When we look at the historical context of Deborah’s story, we see that Joshua had died without choosing someone to carry on as leader of Israel. Israel then entered a cycle of apostasy-oppression-repentance-deliverance. It is in this context that God raised up Deborah.
“Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.”(Judg. 4:4-5, NIV)
There are several elements of this introduction that must be parsed out because it speaks to how the narrator portrayed Deborah. First, she is introduced using seven consecutive, grammatically feminine Hebrew words in the introduction of Deborah: Deborah, a woman, a prophet (feminine noun), a woman(again) of fire (feminine nouns, she herself(added feminine pronoun possibly for emphasis), and the feminine ending of leading(1).
Second, the name Deborah has several possible connotations that provide an apt description of Deborah’s role as a leader known for her pursuit and destruction of the Canaanites. Deborah is a Hebrew word widely recognized as meaning “bee,” and several times in the Old Testament, bees are used metaphorically in several contexts references aggressive pursuit(2). Richard Hess, in his article, “The Name Game,” writes that “the name Deborah probably stems from a root, DBR, meaning to lead or pursue, also preserved in Debir, the name of a Biblical town in Judah near Hebron” (3).
Finally, in most English translations, Deborah is said to be the “wife of Lappidoth.” The Hebrew phrase is “eschet lappidot,” with a literal translation of “woman of lappidoth.” Because women in patriarchal societies are often referred to in terms of a male, usually a father or husband, “eschet’’ is often translated as “wife,” rather than “woman. But lappidoth is a feminine plural term and not typically used in names. This phrase may refer to a women from the town of Lappidoth, but except for this verse, there is no person or place named Lappidoth. The Hebrew word, lappid, is rendered “torches” in other verses in Judges and the Old Testament. It seems plausible that “eschet lappidot” could be translated as “woman of fire,” or “fiery woman.” It could be referring to a “woman of light,” as in a woman giving spiritual guidance(4).
Ron Pierce explains that the last two words in that string of seven literally reads, “she herself, she was leading/judging Israel.” According to him, “in Hebrew, the pronoun is embedded in the verbal form, so that adding an additional pronoun (as the writer does here) puts an emphasis on her gender.” (5)
Deborah, a prophet, judge and leader
Israel had three official positions of leadership: prophet, priest, and king. A prophet declared the word of God to the people; a priest represented the people to God; a king led the people in a general way, and in battle. Judges were an earlier version of a king in the history of Israel. Deborah is one of only two people, and the only person in Judges, that is portrayed as function in two of these official positions: prophet and judge. As a prophet, she assumed spiritual leadership; as a judge, she exercised judicial and political power; and eventually, she became involved in directing on the battlefield the strategy for a decisive military victory. Deborah is portrayed as fulfilling all the typical roles of a leader of Israel. Except for Othniel whose story in Judges 3 is much shorter, Deborah is the only judge without a negative reference to her character or actions.
The word “leading” in verse 4 is the Hebrew word shaphat, which means to judge, to govern. It was also used of Samuel when he was leading Israel. It is the same word used when the Israelites requested a king to “shaphat” them…to lead them. Samuel is also the only other person in the Bible who functioned as both judge and prophet.
Deborah, a “second Moses”
There are also numerous parallels between what the Bible says of Deborah and Moses are striking, making it obvious that in Judges, Deborah appears as a “second Moses” figure whose authority derives from the God of Sinai.
• Both Deborah and Moses functioned as judges (Exod. 18:13, Judg. 4:4)
• Both sat for judgment, and the people came to them (Exod. 18:13, Judg. 4:5)
• Both proclaimed the word of the Lord (Exod. 7:16, Judg. 4:6)
• Both were prophets (Deut. 18:15, Judg. 4:4)
• Both pronounced blessings, and curses in the name of God (Ex 39:43/Deut 27:15, Judg. 5:24)
• Both had military generals who followed their instructions (Joshua, Barak)
• Both gave instructions to the people as to how the Lord would defeat the enemies (Exod. 14:14, Judg. 4:6)
• In both cases, the Lord caused the enemy in chariots to panic and flee (Exod. 14:24, Judg. 4:15).
• In both narratives, God’s victory is told first in prose (Exod. 14, Judg. 4), then in poetry (Exod. 15, Judg. 5).
• Moses, with Miriam (Exod. 15:1) and Deborah with Barak(Judg. 5:1) led the people in worshipping God after their great deliverance.
In the story of Deborah, Scripture places her on par with two of Israel’s greatest leaders, Moses and Samuel.
No available men?
Some would concede that Deborah led Israel but only because there were no available men, citing Barak’s request for Deborah to go to war as indication of the weakness of men. That’s a huge assumption, and unwarranted I believe. In ancient times, leaders often went to war with their generals. Furthermore, a prophet of Israel was symbolic of the presence of God. Rather than indicate his weakness, Barak’s request could have been a recognition of his need and desire for the presence of God in battle. Pierce claims that “it is far more likely that Barak wished to have available to him the wisdom and prophetic voice of Deborah while in the certainty of battle” (6).
Deborah did not enter into battle, but sent Barak. This demonstrates that Deborah exercised authority over Barak. The entire army, with Barak and Deborah, was situation on Mount Tabor. “Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands.”(Judg. 4:14, NIV) This is reminiscent of Moses on the hill overlooking the battle that Joshua led.
Deborah, chosen by God to lead His people
Just as God appointed Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and other great judges, God appointed Deborah to lead Israel; she is as much a leader of Israel as was Moses and Samuel. God’s people needed a leader to deliver them and to lead them, and He raised up a woman to meet that need. Since God himself raised up Deborah as a judge, and that which God chooses to do cannot be intrinsically wrong, it cannot be intrinsically wrong for a woman to lead God’s people, or to exercise authority over men.
Footnotes:
- Glahn, S. (2017). Vindicating the vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible. Kregel Academic, p. 193.
- https://margmowczko.com/deborah-woman-of-lappidoth/
- Hess, R. S. (2004, November 1). The name game – the BAS Library. The BAS Library. https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/the-name-game/
- Glahn, S. (2017). Vindicating the vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible. Kregel Academic, p. 194.
- Ibid.
- Glahn, S. (2017). Vindicating the vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible. Kregel Academic, p. 197.