A lot goes into the term a ‘good wife’. A good wife is a supportive wife who saves the day or a wife who is committed to building a happy home. Talking about good wives, there are many honorable mentions such as Rebecca, Lead, Rachel, Deborah, Esther, Elizabeth, Mary, Susanna, and Priscilla. These showed virtues such as faithfulness, wisdom, kindness, and devotion to their husbands and family. Though there are many good and exemplary wives, we will focus on the ones who saved their husbands’ lives or did something extraordinary such as:
1. Sarah, the wife of Abraham
Never was a woman so praised for her beauty in the Bible as Sarah was; twice she would have been snatched from Abraham by kings had it not been divine intervention, but she was a good and faithful woman. Sarah lived with her husband Abraham in Haran. At God’s command to Abraham, she journeyed with him from Haran into uncertainty and endured hardship with him as wanderers in the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1-5).
Twice she agreed to present herself as Abraham’s sister in foreign lands (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-18) in order to protect Abraham’s life. Knowing she was barren, Sarah tried to help Abraham have descendants by offering her maidservant Hagar to bear him a child (Genesis 16:1-3). Finally, God fulfilled His promise, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac in her old age (Genesis 21:1-3), setting the foundation for the nation Israel to be born. Her faith is praised in Hebrews 11:11, as she believed in God’s promise.
2. Ruth, the wife of Mahlon, later Boaz
Ruth was no Israelite, yet she resembled Sarah in faithfulness. Ruth was a Moabite who married Mahlon son of Naomi, an Israelite. They lived in Moab until Mahlon’s death. Mahlon had no child with Ruth and though Ruth could have easily returned to her family to start a new life, her faithfulness to her late husband made her continue to show love to Naomi, resolving to be with her and travel with her to Bethlehem, Israel.
In Bethlehem, Ruth worked hard to provide for Naomi by gleaning in the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:2-3). Her humility and diligence impressed Boaz, a kind and wealthy relative, who later married her as her kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 4:9-10). Through her marriage to Boaz, Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17) and an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).
3. Zipporah, the wife of Moses
Zipporah was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:21). She lived with Moses in Midian, where they raised their two sons. When God called Moses to deliver Israel, Zipporah journeyed with him toward Egypt (Exodus 4:20). On the way, the Lord sought to kill Moses, probably by inflicting him with a fatal sickness, and it was because Moses, as an Israelite, had not circumcised his son – by so doing he had ignored the covenant of circumcision which God made with Abraham.
Zipporah acted quickly, circumcising their son and touching Moses’ feet with the foreskin, saying, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me” (Exodus 4:24-26). Her swift action saved Moses’ life, allowing him to fulfill his divine mission. Though she later returned to Midian for a time, she reunited with Moses when Jethro brought her and her sons to Moses (Exodus 18:2-6).
4. Abigail, the wife of Nabal, later David
Abigail was another version of Zipporah – they were both discerning enough to save their husbands from death. Abigail and her husband Nabal, a wealthy man, lived in Maon, near Carmel (1 Samuel 25:2-3). One day, David sent his servants to Nabal to humbly ask him to supply them with food as a token of gratitude for what he and his men had done for Nabal. However, Nabal insulted David and refused to provide food for his men. (1 Samuel 25:10-13).
On hearing this, David and company made a move to attack Nabal. To save her household, Abigail, without telling her husband, quickly loaded food on donkeys – 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, etc. – and went to meet David on the way. She humbly pleaded for Nabal to be spared and acknowledged David’s future kingship (1 Samuel 25:23-31). Her wisdom and quick action saved Nabal’s life temporarily, but God later killed him (1 Samuel 25:38). After Nabal’s death, David recognized Abigail’s virtue and married her (1 Samuel 25:39-42).
Conclusion
Each of these women displayed characteristics of a good wife according to biblical teachings because of their faithfulness, wisdom, kindness, and devotion to God and family. These women also pass as women of faith and they will always be spoken of as models of good wives.