Characteristics of deborah in the bible

Deborah

Prophetess in the Bible

For other uses, see Deborah (disambiguation).

Deborah

Deborah by Johanna Unger [de], 19th century

Other namesDebora, Débora, Dvora, Debra
Occupation(s)Prophetess of God, Fourth Judge of Israel
PredecessorShamgar
SuccessorGideon
SpouseLapidoth (possibly)

According to the Book of Judges, Deborah (Hebrew: דְּבוֹרָה, Dəḇōrā) was a prophetess of Judaism, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, and the only female judge mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Many scholars contend that the phrase, "a woman of Lappidoth", as translated from biblical Hebrew in Judges 4:4 denotes her marital status as the wife of Lapidoth.[1] Alternatively, "lappid"[1] translates as "torch" or "lightning", therefore the phrase, "woman of Lappidoth" could be referencing Deborah as a "fiery woman."[2] Deborah told Barak, an Israelite general[1] from Kedesh in Naphtali, that God commanded him to lead an attack against the forces of Jabin king of Canaan and his military commander

The name Deborah means ‘a bee’, and in view of the intelligent and hard-working reputation of the bee, Deborah was a fitting name for the fifth judge in Israel. Married to a man named Lapidoth, it is not known if Deborah and her husband ever bore children.

Deborah

Deborah was prophetess and judge in Israel during the time when Jabin, king of Canaan, terrorized the Hebrews with his military power. In spite of this, year after year Deborah sat under a palm tree near Bethel and the people flocked to her to for judgments and wisdom.

One day she summoned Barak, a Hebrew from Naphtali, and challenged him to lead an army against the Canaanites. He agreed to do it only if Deborah herself would accompany him to battle. She agreed but warned him that the honor for destroying the Canaanite general would then go to a woman.

The tiny Israeli force routed the Canaanites that day. Piecing together details from Deborah’s famous song of victory, evidently a terrific rainstorm bogged down the enemy’s heavy iron chariots of war, and the swollen river of Kishon further t

Deborah: Bible

Ackerman, Susan. Warrior, Dancer, Seductress, Queen: Women in Judges and Biblical Israel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.

Bal, Mieke. Death and Dissymmetry: The Politics of Coherence in the Book of Judges. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.

Bronner, Leila Leah. From Eve to Esther: Rabbinic Reconstructions of Biblical Women. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1994.

Exum, J. Cheryl. “Mother in Israel: A Familiar Story Re-considered.” In Feminist Interpretation of the Bible, edited by Letty M. Russell, 73–85. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1985.

Fewell, Danna Nolan, and David M. Gunn. “Controlling Perspectives: Women, Men, and the Authority of Violence in Judges 4–5.” Journal of the AmericanAcademy of Religion 58 (1990): 389–411.

Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Victors, Victims, Virgins, and Voice: Rereading the Women of the Bible. New York: Schocken, 2002.

Gafney, Wilda C. Daughters of Miriam: Woman Prophets in Ancient Israel. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008.

Meyers, Carol, General Editor. Women in Scripture. New York: Eerdm

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