what a writer notices about biblical beauty

Have you ever stopped to notice that the Bible doesn’t give a specific beauty standard?

Sure, it says that some women were beautiful . . . but it doesn’t say what color her hair was, what her size on a clothing rack was, or what features she did or didn’t have. The Bible seems a lot more interested in what the women DID with the time and resources they had.

Get a fresh perspective on biblical beauty with this week’s podcast episode.

NEED MORE HELP?

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NOTES ON TODAY’S EPISODE

We go over some women in the Bible, specifically women who were described as beautiful (in very general terms). Here are the women I note:

• Sarah
  • Description
    • Abraham told her “you are a woman beautiful in appearance”, Egyptians “saw that the woman was very beautiful”
  • Pros
    • God said He’d bless her (Genesis 17:15-17) 
    • God said He would make her not barren
    • Learn to trust God
  • Cons
    • Laughs and doesn’t believe God will make her have a child
• Rachel
  • Description
    • Beautiful in form and appearance (Genesis 29:17)
  • Pros
  • Cons
    • Jealousy
    • Going ahead of God . . . not trusting His timing
    • Gave son bad advice
• Esther
  • Description
    • had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at (Esther 2:7)
  • Pros
    • Used her womanly strategy to save her people
    • Became a leader, organized a fast
    • Respected Mordecai
    • Grew in bravery and put her life on the line to save her people
  • Cons
    • Was “overwhelmed with fear, deeply distressed” (Esther 4:4)
    • Orphan
    • Hid her heritage
• Abigail
  • Description
    • “Discerning and beautiful” (1 Samuel 25:4)
  • Pros
    • Used her womanly wisdom/strategy to talk David down
    • Handled her harsh husband well
    • Brave—rode a donkey to meet David and his men!!!
    • Humble—apologized for her husband
  • Cons
• Mary
  • Description
    • Virgin (pure)
    • Pondered 
    • “O favored one” (we are God’s favored ones!)
    • “Blessed are you among women)
  • Pros
    • She was pure
    • She was thoughtful
    • She trusted God
    • Just look at her Magnificat in Luke 1!!! She knew her God
  • Cons
    • Didn’t seem to quite understand God’s plan (freaked out when couldn’t find Jesus, freaked out when He died)