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In theHebrew Bible,Gebirah (/ɡəbɪərˈɑː/gə-beer-Ah;Hebrew:גְּבִירָה,romanized: gəḇirā,lit. 'lady') is a title ascribed toqueen mothers ofIsrael and Judah.
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The title means "[Great] Lady," with the word being the feminine counterpart togəḇir (גְּבִיר) 'virile man, lord, hero.' However, given that this title is most often attributed to aqueen mother, the two have become synonymous and thereforegəḇirā is most often translated as such. Whenromanised, "gebirah" can be used as both a common noun ("a gebirah", "the gebirah") or a proper noun ("the Gebirah"), as with mostroyal titles. Although not present in theMasoretic Text, the plural formgəḇiroṯ (גְּבִירוֹת) is commonly used by academics to avoid theintra-word switching of "gebirahs".
Some scholars believe the gebirah held great power as counsel of the king. In1 Kings 2:20,Solomon said to his motherBathsheba, seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you". The position of the queen mother was a privilege of the highest honour. It was the highest authority for a woman inIsrael or Judah. The only time a woman held higher office was in the case ofAthaliah, who usurped thethrone of Judah.
To further complicate matters, the wordgəḇereṯ (גְּבֶרֶת; alsoגְּבִרְתgəḇirət andגְבָרֶתgəḇāreṯ, meaning 'lady', 'mistress', or 'queen') occurs nine times in theMasoretic Text. In comparison,gəḇīrā occurs only six times. Scholars generally take one of two stances withgəḇereṯ: either classing it as an acceptable variation of the wordgəḇirā within theketiv (featuring a commonqere), or opting for a distinct separation of the two words, despite their converged meanings.
William G. Most, a Catholic author, sees in thegebirah atype ofMary.[1]