Judges
Leadership · Courage · Victory · Wisdom
“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.”
— Judges 4:4
The only female judge of Israel — a prophetess, leader, and warrior who led her nation to victory and composed one of Scripture's great songs of triumph.
Her Story
Deborah held court under a palm tree, and all of Israel came to her for judgment. When the Canaanite king Jabin oppressed Israel for twenty years, Deborah summoned the commander Barak and told him God commanded him to march against Jabin's army. Barak refused to go without her, and Deborah agreed but prophesied that the glory of victory would go to a woman. She marched with the army, and God delivered the enemy into their hands. Deborah then composed a magnificent song of victory recorded in Judges 5, one of the oldest and most beautiful poems in the Bible. She is described as 'a mother in Israel,' a leader who rose up when her people needed courage and direction.
Scripture References
Themes
LeadershipCourageVictoryWisdom