Judge / Prophetess · OT
Deborah
The only female judge of Israel, who summoned Barak and led the nation to victory over Sisera's army.
Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, is introduced in Judges 4 as both a prophetess and the fourth judge of Israel, holding court under the palm tree that bore her name in the hill country of Ephraim. During the twenty-year oppression by Jabin king of Hazor and his commander Sisera, she summoned Barak from Naphtali and delivered God's command to engage the Canaanite army at the river Kishon.
When Barak refused to go without her, she went — telling him plainly that the honor of the victory would fall to a woman. It did: Sisera fled the rout on foot and was killed by Jael in her tent. Judges 5, 'the Song of Deborah,' celebrates the deliverance in one of the oldest poems in the Bible. After the battle the land had rest for forty years.
Key moments
Judging Israel
Holds court under the palm of Deborah (Judges 4:4-5).
Summoning Barak
Calls Barak to lead ten thousand men against Sisera (Judges 4:6-7).
Victory at Kishon
The Lord routs Sisera's army; Jael kills him in her tent (Judges 4:15-22).
The Song of Deborah
Celebrates the deliverance in ancient Hebrew poetry (Judges 5).
Key verses
"Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time."
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"And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding, the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh."
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"And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which Jehovah hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not Jehovah gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him."
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"So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah: But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years."
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Frequently asked
Was Deborah really a judge over Israel?
Yes. Judges 4:4 explicitly says 'Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.' She is the only woman named in the book's cycle of judges, alongside roles like Othniel, Ehud, and Gideon.
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