Song of Deborah

Biblical Text and Content

Judges 4 recounts the battle in prose, and chapter 5 retells the same event in poetry. The narrative of chapter 4 runs as follows. Jabin, a Canaanite king who reigned in Hazor, oppressed Israel for twenty years through his commander Sisera, who had nine hundred chariots of iron. The prophetess and judge Deborah then summoned Barak and had him gather troops at Mount Tabor, and Israel routed Sisera's army by the river Kishon. Sisera fled and was killed in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

The song in chapter 5 proceeds roughly in the following order.

• The coming of God: The song declares that when God went out from Seir and marched out of the field of Edom, "the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water" (Judges 5:4-5).
• The days of oppression: After describing how "in the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied," the song says that Deborah arose as "a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:6-7).
• Assessment of the tribes: The song praises Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali, who came out to fight, and rebukes Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher, who did not (Judges 5:14-18).
• The battle: The song proclaims that "the stars in their courses fought against Sisera" and that "the river of Kishon swept them away" (Judges 5:20-21). Meroz, which gave no help, is cursed (Judges 5:23).
• Jael and Sisera's mother: Jael is celebrated with the words "blessed shall she be above women in the tent," and the song depicts Sisera's mother waiting at the window for her son (Judges 5:24-30).
• Conclusion: The song prays, "So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might," and closes by noting that "the land had rest forty years" (Judges 5:31).

Background

These events took place during the period of the judges, before Israel had a king. The setting is the region of the Jezreel Valley in northern Canaan; the song mentions "Taanach by the waters of Megiddo" (Judges 5:19). The Hebrew name Deborah means "bee." Many scholars, citing the archaic character of the song's Hebrew, regard it as one of the oldest texts in the Old Testament, though opinions differ on its precise date.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Along with the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15, this song belongs to a tradition of victory songs celebrating how God fought on behalf of His people, and it is often mentioned alongside the song of Miriam. Because it was sung by a woman, it is also compared with the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2) and the song of Mary, the Magnificat (Luke 1). Some scholars see a resemblance between the passage calling Jael "blessed above women" and Elizabeth's blessing of Mary, "Blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:42). Deborah's name does not appear in the New Testament, but Barak is named among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Differences between chapters 4 and 5: Chapter 4 mentions only two tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali, whereas chapter 5 names several more. Some interpreters view the two texts as complementary accounts of a single event, while others see them as reflecting different traditions.
• Explanations involving rain and mud: A common explanation adds that a downpour caused the Kishon to overflow, so that the chariots of iron became mired in the mud. The text says only that "the clouds also dropped water" (Judges 5:4) and that "the river of Kishon swept them away" (Judges 5:21); the image of chariots stuck in the mud comes from interpretation.
• Jael's act: That the song praises the killing of a man received as a guest has long raised ethical questions. Some interpret Jael as an instrument of God's judgment, while others hold that the text simply reflects the customs of warfare in its time.
• Female leadership: Supporters of the ordination of women cite Deborah as a precedent for God raising up women as leaders. Opponents regard her case as an exception arising from the particular circumstances of the period of the judges, or emphasize that in the song it is Barak who exercises military command.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching and Bible study, Deborah and this song are often presented as an example of a faithful female leader and as a model of praise for the victory God accomplished. In addition, the passages rebuking the tribes that did not join the battle (Judges 5:16-17, 23) are frequently applied as a call to take part in the work of the community.