Bible Question:

Does anyone know the name of Noah's wife? The Bible tells us his sons' names but not his wife's. Was it because women were not as important as the men?

Bible Answer:

The Bible does not give us the name of Noah’s wife. There are no historical records we can trust or ancient traditions that give us her name either. However, there is an unreliable, and very speculative document published by a religious cult entitled the Book of Abraham. In that book they claim her name is Namaah. This book appears to be of modern origin and not from ancient times. It is important not to put ancient sources and modern speculation on an equal level with God’s inspired, inerrant word. The Bible speaks truth, but we cannot always trust other books and sources. So we do not really know her name.

Women in The Bible

Often, the wife’s name was given when her husband was a significant man. For example, the wife of Adam was Eve. Adam was the first man. The name of Lamech’s wives are: “Adah and Zillah (Gen. 4:19). Lamech was important because of his evil character (Gen. 4:19-24). The names of some other Old Testament wives were: Sarah (wife of Abraham, Gen. 17:15), Rebekah (wife of Isaac, Gen. 24:64-67), Rachel and Leah (wives of Jacob, Gen. 29:28-32), and Asenath (wife of Joseph, Gen. 41:50). In the New Testament we find Mary, the mother of Jesus, Martha (Luke 10:38), Lydia (Acts 16:14), and Priscilla (Acts 18:2) as a few examples.

From God’s viewpoint the husband is the head of the home and not the woman. He represents the family and leads his wife and children. This is God’s design, and it can be seen throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament the men were the spiritual leaders and not the women, as is often the situation today. The kings, priests, scribes, military leaders, and prophets were males. Yes, a few women were designated as prophetesses, but this was the exception and not the rule. It is an error to suggest that the exception should become the standard. The Old Testament stated that spiritual leaders were to be males (Num. 3:10; 18:7). In Isaiah 3:11-12 God cries out with, “O My people!” because women are ruling over the nation of Israel. This is not God’s role for women. There is no difference in equality between the sexes in God’s mind. Men are not more important than women and women are not more important than men. God wants there to be a difference in the responsibilities between men and women. It has been God’s divine pattern since the first man and woman – Adam and Eve.


We do not know why the name of Noah’s wife was not given. What we do know is that we can trust an all knowing God, our Creator, to have included in the pages of scripture the information we need to know Him, to find Him, and become like Him.