Women at Work in the Deuteronomistic History - International Voices ...

REASSESSING THE SOCIAL LOCATION OF FEMALE LABOR IN THE DTRH | 341
of children born is a sign that her role was regarded by some at least as “a
woman thing.” Above we discussed some of the possible tasks the midwife took
before and after delivery. Supposing for a moment she did not have a key role in
determining the appropriate time for conception and prenatal care and that all
she did was to be present and help during delivery, it must have been obvious
even to men that the lives of mother and newborn depended on her; a power also
recognized to Shiphrah and Puah in their encounter with Pharaoh in Exod 1.
And if that story can be believed in any way as to midwives’ social location,
their reply to Pharaoh shows the popular theme of the underdog’s wit to trick the
powerful. Of course, one could argue that this was necessary for the Exodus
scenario (being slaves in Egypt under a powerful ruler) but did not apply to
Israelite midwives in Israel’s later times. I would rather argue that both that
story and the Dtr’s neglect of their contributions reflect the androcentric
perspective by which only issues élite men deem important were/ are recorded as
universally valid. From the woman’s perspective the midwife must have been a
welcome and needed comfort at a time of danger as delivery was. According to
Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Gula, the Sumerian patroness of healing, continued to
share this privileged position with her son and co-worker Damu. What is
indicative of the prominence of women in healing is the process, evident along
the centuries, by which several goddesses lost their place as men took over the
profession. 28
At any rate, midwives are never judged according to their sexuality, neither
on their faithfulness to a husband, nor on their “shame” as related to staying
home, secluded from strange men. It is quite obvious that a midwife worked
often at her patroness’s home. Perhaps it would be fruitful to look at her as
someone who, because of her contact with blood, kept men away from her.
The Wet Nurse
Judging from those stories in the Bible from which some information can be
gleaned about wet nurses, they seem to have belonged to the lower echelons of
society. The close relationship they established with the children they fed often
lasted as long as they lived, thus possibly adding to the honor ascribed them. As
Rebekah left her homeland to marry Isaac, she goes accompanied by her wet
nurse, whose name and burial place are recorded (Gen 24:59; 35:8). The story
seems to imply that Deborah had remained a servant or slave at Rebekah’s
household. The dialogue between Moses’ mother and Pharaoh’s daughter points
to a different type of service, in which the child was taken to the wet nurse’s
home and raised in exchange for a hire. Second Kings 11:2 involves a dependent
28 Frymer-Kensky, Wake, 42–44.