Women at the Window

The mother of Israel’s enemy, an angry wife who dares to critique God’s beloved, and the evil, foreign queen of Israel who must be destroyed, Sisera’s mother, Michal, and Jezebel are each presented as “women at the window.” In the biblical texts, the appearance of these three women at the window all mark death, or the end of households. Through a feminist close reading of these texts, Women at the Window gestures toward life.

“Professor Kohles’s praiseworthy feminist study skillfully dismantles the negative framing of Sisera’s mother, Michal, and Jezebel in the “woman in a window” motif, and persuasively discloses them as brave and honorable portraits.”
—Gina Hens-Piazza, Joseph S. Alemany Professor of Biblical Studies, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California

“Sarah Kohles, OSF, invites readers to take a look at Sisera’s mother, Michal, and Jezebel, three biblical women depicted at windows. An approachable read, Women at the Window is an insightful reminder of the significance of locations in biblical narratives and the contributions of feminist interpretations.”
—Jaime L. Waters, associate professor of Old Testament, Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry