This paper will consider the evoluBon of Jewish conceptualizaBons of the Shekhinah, the feminine manifestaBon of the Israelite God, in Hebrew sacred texts. With ancient Near Eastern precedents of goddess worship, especially of the Canaanite deity Asherah, the monotheism of Judaism never enBrely abandons the noBon of a God with female aspects. Through esoteric, even subversive, references found in Torah, Talmud, and kabbalah, the feminine divine is expressed most commonly by the Shekhinah, the indwelling of God. First described as residing in the Tabernacle and then in exile aMer the destrucBon of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Shekhinah accompanies the Israelites in diaspora. Through the long course of Jewish history, the feminine divine transforms from Queen consort, who sits alongside God on the royal celesBal throne, to a lonely, wandering bride, hovering over the Jewish people in exile and seeking reunificaBon with homeland and God.