Surrogate Fatherhood in the Bible

The Old and New Testament concepts of fatherhood was not limited to biological relationships. On the contrary, the recognition of a man as a father was often attached to the roles that he fulfilled in the life of another. Those roles were based on his age, authority, interest in the son or daughter and his general involvement in relaying the care of the Heavenly Father to the child. According to Vine et al. (1985), an examination of the usage of the term father in the Bible proved that from a biblical perspective, the term “father” did not only refer to the “man who directly sired a given individual” (p. 78).

Surrogate fatherhood is a biblical idea. In this context, surrogate fatherhood refers to the assumption of some or most of the basic responsibilities of fatherhood by a man in the life of an individual. This type of relationship was not at all uncommon in the Bible. Jobling, Walsh and Franke (1998) pointed to several examples (p. 112). The first was the relationship between Eli and Samuel. Eli watched over and referred to Samuel as his own son (1 Samuel 3:6). According to Jobling et al., Elkanah, father of Samuel, displayed some degree of disinterest in the life of his son and seemed absent as he was hardly mentioned in climatic periods in the account. 

Another example was between David and Saul. In 1 Samuel 24:11, David referred to Saul as “father” and Saul acknowledged David as his son in 1 Samuel 24:16; 26:17, 21 and 25 (Jobling et al., 2001, p. 114). The final example was the relationship between Elisha and Elijah. Elisha referred to Elijah as father in 2 Kings 2:12. According to Vine et al. (1985), age seems to have some bearing on this reference (p. 78). However, some elements of fatherhood are seen as Elijah fulfills the role as a teacher and mentor for the young Elisha.

What about the relationship between a surrogate father and his daughter? Mordecai and Esther were a good example of this. When her parents died, Mordecai took his cousin, Esther, into his home and raised her as his own daughter (Esther 2:7). The role that he played as a father to Esther was significant to her appointment as queen and to the saving of the Jewish people in her time. Throughout the story of Esther, Mordecai was seen as an important figure in advising the Queen in the matters pertaining to the Jews. One can only imagine and speculate that had Mordecai not filled the gap in her life, this remarkable woman may not have been recorded in Scripture. An entire book was written about an orphan girl who had the privilege of a surrogate father.

In the New Testament the idea of surrogate fatherhood is also seen. Vine et al. (1985) postulated that a father represented one who cared for his spiritual children by presenting them with Biblical teaching and instruction (p. 228). Paul, in 1 Corinthians made reference to the fact that he became a father to the Corinthians through the Gospel. In 1 Thessalonians 2:11, Paul compared his relationship with the church to that of a father and his children. In Acts 7:2, Stephen referred to the members of the Sanhedrin as “brothers and fathers”. This address was also used by Paul in Acts 22:1 while relaying the story of his conversion. Fatherhood is not only tied to biology; there is a greater reality in the fulfillment of those roles of fatherhood. “Our daughters need to know from the very beginning that they are daddy’s little princesses, just as they are God the Father’s little princesses” (Martin & Martin, 2010, p. 2). Surrogate fatherhood can help.