“And the Children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the
LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD gave them over into the hand of
Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was
Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth-goiim.”
The main thrust of Judges 4 features Deborah the prophetess. Our chapter begins by
chronicling Deborah’s predecessors. Well, sort of. Shamgar son of Anath (See the end of Judges
3.) really was the judge before Deborah’s ascendancy; whereas Ehud son of Gera preceded
Shamgar. Abravanel explains our verse’s seemingly sloppy history lesson. Briefly, he holds that
“the Children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD when Ehud was
dead” to mean that national misconduct followed Ehud’s passing. Thus, when Shamgar judged
the nation after Ehud, Hebrews were already in sharp moral decline. As for Shamgar’s influence
or salvation, it had only been minor, a band aid at best.
Consequently, by the time Deborah the prophetess took center stage, her co-religionists had hit
rock bottom, in terms of flouting Torah rules. For the Chosen People, things looked beyond
bleak. King Jabin and his polished army gave the Jews no quarter. “And the Children of Israel
cried unto the LORD; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily
oppressed the Children of Israel. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged
Israel at that time.”
Because of the scant textual description of Deborah, Abravanel supplies more information.
Though the verse writes explicitly that Deborah was a prophetess, this requires explanation in
light of the upcoming verses. But first, we read about her holding court: “And she sat under the
palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the
Children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” Clearly, she acted as a magistrate. But then,
Abravanel notes, things get strange.
Deborah prepared to fight King Jabin. “And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of
Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him: Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, saying:
Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the Children of
Naphtali and of the Children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto you to the brook Kishon Sisera,
the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your
hand.” Deborah’s war strategy is outlined.
Yet, Abravanel asks, if indeed Deborah achieved prophecy, providing her with a fail-safe plan to
overthrow King Jabin, why did Barak balk? “And Barak said unto her: If you will go with me,
then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” Hadn’t the God of Israel commanded,
as quoted above? If so, why did Barak refuse? Why did he condition taking the field on
Deborah’s participation? Bucking God’s order and His prophet (Deborah) rate an egregious
crime, for which the Torah metes out capital punishment (Deuteronomy 18).
Basing himself on our text here, Abravanel teaches us about Deborah. She certainly received
communiqués from Above. That bespeaks intellectual brilliance, not to mention her prophetic
preparedness. In time, the Maker granted her entrée into His confidence, per se, and spoke to
her. Next, Abravanel explains another description of the prophetess: “the wife of Lapidoth.”
This phrase does not record her marital status. Instead, it shares more about the woman: she
was a powerhouse. Possessing a stout and unflinching heart, Deborah got things done – in
lightning speed. “Lapidoth” in Hebrew means lightning bolt. How apt is this portrayal of her, a
woman who assessed matters and took charge.
Indeed, Deborah was no non-sense. With personality traits detailed above, she sat in
judgement, chastised her fellow Jews to redouble religious observance, and understood the art
of warfare. Abravanel returns to the question posed above: Given all these abilities and
national achievements, how did Barak doubt her prophecy that spelled out the winning war
plan against King Jabin?
God instructed Deborah to enlist Barak’s assistance, as stated above. For his part, Barak was
singled out, a testimony to his own sterling character, let alone his fearlessness in the face of
danger. This, Abravanel deduces from his name: Barak son of Abinoam. “Barak” conveys
boundless energy, really the same vibe as Deborah, to be colloquial. From the name
“Abinoam”, we learn that Barak hailed from good stock. Just as his father was pleasant and
warm, so too did Barak share those personable traits.
So, what gave Barak pause in fulfilling Deborah’s message from God? Hadn’t victory been
assured by Him? The problem, Abravanel learns, was not with Barak. It was with his troops.
Fearful and intimidated by King Jabin and Sisera’s fighters, the Jews lost heart. After all, nine
hundred chariots of iron were not a trifling threat. Thus, when Barak contemplated contending
with Jabin and Sisera, he understood that he would not be able to rally his troops. That is,
unless, Deborah joined forces with them. To the point, the Jews would not believe Deborah’s
prophecy unless she herself participated in the war. Hence, Barak believed in Deborah’s
prophecy, but in order to rally sagging esprit de corps, he needed Deborah’s presence.
In sum, Abravanel posits that Deborah would either instill confidence and courage in the hearts
of the Hebrews, or possibly her participation would harness divine providence. Either way,
Barak insisted that the prophetess make an appearance.