Queen Mother

QUEEN MOTHER

(gebhirah, literally, "mistress," then a female ruler, and sometimes simply the wife of a king ("queen," 1 Kings 11:19); in Daniel 5:10 the term malketha' "queen," really means the mother of the king): It stands to reason that among a people whose rulers are polygamists the mother of the new king or chief at once becomes a person of great consequence. The records of the Books of Kings prove it. The gebhirah, or queen mother, occupied a position of high social and political importance; she took rank almost with the king. When Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon, desired "to speak unto him for Adonijah," her son "rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand" (1 Kings 2:19). And again, in 2 Kings 24:15, it is expressly stated that Nebuchadnezzar carried away the king's mother into captivity; Jeremiah calls her gebhirah (29:2). The king was Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Jeremiah 29:2), and his mother's name was Nehushta (2 Kings 24:8). This was the royal pair whose impending doom the prophet was told to forecast (Jeremiah 13:18). Here again the queen mother is mentioned with the king, thus emphasizing her exalted position. Now we understand why Asa removed Maacah his (grand?)mother from being queen (queen mother), as we are told in 1 Kings 15:13 (compare 2 Chronicles 15:16). She had used her powerful influence to further the cause of idolatry. In this connection Athaliah's coup d'etat may be briefly mentioned. After the violent death of her son Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:27), she usurped the royal power and reigned for some time in her own name (2 Kings 11:3; compare 2 Chronicles 22:12). This was, of course, a revolutionary undertaking, being a radical departure from the usual traditions.

And finally, the political importance of the gebhirah is illustrated by the fact that in the Books of Kings, with two exceptions, the names of the Jewish kings are recorded together with those of their respective mothers; they are as follows: Naamah, the Ammonitess, the mother of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21; compare 14:31, and 2 Chronicles 12:13); Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom (1 Kings 15:2) or Absalom (2 Chronicles 11:20) the mother of Abijah; Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom, the mother (grandmother?) of Asa (1 Kings 15:10; compare 2 Chronicles 15:16); Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi, the mother of Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:42; compare 2 Chronicles 20:31); Athaliah, the grand-daughter of Omri, the mother of Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:26; compare 2 Chronicles 22:2); Zibiah of Beersheba, the mother of Jehoash (2 Kings 12:1; compare 2 Chronicles 24:1); Jehoaddin (Jehoaddan, 2 Chronicles 25:1) of Jerusalem, the mother of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:2); Jecoliah (Jechiliah, 2 Chronicles 26:3) of Jerusalem, the mother of Azariah (2 Kings 15:2) or Uzziah (2 Kings 15:13, 30, etc.; compare 2 Chronicles 26:3); Jerusha (Jerushah, 2 Chronicles 27:1), the daughter of Zadok, the mother of Jotham (2 Kings 15:33); Abi (Abijah, 2 Chronicles 29:1), the daughter of Zechariah, the mother of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:2); Hephzibah, the mother of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1); Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, the mother of Amon (2 Kings 21:19); Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath, the mother of Josiah (2 Kings 22:1); Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, the mother of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31); Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah, the mother of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36); Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem, the mother of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:8); Hamutal (Hamital), the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, the mother Of Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:18). The exceptions are Jehoram and Ahaz.

William Baur

1377. gebirah -- lady, queen
... Word Origin fem. of gebir Definition lady, queen NASB Word Usage queen (1), queen
mother (5). queen. Feminine of gbiyr; a mistress -- queen. see HEBREW gbiyr. ...
/hebrew/1377.htm - 6k

The Calm Before the Storm
... The Queen Mother accordingly appointed Frumentius as the tutor of the young King,
and Governor of the State, while his brother AEdesius was given a less ...
//christianbookshelf.org/forbes/saint athanasius/chapter 4 the calm before.htm

Knox in Scotland: Lethington: Mary of Guise: 1555-1556
... rebukes of a friend," so much as both the nobles and the people now began to detest
their French allies, and were jealous of the Queen Mother's promotion of ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter vii knox in scotland .htm

Knox and Queen Mary (Continued): 1563-1564
... Lethington, in France, had told the Queen- Mother that the Spanish plan was only
intended to wring concessions from Elizabeth; and, on his return to England ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter xvi knox and queen.htm

To Queen Giovanna of Naples (Written in Trance)
... LETTERS TO QUEEN GIOVANNA OF NAPLES (WRITTEN IN TRANCE ... nor you nor another ever so
bathed them or gave them that glorious rose, but only our Mother, Holy Church ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to queen giovanna of naples.htm

On the Worthy Praise of the Pure Queen of Heaven.
... comb. Even thou art called the mother, the Queen of Compassion, yes, tender
mother, yes, gentle mother of compassion! O what a name! ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter xvi on the worthy.htm

How Helena the Queen of Adiabene and Her Son Izates, Embraced the ...
... 5. But as to Helena, the king's mother, when she saw that the affairs of ... people died
for want of what was necessary to procure food withal, queen Helena sent ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how helena the.htm

Hail! Holy Queen, Enthroned Above
... Traditional Melody Salve Regina Coelitum. Andante moderato. 1. Hail, holy Queen,
enthron'd above O Maria! Hail, Mother of Mercy and of Love! O Maria! ...
/.../various/the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 83 hail holy queen.htm

To Giovanna Queen of Naples
... of Giovanna's salvation; one would think that even the hardened old Queen must have ...
Dearest mother in Christ sweet Jesus: I Catherine, servant and slave of the ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to giovanna queen of naples.htm

On the Unutterable Heart-Rending Grief of the Pure Queen of Heaven ...
... Pure Lady and noble Queen of Heaven and Earth, touch my stony heart with one of
thy ... My mother, my father, and all that my heart can express (such art Thou to me ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter xvii on the unutterable.htm

Asa
... In short, she was the evil genius of the kingdom, like the Chinese Queen-mother
of our own times, although, happily, Asa possessed a force of character which ...
//christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/asa.htm

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