- Also spelled:
- Debbora
- Flourished:
- c.1200 BCE - c.1101 BCE
Deborah
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Who was Deborah in the Bible?
Deborah was a prophet and heroine in the Old Testament who inspired the Israelites to a significant victory over their Canaanite oppressors. The "Song of Deborah," found in Judges 5, is thought to have been composed by her and is possibly the oldest section of the Bible. It gives a glimpse into Israelite civilization around the 12th century BCE.
As a judge, Deborah was primarily a seer, poet, and interpreter of dreams. She possessed charisma that identified her as a judge sent from Yahweh. She told the tribes to unite against the Canaanites, who were under the leadership of Jabin and his general Sisera. The victory song of Deborah in chapter 5 is one of the oldest literary sections of the Old Testament and incorporates literary forms of a confession of faith, a praise of Yahweh’s theophany, an epic, a curse, a blessing, and a hymn of victory.
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What role did Deborah have among the Israelites?
Deborah was a prophet and judge in the Old Testament who inspired the Israelites to victory over their Canaanite oppressors. As a charismatic counselor, she gathered tribes to fight the Canaanites after they had oppressed an apostate Israel. Leading up to the battle, Deborah prophesied that the glory of war would fall to a woman, which it did when Jael killed Sisera. The victory song of Deborah is one of the oldest parts of the Old Testament. According to rabbinic tradition, she was a keeper of tabernacle lamps.
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How did Deborah help the Israelites during times of trouble?
Deborah was a prophet and judge who inspired the Israelites to a significant victory over their Canaanite oppressors. As a charismatic counselor, she stirred the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali to fight against the Canaanites. The "Song of Deborah" recounts a battle near the Kishon River, where a sudden thunderstorm and resulting floods immobilized the Canaanite chariots, leading to an Israelite victory and the end of Canaanite oppression.
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What is the story of Deborah and Barak in the Bible?
In the Old Testament's Book of Judges, Deborah was a prophet and judge who inspired the Israelites to victory over their Canaanite oppressors. The story is told in two parts, in prose (Judges 4) and in the poem the "Song of Deborah" (Judges 5), which may be the Bible's oldest section.
Deborah persuades Barak to gather tribes to fight the Canaanites, who are led by Sisera. The tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali join forces. A thunderstorm terrifies the Canaanites, and the Kishon River sweeps them away. Sisera flees to the tent of Heber the Kenite, where Jael, Heber's wife, kills him, fulfilling Deborah's prophecy that a woman would defeat him.
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What is the Song of Deborah and why is it important?
The Song of Deborah, found in Judges 5, is a victory hymn celebrating the Israelites' triumph over the Canaanites. It may be the oldest section of the Bible, dating back to the 12th century BCE.
As a piece of biblical literature, the Song of Deborah is important for these reasons:
* It provides a contemporary glimpse into Israelite civilization.
* It recounts the story of Deborah, a prophet and judge, and Barak, her commander, who led the Israelites to victory against the Canaanites.
* It incorporates literary forms such as a confession of faith, praise of Yahweh's manifestation, an epic, a curse, a blessing, and a hymn of victory.
* It highlights Deborah's role as a charismatic leader who inspired the Israelites to unite against their oppressors.
* It underscores the significance of the victory in ending the threat of the Canaanites of Hazor.2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How has Deborah influenced how women are viewed in religious history?
Deborah, a prophet and judge in the Old Testament, holds a significant place in religious history. Her story, found in Judges 4 and 5, portrays her as a charismatic leader who inspired the Israelites to victory against their Canaanite oppressors.
The "Song of Deborah" is one of the oldest parts of the Bible, shows Israelite civilization in the 12th century bc. Assuming the account preserved in Judges 5 is the older (probably written in 1125 bc), Deborah, a charismatic counselor (or judge) and prophet (she predicts that the glory of war will fall to a woman, which it does—to Jael), Barak gathers the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (Manasseh), Zebulun, Issachar, and his own tribe of Naphtali.
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Deborah, prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the “Song of Deborah” (Judg. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the Bible and is of great importance for providing a contemporary glimpse of Israelite civilization in the 12th century bc. According to rabbinic tradition, she was a keeper of tabernacle lamps.
The two narratives of her exploit, the prose account in Judg. 4 (evidently written after Judg. 5) and the martial poem comprising Judg. 5 (a lyric outburst showing a high standard of poetic skill in ancient Israel), differ in some important details. The most obvious discrepancy is in the identity of the chief foe of the Israelites. Judg. 4 makes the chief enemy Jabin, king of Hazor (present Tell el-Qedah, about three miles southwest of H̱ula Basin), though a prominent part is played by his commander in chief, Sisera of Harosheth-ha-goiim (possibly Tell el-ʿAmr, approximately 12 miles [19 kilometres] northwest of Megiddo). In the poem Jabin does not appear, and Sisera is an independent king of Canaan. Other important contradictions include the action sites (Mount Tabor in Judg. 4 is not found in Judg. 5, for example); which Israelite tribes joined Deborah and her chief commander, the Naphtalite Barak (only Zebulun and Naphtali in Judg. 4, additional tribes in Judg. 5); and the manner of Sisera’s death (in Judg. 4 he is murdered in his sleep, in Judg. 5 he is struck down from behind while drinking a bowl of milk).
Assuming that the account preserved in Judg. 5 is the older (probably written in 1125 bc), the reader can reconstruct the actual history of the events. Israel holds the wilder parts of the country, the hills and the forests, but the Israelite settlements in the central range are cut off from those in the northern hills by a chain of Canaanite (or possibly Egyptian) fortresses down the Plain of Esdraelon (between Galilee and Samaria). At the instigation of Deborah, a charismatic counselor (or judge) and prophet (she predicts that the glory of war will fall to a woman, which it does—to Jael), Barak gathers the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (Manasseh), Zebulun, Issachar, and his own tribe of Naphtali. Asher, Dan, Gilead (Gad), and Reuben remain aloof. Judah and Simeon are not mentioned (attesting to the antiquity of the poem). The Israelite clans fall on the enemy at Taanach; a thunderstorm, in which Israel sees the coming of God from Mount Sinai, strikes terror into the Canaanites; their fabled 900 chariots of iron are useless on the sodden ground; and the Kishon River, swollen by torrential rains, sweeps away the fugitives. Sisera escapes on foot, pursued by Barak, taking refuge in the tent of Heber the Kenite (the Kenites, a nomadic tribe, were supposedly at peace with Canaan); he is offered protection by Heber’s wife, Jael; as he drinks a bowl of milk, she pierces his head with a tent peg and kills him (thus fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy).
