Bible Character Explorer
Period of the Judges • c. 1200 BC
Deborah
Mother in IsraelThe prophetess and judge who led Israel to victory when no man would
"The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel."
Judges 5:7 (KJV)
Overview
Deborah was a prophetess who judged Israel during a period of oppression under the Canaanite king Jabin, holding court under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel. When she summoned Barak to lead Israel's army against Sisera's forces, he agreed only if she went with him, and she did, resulting in a decisive victory celebrated in one of the oldest poems in Scripture, the Song of Deborah.
Gospel Connection
The pattern of the book of Judges — Israel's need, their cry for help, and God's raising up of a deliverer who was not what anyone expected — anticipates the far greater deliverance accomplished in Jesus Christ, the ultimate judge and deliverer sent when humanity could not save itself. Deborah's song, giving all credit to the Lord for the victory, models the posture the gospel calls every believer to hold toward their own salvation: boasting only in what God has done.
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See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.
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