Era: When the judges ruled, after the death of Ehud (Judges 4:1-4)
Deborah
The prophetess who judged Israel under a palm tree
Deborah was a prophetess and judge of Israel in a time of oppression. For twenty years the people had been under the power of Jabin, king of Canaan, and his captain Sisera. She sat under a palm tree in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
At God's command she called Barak to face Sisera's army, and she went with him. After the victory she and Barak sang the song preserved in chapter 5 of Judges. She is the only woman the book of Judges presents as ruling Israel.
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Reviewed by Jon J ·