God gives examples of good people and bad people, including examples of bad mothers in the Bible. Partly the reason why God gives examples of wicked women is because the Bible is among other things a book of human history. Also, it is a reminder that God sees all things and that He will bring all things into judgment, both good deeds and evil.
The role of a mother is an important one. It should be that a good mother is a teacher of virtuous things and a role model of godly wisdom to her children. But like every other human, women are sinners too.
It may be easy for us to self-righteously shake our finger at some of these less-than-perfect mothers and think that we would never do what they did. The truth is that all are sinners and every one of us can be just as evil or even do worse things than some of these infamous women contained in God’s Word.
If nothing else, the examples of bad mothers in the Bible can serve as important lessons for us today not to follow their examples.
Here is a list of 6 women, complete with the corresponding Bible verses, that serve as examples of bad moms of the Bible. Not everything they did was wrong but for some of these women, their only claim to historical fame is their wickedness or in the case of some, just a single bad decision that marred their character for ages to come.
Eve – The Deceived Mother
The book of Genesis describes the first woman – Eve.
She was also the first mother.
She was the perfect woman in every way.
She was the mother of all living – Genesis 3:20
God created her from a rib of Adam, the first man. After He created her, He brought her to Adam. When Adam saw this delightful creature that was very similar to him but at the same time, rather different, he exuberantly exclaimed about her: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. – Genesis 2:23 (KJV)
If Eve told Adam he was the best man in the entire world she wasn’t just being biased, she was being truthful. They lived in Paradise, and they lived on love. Everything was according to God Himself, “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and Adam and his wife Eve basked in God’s goodness.
But when Satan wanted to destroy God’s wonderful creation, he focused on the woman. He tempted and beguiled Eve, and she ate the forbidden fruit. Because of Eve’s transgression, the severe consequences of sin entered the world.
1 Timothy 2:14
"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (KJV)
After Eve sinned, God had some things to say. With His harsh rebuke and the resulting punishment also came a very wonderful but enigmatic promise. God speaking to the serpent said these words, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.: – Genesis 3:15 (KJV)
God promised to bring a “seed of the woman”, an offspring that would bruise the serpent’s head – a fatal blow to him.
Then Eve conceived and had the first baby.
They named this baby Cain. And Eve exclaimed happily, “I have gotten a man from the LORD.” -Genesis 4:1 (KJV)
Eve may have sincerely felt that this first baby, this boy, was the fulfillment of God’s promise.
He was special. He was the first. And she may have spoiled him. She didn’t have any MOPS meetings to give her parenting tips and if she believed that his son was the promised seed, then possibly he could do no wrong in her eyes.
Fast forward some years.
Adam and Eve taught their sons to sacrifice to the LORD with animal sacrifices and they possibly did.
But one time, when Cain came to sacrifice to the LORD, he brought what he wanted, not what God required. When God questioned him about his sacrifice, Cain rebelled. If he could get away with everything with his mom, surely he could with God too. Instead of correcting his offering, bringing what God required, and God gave him space to do so, instead, he killed his brother.
Eve, the deceived mother, also gave birth to the first murderer.
Rachel – The Idolatrous Mother
Jacob, the son of Rebekah, had to leave home, fleeing for his life, in fear of his brother. When he arrived at his uncle Laban’s house, he met Laban’s daughter Rachel and fell in love. When Laban asked Jacob what kind of wages he would like, Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for the privilege of marrying Rachel.
Finally, after seven years passed, Jacob and Rachel were to be married. All went as planned but, in the morning, Jacob awoke from his wedding bed only to realize that he had consummated his marriage vows with Laban’s older daughter Leah, not Rachel! Laban tricked Jacob.
The very next week Jacob married Rachel. Now Jacob had two young women as his wives but Leah was hated.
Genesis 29:31
“And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.” (KJV)
God saw that Leah was hated. The context seems to explain that although Leah was not Jacob’s favorite wife, he did not hate her, it was Rachel who hated her sister.
God blessed Leah with children, six sons and one daughter.
Rachel had an overwhelming desire for children, her anger and jealousy at being childless is reflected in these verses to her husband.
Genesis 30:1&2
“And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” (KJV)
God finally did allow her to have a son. She named him Joseph.
But she wanted more children, more sons.
Rachel was a religious woman. But she did not have faith in God.
She turned to idols in hopes of bearing more children.
Genesis 31:19
“And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.” (KJV)
The images that Rachel stole from her father were family gods, possibly fertility gods. They were important to Laban and were important also to Rachel.
When Laban came looking for his idols, Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had them, said these awful words:
“With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.” Genesis 31:32 – (KJV)
Rachel trusted in gods to give her children, rather than the one true God.
Rachel threatened to die if Jacob would not give her children and then unknowingly Jacob offered death to whomever had stolen his father-in-law’s idols. Both references of death were indirectly related to Rachel’s inability to bear children and it seemed to be a foreshadow of Rachel’s death.
God finally did bless Rachel with another child, another son, but she died in childbirth.
Genesis 35:18&19
“And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.” (KJV)
God both grants life and takes life away.
Lot’s Wife – The Godless Mother
Lot’s wife is one of the unnamed mothers of the Bible who had at least four daughters. Lot separated from his godly uncle Abraham and did not see the potential harm when he pitched his tent toward the ungodly city of Sodom.
From the actions of Lot, it seems that neither he nor his wife had a fear of God since they seemed to happily settle into this ungodly city. Lot even had a seat at the city gate, a place of influence. Soon at least two of Lot’s daughters married men of Sodom.
When the angels came to warn Lot about God’s plan to destroy the city, Lot resisted, and the Bible does not record that his wife believed the angels either.
Genesis 19:15
“And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. (KJV)
When Lot, his wife, and their two youngest daughters fled from Sodom to the city of Zoar, the angels told them specifically not to look back. The younger sisters were with them as they fled but Lot’s wife may have looked behind hoping to catch a glimpse of her other daughters also fleeing for their lives. This act of disobedience cost resulted in her being turned into a pillar of salt.
While she was a concerned mother, which was a good trait, what was bad was that before these dire consequences, she was not a godly wife or a God-fearing mother. Had she been she may have saved both herself and her family from much heartbreak.
Sarah – The Faithless Mother
The story of Isaac, the son of Sarah and Abraham is about a lack of faith.
God promised Abram a child. But years went by, and his wife Sarai was unable to conceive. Yet God still told Abram that he would have a child. Sarai was past the time of natural childbearing years but since God promised her husband a child, she figured that she may never be a biological mother.
Sarai had many qualities of a godly mother, but she was not perfect. She doubted the word of the Lord. So she got a great idea. She would have a child via a surrogate! That way, her husband would be a biological father, just as God said, and she would raise the child.
Genesis 16:2
“And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” (KJV)
Sarai’s maid was named Hagar. Abram married Hagar, so she technically wouldn’t be a single mother and then got her pregnant with his son Ishmael.
Genesis 16:16
“And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.” (KJV)
Sarai was ten years younger than Abram, so when Ishmael was born, she was seventy-six years old.
But it was never God’s will for Abram to have a son with Hagar, Abram’s son was to be born to his aged wife Sarai.
But first God had to do something. He changed both their names.
Genesis 17:5
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. (KJV)
Genesis 17:15-17
“And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” (KJV)
When God changed their names. He inserted the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, pronounced “hey” into both their names. Some Bible scholars believe this single letter represented the breath or even spirit of God.
After their names were changed to Abraham and Sarah, God promised that Sarah would have a child, but she still did not believe this word of God.
Genesis 18:12-14
“Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (KJV)
Sarah became the mother of Isaac when she was ninety years old. The name Isaac means “laughter”. Sarah laughed in disbelief at the word of the Lord when He said He would give her a child and when God did do as He promised, the wife of Abraham laughed with joy.
Athaliah – The Jealous Mother
Athaliah was a relation of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Ahab, king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel introduced Baal worship to the Hebrew people. It is not surprising that this close relative is included in the list of most notorious bad mothers in the Bible. Athaliah had bad parental influences and she learned her lessons well.
Athaliah was the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah – an evil king. The Bible says that his mother was his counsel for wickedness.
2 Chronicles 22:2&3
Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. (KJV)
After Ahaziah was killed by Jehu, Athaliah his mother instead of helping another of her sons or grandsons take the throne, which was the custom, rather Athaliah was jealous of her children and destroyed all of her relatives’ sons, nephews, and grandsons except for one baby.
2 Kings 11:1&2
“And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.” (KJV)
The wicked Athaliah was power-hungry and ruthless, determined to have the throne of the kingdom of Judah for herself. She succeeded. She reigned for six years in Judah, while unbeknownst to her, one of her grandsons who escaped her deadly wrath, had been hidden and grew up in the temple of the LORD.
This was a good place to hide him since Athaliah was a worshipper of the false god Baal and probably distanced herself from God’s place of worship.
When this grandson Joash was seven years old, the priest of God, Jehoiada decided that it was time for the rightful king to take his place on the throne. So he arranged a coronation ceremony for this child king, even while he provided great protection for him knowing that Queen Athaliah would try to kill him when she realized that she had an heir to the throne.
When Athaliah heard the joyful noise of the coronation went to see what was happening, and saw her grandson, she tore her clothing and screamed “Treason, treason”.
The priest Jehoiada had her followed out of the temple and executed.
Her grandson Joash, then ruled over Judah with the help and Godly advice of the priest Jehoiada.
Herodias-The Murdering Mother – Mark 6: 17-29
In the New Testament, there are also examples of bad mothers.
Herodias, the mother of Salome, was originally married to her husband Philip. History seems to indicate that she had an affair with King Herod Antipas which resulted in her leaving Philip and marrying Antipas.
Whether her decision and Herod’s wooing her to him was a result of lust, sibling rivalry, or a combination of all three, there is no reasoning as to why this occurred. Nevertheless, whatever the motive may have been, their union was adulterous, and John the Baptist publicly denounced it.
Matthew 14:3&4
“For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.” (KJV)
Speaking out against the sins of the leaders was not politically correct. Guilty Herodias hated that her indiscretion with her husband was rebuked. However, she was powerless to do anything about John the Baptist.
Instead of repenting of her sin, Herodias wanted to kill the messenger – John the Baptist. But despite her elevated political position, she could not.
Until one day, the opportune moment occurred.
It was Herod’s birthday. For his birthday present, she had her daughter, Salome, dance for the birthday boy. Historians believe this famous dance was sultry, suggestive, stimulating, and provocative. Whatever she did, Herod liked what he saw, a lot.
When the dance was over, he offered Herodias’ daughter anything she wanted, “Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” – Mark 6:23 (KJV)
Salome didn’t know what to say to this very generous offer. So she went to her mother to ask for a suggestion. Instead of rewarding her daughter by asking for something that would benefit her, Herodias realized that she had an excellent opportunity to get something that she wanted, and she wanted badly. So she told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist. She told her daughter that she wanted a man dead.
Not only was this evil, but when Herodias included her daughter in her deadly scheme, she made her daughter implicit with the murder.
Salome obeyed her mother and requested from Herod, both the death of John and proof of it – his head – just as her murderous mother requested.
Although Herod was reluctant, he felt he had to honor his hasty vow to Herodias’ daughter and ordered John the Baptist executed.
These examples of bad mothers in the Bible are given for our examples. The stories of these women should be a cautionary tale, a warning that without the discipline of obeying the Word of God and obeying the Holy Spirit of God, we too can make some very serious errors.
For another interesting Bible Study article check out The Bible Definition of Sanctuary.
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