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Deborah
(flourished 12th century ) Prophet and heroine of the Hebrew scriptures. Her story is told in the book of Judges. With her general, Barak, she is credited with defeating the Canaanite armies led by Sisera. The Israelite victory over the Canaanites, which was aided by a thunderstorm that Israel saw as the coming of God from Mount Sinai, was celebrated in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), possibly the earliest portion of the Bible.
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Deborah
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Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia:
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Deborah
Oratorio by Handel to a biblical text compiled by S. Humphreys (1733, London).
Encyclopedia of Judaism:
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Deborah
(c. 12th cent. BCE). Judge and prophetess in ancient Israel. Deborah, wife of Lapidoth, was a local judge, her permanent seat beneath a palm tree between Ramah and Beth El (Judg. 4:5) north of Jerusalem. With Israel under the oppressive yoke of Jabin king of Hazor, she summoned Barak of Kedesh-Naphtali and ordered him to take ten thousand men of the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and march against his army in accordance with the Divine oracle she had received (4:6). Barak consented on the condition that Deborah accompany him. At Deborah's urging Barak attacked and routed Sisera, the captain of Jabin's forces, when his 900 chariots became enmired in the flooded valley of the Kishon River. Sisera fled and was slain by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, who drove a tent peg into his temple as he slept in her tent after taking refuge there (4:21).
The account in Judges 4 is followed by the Song of Deborah in Judges 5, which retells the story in a victory poem renowned as one of the oldest in literature and attributed to Deborah herself. Differing slightly in detail (Jabin is not mentioned), it adds the information that other tribes as well joined forces with Deborah and Barak.
Deborah, the only female biblical judge, was a charismatic figure fulfilling a military function like other judges and was in fact the only judge actually described as judging the people..
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("bee")
1. The nurse of Rebekah, Isaac's wife. She is mentioned in a single verse only, where it is stated that she died and was buried in Bethel after Jacob's return to Canaan.
2. A prophet, judge, military leader and poet in the period of the Judges (Judg chaps. 4-5); wife of Lapidoth (Judg 4:4). Her story commences at a time when the Israelites were under the yoke of King Jabin of Hazor (Judg 4:1-3). Deborah was a local judge within the Ephraim territory (4:4-5), her permanent seat being in an Ephraimite locality, between Ramah (Samuel's home town, I Sam 7:17) and Bethel. Like other judges including Samuel, her judicial duties included a military role in pursuance of which she summoned the warrior Barak and gave him a plan of action received through a divine oracle (Judg 4:6-7). Barak's response to her summons, together with his refusal to go to battle without her, reflect Deborah's prominence and popularity. This explains her reply to his request, with the comment that the outcome of the battle would be decided by a woman (Judg 4:9). However, she accompanied Barak to his base in Kadesh. The army was recruited from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, and the decisive battle took place by the Kishon River (Judg 4:11-16). Sisera, the commander of the opposing army, was slain by Jael, and this Israelite victory marked the beginning of the end for Canaanite hegemony in the center and north of the country (Judg 4:17-24).
Judges chapter 5 gives another account of the same events, with differences in several details. This chapter is a victory poem, usually considered one of the oldest in literature. Its composition is attributed to Deborah herself (Judg 5:1, 7, 12), although the editorial title cites Barak as co-author and singer. The following points in the poem stand in contrast to their parallels in the narrative account. In chapter 4 God conceives the plan of the battle, which is delivered to Barak by Deborah and henceforth carried out; in chapter 5 God himself fights for the Israelites from heaven (Judg 5:20). The poem claims that, in addition to the warriors from Zebulun and Naphtali, other tribes were also summoned and either came forth or refused to join (Judg 5:14-18). The poem makes no mention of Mount Tabor nor of Jabin: Sisera is presented as the Canaanite leader, with a court of his own. The outcome of the battle, however, is the same: the Canaanites are defeated, and Sisera is slain by Jael.
Deborah's poem alludes to her roles as judge and savior (Judg 5:6-7), although she does not actually refer to herself as "prophet". She calls herself "a mother in Israel" (Judg 5:7), which well defines her active role in the proceedings. It would seem that her significance as the initiator and mentor of the events is better accentuated by the poem than by the narrative.
Concordance
DEBORAH 1:
Gen 35:8
DEBORAH 2:
Judg 4:4-5,9-10, 14; 5:1,7, 12, 15
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Deborah
Deborah (dĕb'ōrə), in the Bible, prophetess and judge of Israel, the only woman to hold that office. Under her guidance Barak conquered Sisera and delivered Israel from the oppression of the Canaanite King Jabin. The triumphant "Song of Deborah" is one of the most ancient literary pieces in the Bible, perhaps composed in the 12th cent. B.C. Pseudo-Philo discusses Deborah's appeal to the tribes and her death.
American Heritage Dictionary:
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Deb·o·rah
In the Bible, a judge and prophet who aided the Israelites in their victory over the Canaanites.
[Hebrew dəbôrâ, bee.]
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Deborah
For other uses, see Deborah (disambiguation).
| Deborah | |
|---|---|
 Deborah in "Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum" |
|
| Born | c. 1200 BCE |
| Died | c. 1124 (aged 75) or 1067 BCE |
| Residence | Shelter in Mount Ephraim, which is between Ramah in Benjamin and Bethel |
| Nationality | Hebrew |
| Other names | Debora, Débora, Dvora |
| Occupation | Prophetess of God, Fourth Judge of Israel |
| Predecessor | Shamgar |
| Successor | Gideon |
| Spouse | Lapidoth |
Deborah (Hebrew: דְבוֹרָה, Modern Dvora Tiberian Dəḇôrā ; "Bee", Arabic: دبورة Daborah) was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5.
The only female judge mentioned in the Bible, Deborah led a successful counterattack against the forces of Jabin king of Canaan and his military commander Sisera, the narrative is recounted in chapter 4.
Judges chapter 5 gives the same story in poetic form. This passage, often called The Song of Deborah, may date to as early as the 12th century BC[1] and is perhaps the earliest sample of Hebrew poetry. It is also significant because it is one of the oldest passages that portrays fighting women, the account being that of Jael, the wife of Heber, a Kenite tent maker. Jael killed Sisera by driving a tent peg through his temple as he slept. Both Deborah and Jael are portrayed as strong independent women. The poem may have been included in the Book of the Wars of the Lord mentioned in Numbers 21:14.
In Hebrew, her name, דְּבוֹרָה, translates as bee. The Deborah number, a dimensionless number used in rheology, is named after her.[2]
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Deborah's personal life
Not much is known about Deborah's personal life. Her name in Hebrew is pronounced Dvora. Some sources, such as Chabad.org, state that she judged Israel from 1107 B.C. until her death in 1067 B.C.[3] The Dictionary of World Biography: The Ancient World, claims that she might have lived from 1200 B.C. to 1124 B.C., which would have made her about 36 years old at the time of the battle against Sisera, and 75 at the time her death.[4] The book also says that she was most probably born in central Israel to the tribe of Ephraim, and was also the author of The Song of Deborah.[4]
In the Book of Judges, it is stated that she was the wife of Lapidoth (Hebrew: לפידות whose name means "torches"). She rendered her judgments beneath a palm tree between Ramah in Benjamin and Bethel in the land of Ephraim. (Judges 4:5) Some people today refer to Deborah as the mother of Israel because of the "Song of Deborah and Barak" found in Judges 5.
| Judges in the Bible |
|---|
| In the Book of Joshua |
| In the Book of Judges |
| In First Samuel |
| †Not explicitly described as a judge |
After being oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan, in Hazor, for twenty years, (Judges 4:9) Deborah prevailed upon Barak who was the head captain of the army at that time, to face the Assyrian General Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, in battle. The victory to which the Bible refers is the victory of an Israelite force of ten thousand over Sisera's force of nine hundred iron chariots. (Judges 4:10)
When Deborah saw the army, she said, according to Judges 4:14:
| “ | Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. | ” |
As Deborah prophesied, the Lord gave the victory to the Israelites. Sisera fled the battle site seeking refuge in the tent of the woman Jael. In the Biblical account, Jael killed the enemy leader, Sisera. The Biblical account of Deborah ends in Judges 5.
After the battle, there was peace in the land for 40 years. (Judges 5:31)
The Song of Deborah
The Song of Deborah is found in Judges 5:2-31 and is a victory hymn, sung by Deborah and Barak, about the defeat of Canaanite adversaries by some of the tribes of Israel. It is recognized as one of the oldest parts of the Bible, dating somewhere in the 12th century BC based on its grammar and context.[5] The song itself contains a number of challenging differences from the events described in Judges 4. The song mentions six participating tribes (Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali) as opposed to the two tribes in Judges 4:6 (Naphtali and Zebulun) and does not mention the role of Jabin.[6] It describes Sisera's death in a different manner. Judges 4:17-21 describes Jael killing Sisera by luring him into her tent, letting him lay down to rest, and then while he was asleep hammering a tent peg into his head killing him.
Though it is not uncommon to read a victory hymn in the Hebrew Bible, the Song of Deborah stands out as unique in that it is a hymn that celebrates a military victory helped by two women: Deborah and Jael. Michael Coogan writes that Jael being a woman "is a further sign that Yahweh ultimately is responsible for the victory: The mighty Canaanite general Sisera will be 'sold' by the Lord 'into the hand of a woman' (Judges 4:9) - the ultimate degradation."[7]
Historical and biblical context
After the death of Joshua, the tribe of Judah led the tribe of Simeon in a campaign against the Canaanites and Perizzites, defeating Adonibezek at Bezek. Then they marched against Kiriath-Arba (Hebron) and defeated three more kings. The descendants of Hobab the Kenite, father-in-law of Moses, accompanied Judah into the wilderness of Negeb but later left to live with the Amalakites. Judah did not take Ashkelon, or Ekron. The Canaanites continued to hold Beth Shean, Dor, and Ibleam. Zebulun was unable to drive them out of Kitron or Nahalol; nor could Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Achzib, or Rehob. The Amorites drove back the Danites into the highlands.[8]
Jabin a king of Canaan reigned at Hazor and the commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Haroseth-ha-goiim. The accounts of Judges 4 and 5 tell the story of a battle at Taanach near the River Kishon. Few allies among the southern tribes could come to the assistance of Deborah and Barak. Israel, which the song of Deborah and Barak numbers at 40,000 spears, was unavailable except for forces from the tribes of Ephraim, Machir, Zebulon, Issachar, and Naphtali. While Sisera is said to have had 900 iron chariots, "the Song of Deborah" implies that heavy rain rendered them ineffectual.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Michael D. Coogan (2011), The Old Testament, A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures, Oxford University Press, pp. 214, 219
- ^ "Dairy Processing Handbook. Chapter 3, "Rheology"". http://www.ales2.ualberta.ca/afns/courses/nufs403/PDFs/chapter3.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ Chabad.org - Jewish History: Deborah the Prophetess
- ^ a b Northen Magill, Frank and Christina J. Moose. Dictionary of World Biography: The Ancient World - Deborah. http://books.google.com/books?id=wyKaVFZqbdUC&pg=PA326&dq=deborah+bc&hl=en&ei=jzqqToCHJdHXiALa0J2SCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=deborah%20bc&f=false. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ Coogan, M. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context. (Oxford University Press: Oxford 2009), 180.
- ^ Nelson, Richard. "Judges." The Harper Collins Study Bible, Revised Edition. Eds. Attridge, Harold and Wayne Meeks. (HarperCollins: New York 2006), 353.
- ^ Coogan, M. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context. Oxford University Press: Oxford 2009, p.180.
- ^ NAB, Judges,1
- ^ NAB, Judges 5, n.4
Further reading
- Bird, Phyllis (1974). "Images of Women in the Old Testament". In Rosemary Radford Ruether. Religion and Sexism: Images of Women in the Jewish and Christian Traditions. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-21692-9.
- Brown, Cheryl Anne (1992). No longer be silent : first century Jewish portraits of biblical women : studies in Pseudo-Philo's Biblical antiquities and Josephus's Jewish antiquities. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster J. Knox Press. ISBN 0-664-25294-X.
- Deen, Edith (1955). All the Women of the Bible. New York: Harper & Row.
- Lacks, Roslyn (1979). Women and Judaism : myth, history, and struggle. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-02313-8.
- Otwell, John H. (1977). And Sarah laughed : the status of woman in the Old Testament. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. ISBN 0-664-24126-3.
- Phipps, William E. (1992). Assertive biblical women. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28498-9..
- Williams, James G. (1982). Women recounted : narrative thinking and the God of Israel.. Sheffield: Almond Pr.. ISBN 0-907459-18-8.
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External links
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Book of Judges article, Jewish Encyclopedia
- Debbora, Catholic Encyclopedia
- Biblical Hebrew Poetry - Reconstructing the Original Oral, Aural and Visual Experience
- Song of Deborah (Judges 5) Reconstructed
| Preceded by Shamgar |
Judge of Israel | Succeeded by Gideon |
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Mentioned in
Jael
(in the Old Testament)
Barak
(in the Old Testament)
Sisera
(in the Old Testament)
What House?
(Visual Arts Film)
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