In The Strange Woman: Power and Sex in the Bible, Gail Streete sets up the adverse argument of how a woman’s sexuality was defined in a biblical context. At its inception, all Jewish communities were marginal, very small groups located within a very large, oppressive majority group, and, therefore, needing to ensure three major things in order to survive: (1) reproduction (so Jewish men could only reproduce with Jewish women), (2) continuance (assurance that their Jewish babies would have more Jewish babies), and (3) protection (so the first 2 can obviously happen). Therefore, under these strictures, a woman’s sexuality had to be controlled in order to ensure that she would only have Jewish children and that her children would remain within the Jewish community to ensure they would pick a Jewish mate. The Old Testament writers cited “strange women” or “foreign women” as being a cause for most of the problems in the Jewish community, including the split between the twelve tribes. Streete cites “The Strange Woman” as being a continued problem figure which always hovers on the outskirts of the community tempting men away from YHWH and leading to their downfall, but also as a morphed attack on men in the New Testament.

Streete defines a “strange woman” as any woman, usually foreign but not always, that “is not under male sexual hegemony” (113), as in a woman seemingly outside the realm of Jewish law that could and would punish her for “acting out.” She is therefore a threat because there is no punishment for her temptatious actions. Women like Delilah and the foreign wives of Solomon that seduced him away from YHWH are perfect examples of these “strange women.” This “strange woman” is also set up as an antithesis to the feminized “Wisdom” in Proverbs. The author of Proverbs personifies Wisdom as an interloper between God and man, giving man the opportunity to commune more wholly with God and not for any illicit selfish purposes. “Anti-Wisdom” or the “strange woman” instead seeks to separate foolish young men from YHWH and control them (112-13). In this sense, Wisdom represents the solely ideal woman—reserved and close enough to God to bring man to Him. On the other side of this is Anti-Wisdom, a metaphorical Delilah.

Based on this defined problem and the added need of continuing the line of their marginalized community, female sexuality is only allowed if a man can control it (either her father or her husband). Similarly, because the control of a woman is so closely linked to controlling her reproduction, any time a woman acts against the constraints of the male hegemony, she is attacked in sexual terms. Jezebel, who commits no actual adultery, is called a whore because she seduces her husband and others away from YHWH (62). This also explains why Israel, commonly referred to as a “she,” is called a “whore,” rather than an idolater whenever “she” fails to follow YHWH’s commandments. Similarly, men should actively seek Wisdom and stay away from “Anti-Wisdom,” but women should only use Wisdom for men’s benefit and/or to trick “outsiders,” such as in the case of Sarai pretending that Abraham is her brother rather than her husband so he is not killed while they are traveling. Obviously, when Delilah uses wisdom to trick Samson into telling her what the source of his strength is, she is not using wisdom to the benefit of the Jews.

This contrasts sharply against the views of women’s sexuality as exposed in Streete’s analysis of the New Testament. The need for women’s sexuality having to be restrained has less relevance here because Jews in the first and second century were worrying less about assimilating into the mainstream culture as evidenced by their newfound leniency on adultery, which was no longer found to be a capital crime (147). If they still were as frightened about maintaining their line, their laws constraining women’s sexuality would still be in effect as harshly. There is the definitive virgin/whore dichotomy, as shown much in Revelations, but there is less interference and worry about the “strange woman” and her potential for tempting men away from God. The “strange woman” in the New Testament has turned into worry about any sexual activity made by any man outside of marriage, including with prostitutes (which men in the Old Testament were allowed to be with) (129). The “strange woman” in the New Testament morphs into a worry about any sexual wantonness. There is still pressure for a woman to remain a virgin until marriage, but the crime otherwise is now more lenient. Men, subsequently, may now be punished more strictly for their indiscretions and are now considered more “in control” of their apostasy then they were under the Old Testament.

Streete’s book definitely sheds light on the reasons behind the constant fear of the “strange” or “foreign” women evident in Proverbs and other books, and her argument remains solidly formed throughout the entire book. There are some tangential lapses, in the sense that her argument will split off into seemingly unimportant side arguments, but she keeps her argument thoroughly backed up and her prose interesting throughout the entirety of the book. Her argument is interesting, specifically in how the first half of the book gives background for how revolutionary Jesus was, especially pardoning an adulteress for which was an unpardonable crime with terrible consequences in the Old Testament age. It also explains in detail why YHWH must always be paired with a “wife,” such as Israel (because every other religion has a divine spousal symbol that made the world. Without Israel being a “she,” it would be homoerotic (76-77).) or why the feminized Wisdom is the interloper between Israel and YHWH. Women in these symbolic senses have so much power, and yet they were constantly controlled for worry of using this power against Israel.

Gail Streete’s The Strange Woman: Power and Sex in the Bible explains the Old Testament fear of the “strange woman,” the temptress who would seduce Israel away from YHWH as well as why women needed to be contained and controlled. It also provides the stark contrast between Old Testament and New Testament views on sexuality, such as men suddenly being found accountable of apostasy by cleaving to a prostitute in the New Testament. It also makes and backs up these arguments flawlessly. Streete writes a powerful argument for the power of women within the text against a sadly stark reality.