Deborah
I've asked about Deborah before, elsewhere, and no one really seems to know much about her. Her name means bee. She's not mentioned anywhere except in her story in Judges 4 and 5. Deborah's story includes another woman, Jael, and two men, Barak and Sisera. Barak was . . . a wuss, it seems, and Sisera overly trusting.
In Judges 4:4, I learn that Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, and a judge of Israel. Looking up prophetess in my Strongs Concordence, I find, besides Deborah; Miriam, Aaron and Moses' sister in Exedus 15:20; Huldah, in the time of King Josiah, the wife of Shallum, her prophecy is found in 2 kings 22:15-20 and 2 Cronicles 35:23-28; an unnamed woman in Isaiah 8:3, Isaiah's wife? or something from a vision? The wording is confusing, but it seems to be Isaiah's wife; and Anna, from Luke 2:36-38. We aren't told what Anna prophysied, nor the woman from Isaiah. Huldah's prophecy is a condemnation on Israel coupled with a promise of mercy for King Josiah. Deborah's is calling Barak to war.
In Judges, before Deborah, and after the death of Joshua, I find listed Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar as those who judged Israel. After Deborah comes Gideon (aka Jerubbaal), Gideon's trecherous son Abimelech. then Tola, Jair, Jepthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and then Samson.
All of these men are from different tribes. At this point in history, there was no heireditary rularship. That's probably where Abimelech got into trouble in the first place, but he's not my main interest.
In Judges 5:7 Deborah refers to herself as a mother in Israel.
So Deborah was probably an older woman, married, having at least one child. I have a feeling her children were grown, but I don't see any proof of that anywhere. Her husband seems to have been unimportant, he is not mentioned anywhere else, and in no other context than that Deborah is his wife. Certainly they were not in Christ's lineage.
I know that Anna was also an older woman. Miriam's first mention is as a child, but by the time she is refered to as a prophetess, she's grown up. I'm going to have to do more reserch on Huldah another day.
My boys just woke up, I let them sleep so late because they've got a cold.
Anyone have any comments or ideas?
In Judges 4:4, I learn that Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, and a judge of Israel. Looking up prophetess in my Strongs Concordence, I find, besides Deborah; Miriam, Aaron and Moses' sister in Exedus 15:20; Huldah, in the time of King Josiah, the wife of Shallum, her prophecy is found in 2 kings 22:15-20 and 2 Cronicles 35:23-28; an unnamed woman in Isaiah 8:3, Isaiah's wife? or something from a vision? The wording is confusing, but it seems to be Isaiah's wife; and Anna, from Luke 2:36-38. We aren't told what Anna prophysied, nor the woman from Isaiah. Huldah's prophecy is a condemnation on Israel coupled with a promise of mercy for King Josiah. Deborah's is calling Barak to war.
In Judges, before Deborah, and after the death of Joshua, I find listed Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar as those who judged Israel. After Deborah comes Gideon (aka Jerubbaal), Gideon's trecherous son Abimelech. then Tola, Jair, Jepthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and then Samson.
All of these men are from different tribes. At this point in history, there was no heireditary rularship. That's probably where Abimelech got into trouble in the first place, but he's not my main interest.
In Judges 5:7 Deborah refers to herself as a mother in Israel.
So Deborah was probably an older woman, married, having at least one child. I have a feeling her children were grown, but I don't see any proof of that anywhere. Her husband seems to have been unimportant, he is not mentioned anywhere else, and in no other context than that Deborah is his wife. Certainly they were not in Christ's lineage.
I know that Anna was also an older woman. Miriam's first mention is as a child, but by the time she is refered to as a prophetess, she's grown up. I'm going to have to do more reserch on Huldah another day.
My boys just woke up, I let them sleep so late because they've got a cold.
Anyone have any comments or ideas?
posted by BoysMom @ 9:17 AM
3 Comments:
At 11:09 PM, January 24, 2006,
heidi said…
Deborah was unique among the women, and men, of Bible History in that she was prophetess, a judge and a military leader all in one - a powerful triple combination of authority and responsibility held by only two other Israelites, Moses and Samuel.
Approximately 1200 B.C., Deborah served as a judge at "the palm tree of Deborah" in southern Ephraim between Ramah and Bethel, thereby possibly making her of the tribe of Ephraim, as was Joshua earlier. She was referred to as the "mother of Israel" because of her leadership in the battle against Canaanite oppression.
She was the wife of Lappidoth.
She was an extraordinary woman.
At 11:10 PM, January 24, 2006,
heidi said…
I got all this off google. NOT my own.
At 10:21 AM, January 25, 2006,
BoysMom said…
What interests me about Deborah is that she acted in roles that one usually sees men in, and we don't see other women in these roles. There are plenty of courageous women in the Bible, but not in these roles. There's only a few women refered to as prophetesses, and one, Jezebel, in Revolations, is refered to as a false prophetess. I didn't list her above because she was in the negative catagory and Deborah wouldn't be like her.
The line 'Mother of Israel' actually comes from her own speach, or rather song, with Barak, in Judges 5:7, 'The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.' (KJV)
Serena gave me some Hebrew langauge sites to look into a while back, but I haven't gotten into those yet, and since I haven't (yet) learned Hebrew, it's going to be a lot of work. I thought I'd better start with my Strongs, and see what I could infer about her from looking at others with the same jobs.
I do mean to learn Hebrew eventually, at least written, because I want my boys to learn that as one of their languages (along with French, Latin, and Greek).
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