Judge living before Israel's Monarchy
Deborah, a prophetess and judge, led Israel to victory against the Canaanites alongside Barak.
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Deborah was a prophetess and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. She lived during a time when the Israelites were oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan (Jdg.4.4). Deborah held court under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites came to her for judgment (Jdg.4.5).
Deborah summoned Barak, an Israelite warrior, and delivered a message from God instructing him to lead an army against Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army (Jdg.4.6-7). Barak agreed to go only if Deborah accompanied him, to which she consented but prophesied that the honor of the victory would go to a woman (Jdg.4.8-9).
Deborah and Barak led the Israelite army to Mount Tabor, where they defeated Sisera's forces (Jdg.4.10-16). Sisera fled and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, who killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple (Jdg.4.17-22).
After the victory, Deborah and Barak sang a song of praise, recounting the events of the battle and celebrating God's deliverance (Jdg.5.1-31). Deborah's leadership as a prophetess and judge brought 40 years of peace to the land of Israel (Jdg.5.31).
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9 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1683
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
And she would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
“I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,
where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.