the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Deborah
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or Two women named Deborah are mentioned in the Bible. The first of these was the maidservant of Rebekah who came with her from Paddan-aram when Rebekah married Isaac. She lived to a great age and died near Bethel (Genesis 24:59; Genesis 35:8).
The better known Deborah was a respected civil administrator in Israel during the era of the judges. She lived near the town of Bethel, where she gave decisions in cases brought to her for judgment. Being a prophetess, she was well suited to discern God’s will in difficult cases (Judges 4:4-5). She is chiefly remembered for directing Israel’s victory over the forces of Sisera in northern Palestine. (For map see JUDGES, BOOK OF.)
With her army general Barak, Deborah led a force of Israelite soldiers up Mt Tabor, with the aim of drawing out Sisera’s chariot forces into the plain of the Kishon River below (Judges 4:6-10). With prophetic insight, Deborah must have foreseen the outcome. There was a tremendous storm, the river flooded and, as Sisera’s chariots became bogged, the Israelites rushed down upon them and won a great victory. Many details of the event are given in the song of victory that Deborah composed to celebrate the occasion (Judges 4:12-16; Judges 5:1-22).
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Deborah'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/d/deborah.html. 2004.
