My daughter asked me this after learning that there are only 3 named women in the Book of Mormon (bonus points if you can name them off the top of your head. If you want the answers, you’ll have to look here, here and here).

We discussed how many unnamed women were mentioned, from the 5 daughters of Ishmael (1 Nephi 7:1) to the widows and their daughters who remained in Sherrizah (Moroni 9:19). We also discussed why only 3 were mentioned by name, for example Abish who was King Lamoni’s servant yet neither Lamoni’s wife or daughters are named.

There are at least 87 references to specific women in the Book of Mormon.

It got me to thinking about how many women are named and unnamed in ALL of the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.

What’s your best guesstimate?

150?

300?

How about 556? Because that’s how many there are. Were you even close?

Here’s one to stump the missionaries with: who was Huldah?

• She is known as a prophetess who lived in the time of the righteous King Josiah.
• She was educated and literate in a time when women were often neither. What is more extraordinary – not even the King was literate!
• She lived at the same time as Jeremiah, Zephanaiah, Nahum and… Lehi.
• King Josiah sent his high priest Kilkiah, his scribe Shaphan and others to seek her wisdom concerning the Book of Law found in the temple.
• She verified the scrolls were the word of God and correctly predicted the destruction of Jerusalem
• She was THE FIRST to declare scripture to be holy.
• She is the last (recorded) woman prophet before Judah falls to the Babylonians