women in the Pentateuch

Societies in the ancient Near East were of the patriarchal type. Israel no less than other nations was a patriarchal society. Characteristic in those societies was the lower status of women. The basic social and economic unit for Hebrew society was the family, headed by the father it was called beith-ab, literally, the fathers home . The federation, as a whole was organised around male heads of families. In turn, the religious community consisted of circumcised …

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