DEBORAH: Prophetess,

Mother and Judge

Judges chapters 4-5
 Characters in Judges 4-5
• Deborah - prophetess judged Israel at the time that
Jabin, king of Canaan ruled over Israel. She sat under
the Palm Tree of Deborah and helped the people settle
disputes between each other.
• Jabin - 20 years made life miserable for the Israelites
• Barak - the commander of Israel's army that God would
help him defeat Sisera and his army.
• Sisera was the commander of his army and he had 900
chariots of iron
 Historical Background
• Deborah became Judge at the time Israel was
experiencing a spiritual and moral decline, partly due to
the loss of their national leaders, Moses and Joshua.
• There were episodes of extreme sinfulness that caused
Yahweh to remove His protective providence from Israel,
and foreign oppressors would exercise control over parts
of the country.
• It is essential to note that the combined years of peace
and righteousness far outnumbered the years of failure
and persecution.
 Deborah’s Ability to Inspire
• Deborah was known as a prophetess and respected for her godly
character. As a prophet she did not formulate rulings in the
traditional manner, but was Yahweh’s spokesperson. For this
reason, she was considered an exception to the ruling that a judge
be male. Her feminine character was appropriate for leading that
particular generation, as Deborah herself stated: “I arose as a
mother to Israel.” Judges 5:7
• Her ability to inspire and empower was the source of her
effectiveness, both as a public leader and as a wife.
• Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth (lap-pee-doth‘) which name
meant “torches”. Together with her husband, Deborah made wicks
for the Menorah in the Temple, thus helping to spread the light of
Yahweh among the people.
 Symbol for Deborah’s Generation
• Judges 4:5 A prophetess, the wife of Lapidot: she sat under the
date palm of Deborah, between Raman and Bethel on Mt. Ephraim,
and the children of Israel went up to her for judgment.
• The date palm was a symbol for Deborah’s generation. Just as the
lift giving sap of a date palm is limited to its trunk, Deborah’s
generation had limited access to the life force of Torah, because it
had so few Torah scholars. The date palm’s minimal shade
represents the relative absence of spiritual and physical protection
without the Torah.
• Deborah’s understanding of Israel’s potential for spiritual greatness
stemmed from her maternal love. She held hope for Israel and
inspired a renewed sense of value as Yahweh’s chosen people, and
exhibited a woman’s ability to instill rather than impose, to invigorate
rather than force, and to cultivate rather than command.
 SONG OF DEBORAH
• Song of Deborah which praises Yahweh for His
assistance in Jabin’s defeat (Judges 5:1-2)
• The song of Deborah celebrates Israel’s victory
and return to Torah observance. Time and
again in her song, Deborah connected Israel to
their divine lifeline, referring back to the moment
when the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai
 Admonishing the People
• Tribe of Reuben stayed behind with the
sheep
• Tribe of Gad stayed behind east of Jordan
• Tribe of Dan remained by the ships
• Tribe of Asher stayed by the coast and
remained along the shore
• The people of Zebulun risk their lives in
battle; so did the people of Naphtali
 CONDEMNATION
• Reason for condemning the tribes that did
not take part in the battle. “For they did
not come to the aid of Yahweh with the
victors – Judges 5:23