Gebirah


In the Hebrew Bible, Gebirah is a title ascribed to several queen mothers of Israel and Judah. Literally translated, it comes out to 'Great Lady'. However, given that this title is most often attributed to a queen mother, the two have become synonymous, and therefore gĕbîrâ is most often translated as 'Queen Mother'. When romanised, gĕbîrâ can be used as both a common noun or a proper noun, as with most royal titles. Although not present in the Masoretic Texts, the plural form gĕbîrôt is commonly used by academics to avoid the intra-word switching of gebirahs.
The gebirah is believed by some scholars to have held great power as counsel of the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba, seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you". William G. Most, a Catholic author, sees here a type of Mary. The position of the queen mother was a privilege of the highest honour, and was the highest authority for a woman in Israel or Judah. In fact, the only time a woman held higher office was in the case of Athaliah, who held the throne of Judah as queen in her own right, despite being illegitimate in the eyes of the scripture.
Due to certain references in the text, it is often theorised that there was a connection between the position of the gebirah and the worship of the Canaanite deity Asherah. Such theories are, however, subject to much scrutiny and debate, and no conclusive evidence is available to us at this time.
To further complicate matters, the word gĕberet occurs 9 times in the Masoretic Text. In comparison, gĕbîrâ occurs only 6 times. Scholars generally take one of two stances with gĕberet: either classing it as an acceptable variation of the word gĕbîrâ within the ketiv, or opting for a distinct separation of the two words, despite their converged meanings.