Judges 4:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

NIV: Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.

NASB: Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

CSB: Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

NLT: Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time.

KJV: And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

NKJV: Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

Israel has cried out to the Lord for help after twenty years of cruel oppression (Judges 4:1–3). They have been subject to the king of Canaan and the commander of Canaan's army. Immediately, the writer of Judges introduces us to someone functioning as a judge in Israel. The Hebrew term translated "judge" in this book means much more than a legal expert who renders decisions. In Deborah's case, however, that seems to be exactly what she was doing. Her role appears to have been that of an arbiter—a legal referee between parties. She leads the people, primarily, by her wisdom.

Deborah is described as a prophetess, along with four other women in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:20; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Isaiah 8:3). A prophet was someone used by God to deliver His messages to the people. This prophetess was also leading in Israel by resolving disputes between the people not addressed by their Canaanite conquerors.

The prophetess is also associated with a Hebrew word referring to a torch, usually translated as the name Lappidoth. If this is Deborah's husband, he is curiously not mentioned again, nor is his tribe recorded. For these reasons, some scholars believe the Hebrew phrase ē'set lappidot, typically translated as "wife of Lappidoth," might mean "woman like a torch" or "woman of fire." The same structure is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to assign traits to particular women (Proverbs 21:19; 31:10). Deborah's personality certainly seems fiery, as shown in these two chapters of Judges.

Judges 4:1–10 introduces the pair of godly leaders featured in this cycle of Israel's redemption: Barak and Deborah. Israel is oppressed by the Canaanite king, Jabin, and his military commander, Sisera. The prophetess Deborah is said to be leading Israel as a judge, and she summons Barak to tell him about God's plan. Barak agrees to serve only if Deborah goes with him. She agrees, noting that credit for defeating Sisera will go to a woman. They raise an army and prepare for battle.

In response to their sin, God allows Israel to fall into oppression under Jabin, king of the Canaanites. Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, cruelly abuses the Israelites for twenty years. Through His prophetess Deborah, the Lord raises up Barak to lead a massive Israeli army. This force wipes out Canaan's army. Sisera flees on foot and hides in the tent of Heber's wife Jael. Once he is asleep, she kills him and then shows Barak the body. The Israelites soon destroy King Jabin and are freed from Canaanite oppression.

Judges 4 begins with the death of Ehud, the assassin-leader of chapter 3 who freed Israel from the Moabites. After the Israelite people return to wickedness, God submits them to Jabin and the Canaanites. After twenty years, the Lord raises up a deliverer called Barak through His prophetess Deborah. Israel obliterates the enemy army, and the general is slaughtered in his sleep by a woman. Jabin and the Canaanites are defeated. The next chapter poetically retells these events, followed by the introduction of an especially famous judge in chapter 6: Gideon.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).