Called by God to be a prophetess and a judge, Deborah remains an enigmatic figure in the book of Judges. The myriad of interpretations to Judges chapter four and five are often polarizing and in opposition to one another. However, when you look at the actions and reactions of Deborah- everything from her day-to-day discourses and the famous battle that was kickstarted by Deborah answering a call from God, you will see humility and certainty in who Deborah is and who the God is that she serves. The goal of this paper is to dispel common misinterpretations surrounding Deborah and her role in the story of Israel’s deliverers and to give and to give a clear, honest interpretation of her story. The story of Deborah is unconventional compared to the other deliverers in Judges and because of that, certain leadership traits like authenticity, confidence, steadfastness, and humility get put in the spotlight. What does God want the church to learn from Deborah, and by proxy Barak, Jael, and Sisera, and how are we to best apply these traits to the church today?

Historical Background of Judges leading up to Judges 4

            By the time Deborah is mentioned in Israel’s history, during the era of the judges, Israel has already experience two major instances of judgement and deliverance, also known as “the cycle”. The cycle has four distinct parts which are as follows: apostasy, judgement, distress, and salvation.[1] This cycle officially begins after the death of Joshua, marked by Judges 2:10b,11 (NIV) “. . . another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.” We see the cycle continue as they turned their worship to false gods, then God judges them by handing them over to raiders until they cry out to God. God then raises up a deliverer (Judge) to defeat their enemies and bring peace to the land (Judges 2: 12-23 NIV).

          The first of these deliverers (judges) who was named was Othniel. “…He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz…” (Judges 3:9) After Othniel delivered Israel out of the hands of the king of Aram Naharaim, God brought peace for 40 years. Then Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Eglon, King of the Moabites. When the Israelites cried out, God “gave them a deliverer, Ehud, the left-handed man…” (Judges 3:15). Ehud assassinated Eglon and delivered the Israelites from the hand of the Moabites and there was peace for 80 years.

          This leads the reader to our third deliverer, Shamgar. Othniel and Ehud are listed among the major judges, whereas Shamgar is listed among the minor judges. Shamgar’s brief appearance shows us two things: that God can use anyone to accomplish his will, including an outsider and that Israel was already beginning to lose its nerve by allowing an outsider to do the job for them.[2]

          The start of Judges chapter four seemingly skips over Shamgar and goes back to the death of Ehud. The structure suggests that Israel had already gone back to a lifestyle of sin after Shamgar and before Ehud’s death. Furthermore, by including Ehud at the beginning of chapter four, it gives a clearer connection to Deborah. As Ehud blew the trumpet in the highlands of Ephraim (3:27), the same place where Deborah sits as judge (4:5).[3]

          Judges 4 opens in the familiar format of the cycle. Having done evil in the eyes of the Lord, God handed Israel over to Jabin, a Canaanite king who ruled over the city of Hazor. Hazor was located north of the Kingdom of Israel and had been a stronghold for five centuries until its destruction by Joshua. Most likely a remnant from that dynasty mentioned in Joshua survived to return to the ruins of Hazor and rebuild it.[4] The fact that Jabin, the name of the King of Hazor, was also the name of the King of Hazor in Joshua’s day “confirms that lack of enduring Israelite success in the conquest of the north” made it easy for Jabin to rise up and oppress the people of Israel for 20 years.[5] This also highlights how morally weak the people had become. No doubt that when they turned from God, it opened them up to the influences of the Canaanites and it eventually led to their oppression. When the people of Israel finally cry out to God for help, the reader expects for God to respond by raising up a deliverer in the same way he did with Othniel and Shamgar, but that is not how the deliverer is introduced in Judges 4.[6]

Deborah and Barak Prepare for Battle

          The first image the reader has of Deborah in Judges 4:5 is a description of her sitting under the Palm Tree of Deborah presiding over the people as judge. The first thing the reader is told about Deborah is that she is a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth. The mentioning of her husband was in keeping with the patricentric nature of ancient Israelite society. The narrator’s intention was to stress her gender “a woman, a prophetess, the wife of...” The narrator’s inclusion of her husband and his name plays no greater part than that in the story since he is not mentioned again in all of scripture.[7] Her role as a prophetess is not seriously disputed. The role of the prophet is clearly defined in texts like Exodus 4:15. A prophet serves as a spokesperson for God to His people.[8] She is indeed given a prophecy about the upcoming battle and is told to send for Barak to take 10,000 (a large unit, not a literal number) soldiers and stand against Sisera’s army.[9]

            One aspect of the story of Deborah that is under some dispute is her role as a judge. The central reason why there is disagreement is the fact that she is called a judge but is not counted among the deliverers like the other judges. Deborah does give judgements over the people. The brief description in verse five is closer to the modern-day understanding of a courtroom official that the modern reader would have when the word judge is used. She was especially useful for disputes between families that needed higher authority in this case one that had access to Yahweh through prophecy.[10]  However, the judges in Deborah’s day have a specifically outlined role in this point in the history of Israel. While there is governance and judicial decision-making involved, the judges also acted as deliverers that would bring about military victories against the Israelites’ oppressors.

            Deborah is not the deliverer that would bring victory against Sisera and his mighty chariots. The word for deliverer in Hebrew[11] means “rescue, defend cause, or savior.”[12] That word is used four times in the book of Judges. It is used to describe the actions of Othniel, Ehud, Gideon, and Jephthah. The narrator uses the word in Judges 3, skips over Judges 4 and 5 and is used again in Judges 6. Similar words that have been translated as “delivered” and “saved” are used to describe Shamgar’s actions and Sampson’s actions.[13]

          The first-time reader might be led to think that Deborah is the deliverer, though. Since Barak balked at the command of the Lord and showed uncertainty, demanding that Deborah go with him or else he wouldn’t go at all, God reveals to Deborah that He would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. It is not revealed until later that Jael would take the life of Sisera (4:21-23). Deborah does go with Barak to help rally the troops, however, once they arrive at the enemy’s camp, it is Barak who calls out to Sisera and challenges him. Lastly, it is Barak who routes Jabin after Sisera is assassinated and drives back the Canaanites until they are destroyed (4:24).

           Daniel Block points out how in recent years, there are attempts at revisionism with Deborah- attempting to make her into an icon of modern-day feminism.

The heroic roles played by women and the negative light in which men are cast in this chapter offers investigators fertile ground for feminist commentary. While feminist approaches offer many fresh insights into the biblical text, too often modern agendas are imposed upon these ancient documents, overriding and obscuring the original intention of the narrator/song writer. In their enthusiasm to celebrate the subversion of patriarchy, such interpretations subvert the authority of God and obscure the message he seeks to communicate through this text.[14]

           Indeed, there has been a push in recent years to portray Deborah as a woman warrior equal in status and role alongside Barak. Donna M. Desarro-Raynal in her dissertation on the women in Judges, continually calls Deborah the “woman warrior” and argues that the introduction to Deborah and Barak’s song puts them on equal footing militarily. Furthermore, while it does not say that she uses weapons and participates in the battle against Sisera, it also does not say that Barak uses weapons either, again putting them on equal footing.[15]

          Such arguments from silence and tenuous comparisons are hardly convincing. Moreover, there is plenty of evidence to see that Deborah has a powerful, yet a very succinct and limited role in this story. As stated before, it is Jael who strikes the final blow against Sisera, not Deborah. It is Barak who drives back and destroys Jabin, not Deborah. At the end of chapter 5:31 it says, “And the land had rest for forty years.” This is significant because with the previous three deliverers, it specifically mentions that the time of rest after their deliverance was marked by the governance and death of that deliverer (Judges 3:11, 30,31; 5:6) This is not so with Deborah. While it is true that the song in Judges 5 is co-written and performed by both Barak and Deborah, it could just as easily be read that Barak’s inclusion means Deborah could not be victorious without Barak. After Judges 5, Deborah is not mentioned again in scripture. The only two references of the defeat of the Canaanites outside of Judges are 1 Samuel 12:11 and Hebrews 11:32—both of them list Barak as the deliverer, not Deborah.

          Mark J. Boda remarks that Block might have gone too far in denying Deborah judge/deliverer status. Boda suggests they could share that status- that Deborah and Barak might be part of a literary motif where one person initiates action and another completes it.[16] However, outside of that alternative inclusion, Boda offers no counterevidence that Deborah can be counted among the deliverers and moves on from the issue. P. Deryn Guest suggests that without a clear indication of who the deliverer is, it shows the reader that God is using this ambiguity as a literary device to set up a grander theological lesson, namely, God is the deliverer, not man. Concerning the introduction of Deborah as a woman and a prophetess he says, “We have already noted that the cyclic pattern has been provided as a hermeneutical key, with any deviations being significant for interpretation.” His interpretation is that it is left unclear in this passage on purpose to put the spotlight back on God.[17]

The Battle and the Assassination

            Deborah calls upon Barak to fight and Barak summons 10,000 men to battle Sisera. He comes down from Mount Tabor and meets Sisera’s army of 900 chariots in the valley. The valley is narrow and flat, conducive to Sisera’s style of chariot warfare. This gives Sisera and false sense of security as the two forces prepare to clash[18] Deborah’s prophecy comes true in the end and Sisera’s army is completely routed. Sisera abandons his chariot and flees on foot.

            Sisera runs back to the settlement of Heber the Kenite (the one who originally tipped off Sisera of Barak’s gathering forces). Heber’s wife, Jael expectantly meets him outside of her tent. She invites him in and showing his fatigue, he asks for water. She gives him milk instead, most likely to induce sleep and possibly as a motherly seduction to increase the feeling of security.[19] After he falls into a deep sleep, she takes a tent peg and drives it into his temple, killing him. Barak shows up late in his pursuit. Jael shows him the dead body and Barak then continues on into Hazor, bringing down the Jabin and the rest of the Canaanites that day.

          There is the moral question of Jael’s role in this story. It is clear that she is the final fulfillment of Deborah’s prophecy- that a woman would deliver Sisera into the hands of Barak. But the manner in which she carries it out incorporates deception and brutal violence. Her motivation is not clearly stated, and one can only infer her motivation based on the limited biographical information we have about her. She and her husband Heber are from the Kenites which have kinship with the Israelites, but her husband defected to the Canaanites. The Kenites made peace with Jabin apart from the Israelites. It is possible that she decided to side with the Israelites out of a sense of familial loyalty, but it is unlikely. More likely is the idea that she observed how the battle was going and that it was just a matter of time before Barak caught up with Sisera. Assassinating Sisera in such a brutal manner and then showing Barak his dead body was her trump card.[20] Furthermore, using deception was not uncommon or unexpected even from the people in the Bible that are remember as heroes. Ehud, just two chapters prior used deception to assassinate King Eglon. Then there is Rahab who deceived the soldiers to save the Israelite spies in Joshua 2. Also, there are the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1 who saved the male Hebrew babies by deceiving Pharoah. In all of the instances, God showed favor to those who used deception to carry out God’s will (thus showing that the morality of deception is decided based on the motivation for the deception). Jael is also given favor by God. Judges 5:24, “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed.”

Theological Motifs of Judges 4 and 5

          One of the major theological motives of the story of Deborah is that God is the one who initiates change; God is the one who gives power to overcome; God is the one who wins the victory; God is the one who delivers His people. By breaking up the pattern of naming the deliverers, He shows us it is not through the power of the person whom God selects as judge that delivers the people. This prevents an overreliance on human power which has shown to be key when we get to people like Gideon (who questioned God and showed weakness) and Sampson (who was arrogant and showed contempt for the gift and calling God gave him).

            Furthermore, by selecting Deborah, but not outright calling her a deliverer, He is not diminishing her role and what she did. What it does is place God’s sovereignty back in the spotlight. It also shows us God’s redemptive and gracious nature since it is he who names Barak among the deliverers later in scripture. This is why we must let scripture interpret scripture because often a story is not finished or fully revealed until later in God’s word.

            Another motif is the use of perceived weakness to carry out God’s will. Just in the book of Judges alone, we learn of the left-handed Ehud, the son of the weakest clan, Gideon, and the son of a prostitute, Jephthah. Juxtaposed against them is Sampson, who is given superhuman strength, but is only used by God to deliver the people when he is at his weakest. Deborah is another example of God taking what the culture expectation would view as weakness (being a woman), and flipping the expectation on its head. Additionally, God takes the cowardly Barak and transforms him into a brave warrior and uses Jael, the wife of a traitor, to complete the mission.

            A third motif is the cycle of judgment: apostasy, judgement, distress, and salvation. The cycle here in chapter four is similar to other stories in Judges. One of the big differences is the calling of the deliverer. Instead of initially relying on God for strength, Barak asks Deborah to go with him. Deborah marches with Barak as the symbol of God’s presence by his side.[21] This is equal parts God’s provision (Deborah’s status as a judge and prophetess surely carried respect with it) and God’s judgement (a woman had to go with him). And at every step of the way, it is clear God is the one who saves. The narrator gives credit to God at every chance. (Judges 4:7, 9, 14, and 15) The narrator concludes in verse 23, “So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.”

            One final motif that is worthy of exploration is that of worship. Constantly bringing back the Israelites to the leadership of the Lord shows us that while the Israelites had their goals and hopes wrapped up in freeing themselves from the hand of the Canaanites by genuinely returning to faith in Him, Yahweh’s end goal was always a return to worship. The second commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” establish the idea that God commands worship. The Israelites worship of the Lord was more than just mere duty; they delighted in it. The entire song in chapter five illustrates this point. “Verse 11 begins with a liturgical call that would be equally at home in a thanksgiving psalm, enjoining singing, playing instruments, and rejoicing. They ascribe

righteousness to the LORD” (Judges 5:11) is indicative in this context of the people’s change of heart.”[22]

Lessons in Leadership

            The story of Deborah is compelling for many reasons, not the least of which is the boldness in leadership that we see on display. From the cries of the people to the lead up into battle, from the turn in battle to the twist ending, we see Deborah doing the Lord’s work in ways that showcase her leadership skills. The description of her daily life is similar to how David was introduced. We see her leading the people on a smaller scale like David protecting his sheep from wild animals. It is a taste of what was to come. While God can choose whomever He wants, He has a tendency to pick those who are already showing steadfastness in the area that He will use for a specific task. Deborah was used to making decisions that impacted the lives of other people. One important leadership trait is to commit to a course of action knowing that the outcome could negatively affect other people. Leaders must take this risk on behalf of their followers. It takes a unique person who can rise above the sensitivities and considerations of how it would impact a certain family. It was her confidence in God’s plan that she was able to make those decisions in the first place.

            Deborah also continually showed humility. She did this in two ways: by giving all the glory to God and reminding Barak and the people of Israel that it was God delivering them, not her or anyone else. Secondly, she was generous in showing her admiration for others. Deborah showed us her heart in chapter five and gave Barak, Jael, and a few (though not all) of the tribes of Israel. (Judges 5:6, 12-18, 24, 31)

            The modern feminist-leaning reinterpretation of Judges 4 and 5 is simply unnecessary in light of the accolades one could bestow upon Deborah without having to stretch the text to make the claim that she is one of the deliverers. The church today could learn about Deborah, follow her example by living authentically, sacrificially, humbly, and with the same confidence in God that she had. By doing so, the church would end up in the same place Deborah was—praising God for who He is and what He has done.