be preached in all the world, “what this woman did shall also be told as a remembrance of her.” (Matt. 26:6-13; John 12:1-8) Women were among those to whom Jesus especially appeared on the day of his resurrection, and women were among those to whom he appeared later.—Matt. 28:1-10; John 20:1-18.

FIGURATIVE USE

In several instances women are used symbolically to represent congregations or organizations of people. They also are employed to symbolize cities. Christ’s congregation is spoken of as his “bride,” also called “the holy city, New Jerusalem.”—John 3:29; Rev. 21:2, 9; 19:7; compare Ephesians 5:23-27; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:34, 35.

Jehovah spoke to the congregation or nation of Israel as his “woman,” he being as a “husbandly owner” to her by reason of the Law covenant relationship between them. In restoration prophecies he speaks to Israel in this way, sometimes directing his words to Jerusalem, the governing city of the nation. The “sons and daughters” (Isa. 43:5-7) of this woman were the members of the nation of Israel.—Isa. 51:17-23; 52:1, 2; 54:1, 5, 6, 11-13; 66:10-12; Jer. 3:14; 31:31, 32.

The “woman” of Genesis 3:15

At the time that he sentenced humankind’s parents, Adam and Eve, God gave the promise of a seed that would be brought forth by the “woman,” and who would crush the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15) Here was a “sacred secret” that God purposed in his due time to reveal. (Col. 1:26) Some factors in the circumstances existing at the time of the prophetic promise provide clues as to the ‘woman’s’ identity. Since her seed was to crush the serpent’s head, he would have to be more than a human seed, for the Scriptures show that it was not to a literal snake on the ground that God’s words were aimed. The “serpent” is shown at Revelation 12:9 to be Satan the Devil, a spirit person. Consequently, the “woman” of the prophecy could not be a human woman, such as Mary the mother of Jesus. The apostle sheds light on the matter at Galatians 4:21-31; see SEED.

In this passage the apostle speaks of Abraham’s free wife and of his concubine Hagar, and says that Hagar corresponds to the literal city of Jerusalem under the Law covenant, her “children” being the citizens of the Jewish nation. Abraham’s wife Sarah, Paul says, corresponds to the “Jerusalem above,” who is the spiritual mother of Paul and his spirit-begotten associates. This heavenly “mother” would be also the “mother” of Christ, who is the oldest among his spiritual brothers, all of whom spring from God as their Father.—Heb. 2:11, 12.

It would follow logically and in harmony with the Scriptures that the “woman” of Genesis 3:15 would be a spiritual “woman.” And corresponding to the fact that the “bride” or “wife” of Christ is not an individual woman, but a composite one, made of many spiritual members (Rev. 21:9), the “woman” who brings forth God’s spiritual sons, God’s ‘wife’ (prophetically foretold in the words of Isaiah and Jeremiah as cited in the foregoing), would be made up of many spiritual persons. It would be a composite body of persons, an organization, a heavenly one.

This “woman” is described in John’s vision, in Revelation chapter 12. She is shown as bringing forth a son, a ruler who is to “shepherd all the nations with an iron rod.” (Compare Psalms 2:6-9; 110:1, 2.) This vision was given to John long after Jesus’ human birth and also after his anointing as God’s Messiah. Since it obviously has to do with the same person, it must have reference, not to Jesus’ human birth, but to some other event, namely, his being installed in Kingdom power. So the birth of God’s Messianic kingdom was here pictured.

Satan is shown later as persecuting the “woman,” and making war with “the remaining ones of her seed.” (Rev. 12:13, 17) The “woman” being heavenly, and Satan by this time being hurled down to the earth (Rev. 12:7-9), he could not reach those heavenly persons of whom the “woman” was made up, but he could reach the remaining ones of her “seed” or children, the “brothers” of Jesus Christ still on earth. In that way he persecuted the “woman.”

In many instances other nations or cities are referred to as feminine or as women. A few are: Moab (Jer. 48:41), Egypt (Jer. 46:11), Rabbah of Ammon (Jer. 49:2), Babylon (Jer. 51:13), and symbolic Babylon the Great.—Rev. 17:1-6; see DAUGHTER; BABYLON THE GREAT.

Other uses

In foretelling famine conditions to come upon Israel if they disobeyed and broke his covenant, God said: “Ten women will then actually bake your bread in but one oven and give back your bread by weight.” The famine would be so great that ten women would need only one oven, whereas they would each use one in normal times.—Lev. 26:26.

After warning Israel of the calamities that would come upon her for unfaithfulness, Jehovah said, through Isaiah the prophet: “And seven women will actually grab hold of one man in that day, saying: ‘We shall eat our own bread and wear our own mantles; only may we be called by your name to take away our reproach.’” (Isa. 4:1) In the preceding two verses (Isa. 3:25, 26) God pointed out that Israel’s men would fall by war. So he was telling Israel of the inroads such conditions would make on the manpower of the nation, creating such a shortage that several women would attach themselves to one man. They would be glad to take his name and have some male attentions, even if they had to share him with other women. They would accept polygamy or concubinage to have some little part in a man’s life. Thereby some of the reproach of widowhood or of the unmarried state, and childlessness, would be removed.

In a prophecy comforting Israel, Jehovah said: “How long will you turn this way and that, O unfaithful daughter? For Jehovah has created a new thing in the earth: A mere female will press around an able-bodied man.” (“The woman woos the man!” AT) (Jer. 31:22) Up until then Israel, with whom God was in the relationship of marriage by reason of the Law covenant, was turning “this way and that” in unfaithfulness. Now Jehovah invites the “virgin of Israel” to set up road marks and signposts to guide her back and to fix her heart upon the highway that leads back. (Vs. 21) Jehovah will put his spirit in her so that she will be most eager to come back. Thus, as a wife would press around her husband in order to get back into good relations with him, so Israel would press around Jehovah God in order to get back into good relations with him as her husband.

“The desire of women”

Of the “king of the north,” Daniel’s prophecy says that “to the god of his fathers he will give no consideration; and to the desire of women and to every other god he will give no consideration, but over everyone he will magnify himself. But to the god of fortresses, in his position he will give glory.” (Dan. 11:37, 38) “Women” here may represent the weaker nations who become ‘handmaids’ of the “king of the north,” as weaker vessels. They have their gods that they desire and worship, but the “king of the north” disregards them and pays homage to a god of militarism.

The symbolic “locusts”

In the vision of the symbolic “locusts” at Revelation 9:1-11, these locusts are depicted as having “hair as women’s hair.” In harmony with the Scriptural principle that the woman’s long hair is a sign of her subjection to her husbandly head, the hair of these symbolic “locusts” must represent the subjection of those whom they symbolize to the one who is shown in the prophecy to be head and king over them.—See ABADDON.

144,000 ‘not defiled with women’

The 144,000 shown in Revelation as standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion are said to have been “bought from the earth. These are the ones that did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins.” These are shown as having a more intimate relationship with the Lamb than any others, being the only ones to master the “new song.” (Rev. 14:1-4) This would indicate that they make up the “bride” of the Lamb. (Rev. 21:9) They are spiritual persons, as revealed by the fact that they stand on the heavenly Mount Zion with the Lamb. Therefore their ‘not defiling themselves with women’ and their being “virgins” would not mean that none of these 144,000 persons had ever been married, for the Scriptures do not forbid marriage to persons on earth who are to be joint heirs with Christ. (1 Tim. 3:2; 4:1, 3) Neither would it imply that all the 144,000 were men, for “there is neither male nor female” as far as the spiritual relationship of Christ’s joint heirs is concerned. (Gal. 3:28) The “women” therefore must be symbolic women, doubtless religious organizations such as Babylon the Great and her ‘daughters,’ false religious organizations, the joining of and participation in which would prevent one from being spotless. (Rev. 17:5) This symbolic description harmonizes with the requirement in the Law that the high priest of Israel could take only a virgin for his wife, for Jesus Christ is Jehovah’s great High Priest.—Lev. 21:10, 14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Heb. 7:26.

With reference to Jesus’ addressing Mary as “woman,” see MARY No. 1 (Respected, Loved by Jesus).

WOMB

Jehovah is the Creator of the womb (Gen. 2:22), and the One able to make it fruitful (Gen. 29:31; 30:22; 49:25) or unproductive. (Gen. 20:18) Sarah’s womb was ‘dead,’ or beyond power of childbearing, when Jehovah restored that power to her. (Rom. 4:19; Gen. 18:11, 12; 21:1-3) The Bible points out that Jehovah is responsible for the process of formation of an embryo in the womb, showing that the design of the human in the womb is according to God’s pattern and not by chance or evolution. (Job 31:15; compare Job 10:8; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 45:9.) The womb being created specifically for the propagation of the race, the “restrained womb” is listed as one of four things that have not said: “Enough!”—Prov. 30:15, 16.

Since the womb is located in the general area of the body known as the “belly,” the Hebrew word for “belly” is often used with primary reference to the womb, as at Genesis 25:23; Deuteronomy 7:13; Psalm 127:3.—See BELLY.

God, as the womb’s Designer, can also see exactly what is being formed in it. He can read the hereditary traits being built into the unborn child and determine what use He wants to make of the individual, if He so desires.—Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:15; compare Romans 9:10-13.

Jehovah commanded Israel: “Sanctify to me every male first-born that opens each womb among the sons of Israel, among men and beasts. It is mine.” (Ex. 13:2) In human births, this had reference to the father’s first male child.—See FIRSTBORN, FIRSTLING.

Jesus pointed out that his mother Mary was not to be honored above others who serve God. On an occasion when he was teaching, a woman cried out: “Happy is the womb that carried you and the breasts that you sucked!” Jesus replied: “No, rather, Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!” (Luke 11:27, 28) Later, as Jesus was led away to the torture stake, he gave a prophecy concerning Jerusalem’s coming destruction, telling the women weeping for him that days were coming in which people would say: “Happy are the barren women, and the wombs that did not give birth.” (Luke 23:27-29) This was fulfilled in 70 C.E. when more than a million Jews, including young children, were slaughtered and thousands were taken into captivity, to be sold into slavery.

The Jewish ruler and Pharisee Nicodemus, on hearing Jesus’ statement, “Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” asked: “How . . . ? He cannot enter into the womb of his mother a second time and be born, can he?” Jesus then explained that this new birth is, not from a human womb, but “from water and spirit.”—John 3:1-8.

FIGURATIVE USE

“Womb” is employed at times with reference to the source of something. In speaking about creative works toward the earth, Jehovah speaks of the sea as bursting forth “from the womb.” (Job 38:8) Jehovah says to David’s Lord that in the day of his military force this one will have willing volunteers “like dewdrops” from “the womb of the dawn” (from where comes the morning dew).—Ps. 110:1-3.

WOOL

The soft curly hair that forms the fleece of certain animals, particularly sheep, was shorn and used extensively by the Hebrews and others of ancient times to make clothing and for doing embroidery work. (Ex. 35:4-6, 25; 36:8, 35, 37; 38:18; 39:1-8, 22-29; Lev. 13:47; Prov. 31:13, 22; Ezek. 34:3) Woolen clothing provides insulation from heat and cold and is comfortable, imparting warmth without great weight and absorbing moisture though not feeling damp to the wearer.

Under the Law, the Israelites were required to give the “first of the shorn wool” of their flocks to the priests. (Deut. 18:3-5) The people were forbidden to “wear mixed stuff of wool and linen together.” (Deut. 22:11; Lev. 19:19) Evidently this means that, in making clothing, they were not to use one material for the woof and the other for the warp.

The importance of wool in ancient times is indicated by the fact that Moabite King Mesha paid “a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand unshorn male sheep” to the king of Israel as tribute. (2 Ki. 3:4) Wool was also a valuable item of trade.—Ezek. 27:1, 2, 7, 16, 18.

Since wool is often white in its natural state, it is sometimes associated with whiteness and purity. For example, through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah likened forgiven sins to white wool, saying: “Though the sins of you people should prove to be as scarlet, they will be made white just like snow; though they should be red like crimson cloth, they will become even like wool.”—Isa. 1:18-20.

Jehovah gives “snow like wool,” blanketing the land as with a warm covering of white wool.—Ps. 147:16.

The “Ancient of Days,” Jehovah God, is depicted symbolically in vision as having hair like clean wool. (Dan. 7:9) This suggests great age and wisdom, which are associated with gray-headedness. (Compare Job 15:9, 10.) Similarly, the apostle John saw “someone like a son of man” and observed that “his head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow.” (Rev. 1:12-14) His hair being described in this manner may indicate that it had become white in the way of righteousness.—Prov. 16:31.

WORD, THE

The term “word” in the Scriptures most frequently translates the Hebrew and Greek words da·varʹ and loʹgos. These words in the majority of cases refer to an entire thought, saying or statement rather than simply to an individual term or unit of speech. (In Greek a ‘single word’ is expressed by hreʹma [Matt. 27:14], though it, too, can mean a saying or spoken matter.) Any message from the Creator, such as one uttered through a prophet, is “the word of God.” In a few places Loʹgos (“Word”) is a title given to Jesus Christ.