Deborah of the Bible: Judge, Prophetess, Fiery Woman

Deborah, introduced as “a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth”, may make you think her first role is as wife. However, a better understanding of the phrase, “wife of Lappidoth”, from the original Hebrew, notes this phrase can mean either “wife of Lappidoth” or “woman of torches.” Since we don’t see anything else in Judges 4-5 about a husband or indicating she has a traditional domestic role of “wife”, I’m going with Deborah as a “woman of torches”, or “fiery woman”. I think that description fits her best. 

Fiery Woman, Warrior, Wise

I’m not going rogue with using the “Fiery Woman” definition and description. Many scholars have accepted that description and advocate for that definition of “wife of Lappidoth”. It simply fits the rest of what we read about Deborah in Judges 4-5. She was wise, judicious, assertive, respected, and fearless. She didn’t back down from a fight and did not flinch when Barak said he would only go to battle if she went with him. Some translations of the original text indicate she may have gone into the thick of battle, not just watched from the sidelines. She was a warrior. 

Deborah is Wise and Judicious

Deborah is the only female judge and the only judge to also be called a prophet. These roles were traditionally male roles, as they are mostly still today. For a woman to lead in this way and be so effective that the Israelites enjoyed 40 years of peace, is phenomenal and not to be overlooked. God affirmed Deborah as a leader in her own right — not because of who her husband or her brother or her father was – but because she loved and served God, and had the needed attributes of a leader. As a prophet and judge, she would be regarded as wise. Her wisdom was respected as evidence by Judges 4:5 that notes the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided, by the military general refusing to go into battle without her, and the peace enjoyed by Israel for 40 years.

Ya’ll - Men Submitted to Deborah

As a judge, the Israelites came to her. The Israelites. It doesn’t say only women. God’s people, in a patriarchal time, came to a woman to have a woman decide their disputes. To issue judgments that effected not just women, but men as well. Ya’ll take that in. Soak it up. The men submitted to her authority.   (mic drop here)

Female Dynamic Duo

She was a prophet, judge, political leader and military war hero. Yet, she gave credit where it was due as to how Israel finally defeated Sisera, noting that it was Jael who, cunning and calculated, assassinated the enemy’s king. Deborah told Barak in Judges 4:9 that the Lord would hand over Sisera to a woman, meaning a woman would win the battle and take the glory, not the male Barak or any other male.  That is exactly what happened. Jael’s actions gave the Israelites victory. 

The female dynamic duo here in Judges confirms God doesn’t withhold duties or authority from women. God delivers this powerful army into the hands of 2 women. The physical battle, however, wasn’t the only battle for which God used these women. The battle for the hearts of the people, for their hearts to return to God, was also led by a woman.

Deborah as Spiritual Leader

Deborah was able to turn the Israelites back to worshipping God. This story of Deborah is sandwiched between the Israelites doing evil in the sight of God. That is, in Judges 4:1, it notes unrest was brought upon the Israelites for not following God / doing evil in His sight. Again, in Judges 6:1, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of God, so He again brought about unrest and oppression. However, in Judges 4-5, after Sisera was defeated, there was peace for 40 years which leads you to assume the Israelites did what was right in God’s eyes. Right? The credit for that goes to the leader of Israel at the time – Deborah. Just as she focused her song in Judges 5 as a praise to God, so she must have lived her life as a judge and prophet, turning Israel’s eyes back to God. Otherwise, it is reasonable to assume, they would have continued to be attacked and oppressed.

God Did That

God’s very actions in having a woman in such a powerful position affirms women can lead. Who are we to question that? 

The Biblical character of Deborah opens our eyes to how God can use women in leadership positions. What are your thoughts about this fiery woman? Follow me to find out more about how God used other Biblical women.

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