Prior to Eve’s creation, God declared: “I am going to make a helper for him [Adam], as a complement of him.” (Genesis 2:18) Does the word “complement” imply that the woman was inferior to the man? No, because this Hebrew word can also be rendered “counterpart” or “a help corresponding to” man. Think of the complementary roles played by a surgeon and an anesthetist during surgery. Can one manage without the other? Hardly! Though the surgeon performs the actual operation, is he more important? It is hard to say. Likewise, God created the man and the woman to cooperate closely, not to compete with each other.—Genesis 2:24.
Unlike women in many other nations in ancient times, the Israelite woman enjoyed a great measure of freedom. Though the husband was given the role of the head of the family, the wife, with her husband’s full trust, could ‘consider a field and obtain it’ and ‘plant a vineyard.’ If she had skills in spinning and weaving, she could even run her own business. (Proverbs 31:11, 16-19) Women under the Mosaic Law were seen as individuals in their own right and not as just an appendage to man.
As party to the Law covenant, women were invited to listen to the reading of the Law, which provided them with opportunities to learn. (Deuteronomy 31:12; Nehemiah 8:2,*8) They could also receive training for participation in certain aspects of public worship. For example, some women likely did “organized service” at the tabernacle, while others performed in a mixed choir of singers.—Exodus 38:8; 1*Chronicles 25:5,*6.
Many women had the knowledge and skill needed to run a profitable business. (Proverbs 31:24) Contrary to the culture in other nations at that time—in which the father alone taught his sons—the Israelite mother was to share in educating her male children until adulthood. (Proverbs 31:1) Obviously, women in ancient Israel were far from being uneducated.
The Ten Commandments clearly stipulated: “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12) In the proverbs of wise King Solomon, we read: “Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.”—Proverbs 1:8.
The Law included detailed regulations regarding conduct among unmarried persons, showing respect for females. (Leviticus 18:6,*9; Deuteronomy 22:25,*26) A good husband had to take into account his wife’s physical and biological limitations.—Leviticus 18:19.
Under the Mosaic Law, women enjoyed an honorable status, and their rights were respected. However, from the fourth century B.C.E. on, Judaism started to be influenced by Greek culture, which regarded women as inferior.