Are there any biblical accounts of women performing a miracle from God?

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Philip's daughters may fit the bill, depending on whether you consider prophecy to be miraculous (see this related overview).

8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. [Acts 21:8-9 ESV]

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There are two places in scripture my mind goes to in response to this question:

  1. The woman with the issue of blood (cf. Matthew 9:20–22, Mark 5:25–34, Luke 8:43–48) - Who 'performed' this miracle? Whether it was Jesus, the woman or both of them is dependant on a specific theology of miracles and various Christians will differ, but at least some (if not a majority) of Charismatics and Pentecostals will acknowledge the woman played a vital role in performing this miracle.

Similar reasoning would also apply to

  1. The women who received their dead back to life in Hebrews 11:35.

Upvote:0

You asked for scripture; so, this might not suffice. But recorded in a midrash are possible miracles linked to the Judge and prophetess Deborah. She is asked to pray for them going into battle and several miracles occur.

The midrash attributes the great salvation for Israel to the merit of Deborah and Barak (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah, Chap. 12, 58–59) and the Rabbis tell of the various miracles that were performed for Israel during the war: the sun stood still, and night became day (Eccl. Rabbah 3:14:1); another midrash lists six miracles that were performed on that day (the miracle was that the day was greatly extended, and these six things that happened in the course of it should have occurred over the course of many days): all on that same day, the Israelites came to Deborah and asked her to pray to the Lord about Sisera, Deborah sent for Barak, Barak rallied the soldiers, the war was conducted, Sisera was killed, and the booty was divided. Consequently, they sang that day, as it is said (5:1): “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang” (Eccl. Rabbah 3:14:1).

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/deborah-2-midrash-and-aggadah

You'll find the battle in Judges 4. Deborah has a song in Judges chapter 5 about the battle. Judges 5:7 reads (NIV),

"Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel."

Judges 4:6-9 (ESV) reads,

6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

Is Deborah saying that she would give them into their hand, or is she referencing what God has said? All miracles from God's people are coming from God, of course.

Judges 4:14.

"And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand."

As we read on Sisera's army is defeated, and he runs on foot and takes refuge inside the tent of a woman named Jael.

"20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died."

So, Deborah prophesied that God would deliver the enemy into their hands and that a woman would kill the general leading the enemy's army, Sisera. But I'm not sure if we can equate predicting the future with performing a miracle.

Upvote:1

Although this might not fit the category of 'miracle', it's still noteworthy:

98 years after Israel was taken into Assyrian captivity, and 35 years before the Temple would be burned and Judah taken into Babylonian captivity, in the 18th year of Josiah king of Judah, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law. When it was read to the king, Josiah said,

“Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

They went to a woman named Huldah who was a prophetess, and she gave a "Thus sayeth the LORD", foretelling the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. (2 Kings 24, 2 Chronicles 34)

In another instance, after Samuel had died, King Saul was facing certain defeat and he consulted a medium to conduct a séance in order to speak to Samuel again. This account can be found in 1 Samuel 28, and is probably closer to your question of "A miracle from God through a woman."

Those are the only two I can think of off the top of my head.

Upvote:1

There are around a hundred miracles, all of which were performed by men. With one exception, the witch at Endor. 1 Samuel 28:7-12 The Bible's different treatment of women is pretty obvious.

And we are so very afraid to discuss the wonderful differences between men and women, that we can't even admit there is a difference. Our biggest mistake is thinking the Bible is wrong about the matter.

This post answers the question directly, but also hijacks the post to address the implication that the question poses. I will just let the Bible speak for itself.

Genesis 3:16

. . . and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Numbers 30:13

Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.

It is not just the Old Testament. The New has much more to say.

1 Corinthians 14:34, 35

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Ephesians 5:22-24

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

1 Timothy 2:11-14

11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Colossians 3:18

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

1 Peter 3:1

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands;

Peter 3:5,6

5For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: 6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Upvote:5

I'm assuming this isn't quite what you're looking for, but it would feel wrong to not mention this important miracle:

A virgin woman gave birth. Matthew 1:23-25.

It could probably be argued that everything Jesus Christ did in his life is "a miracle from God through a woman". Without Mary miraculously giving Jesus Christ the gift of life, he wouldn't have had a life to sacrifice - which would have made the New Testament a much shorter book.

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