרֶת; also גְּבִרְת gəḇīrət and גְבָרֶת gəḇāreṯ, meaning 'lady', 'mistress', or 'queen') occurs 9 times in the Masoretic Text. In comparison, gəḇīrā occurs only 6 times. Scholars generally take one of two stances with gəḇereṯ: either classing it as an acceptable variation of the word gəḇīrā within the ketiv (featuring a common qere), or opting for a distinct separation of the two words, despite their converged meanings.

In Christianity

William G. Most, a Catholic author, sees in the gebirah a type of Mary.^[1]

References

^ Most, William G. "Mary's Queenship", Our Lady in Doctrine and Devotion, 1994.

Gebirah

Description

In Christianity

References

Further reading

See also