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B. Deborah (4-5)

The story of Deborah and Barak, begins with a description of the dire straits in which again the Israelites found themselves.

1 Again the Israelites acted wickedly in YHWH's eyes. Ehud was dead. 2 YHWH gave them over to the control of Jabin, the Canaanite king who ruled from Hazor, and Sisera his army general (he lived in Haroshet-hagoyim). 3 The Israelites cried out to YHWH, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots. He severely oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. (4:1-3)

    The hard times were prompted, as always in this book, by Israel's behavior. The particular offense is not specified, but based on the theological introduction we can assume it was unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

Figure 7.4 Megiddo Ivory

This ivory plaque was found at Megiddo and dates to the time of the judges. The drawing depicts a Canaanite king seated on a throne in the shape of a winged sphinx. He is receiving an entourage returning from war which includes two bound captives. Jabin, a northern Canaanite king, dominated the Israelites, perhaps in like manner.


   
    The oppressor was Jabin from Hazor. This places the conflict in northern Canaan. The mention of Hazor, as well as other places mentioned later in the story, position the action just to the west of the Sea of Galilee.

Jabin. A problem arises with the mention of Jabin and Hazor. He was explicitly said to have been destroyed by Joshua in Joshua 11 (see Chapter 6). How can this be explained? Maybe Jabin was not originally attached to this story and was for some reason inserted later. The reference to Jabin is found only in the introduction and conclusion to the Deborah-Barak tale (verses 1-3 and 23-24) and in the mention of a treaty (verse 17). The actual fighting is against Sisera.

    After the stage-setting words, Deborah is introduced as a prophet who judged Israel in Ephraim. She was obviously a respected leader. In the mode of a prophet she delivered an oracle (a message from God) to Barak commanding him to organize troops from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to fight Sisera on Mount Tabor. Barak requested that Deborah accompany him. She agreed, but only after telling him that the coming victory would be credited to a woman. The story highlights the insecurity of Barak and the decisiveness and courage of Deborah.

6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Qedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "Has YHWH, the God of Israel, not commanded you?--'Go, march to Mount Tabor, and take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun with you. 7 I will march Sisera, Jabin's army commander, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and his troops. I will hand them over to you.'" 8 Barak said to her, "Only if you go with me will I go. If you do not go with me, I will not go." 9 She said, "I will go with you. But you will get no glory this way. YHWH will sell out Sisera by the hand of a woman." Deborah got up and went with Barak to Qedesh. (4:6-9)

    After the battle was joined, the Canaanite army was soon outmaneuvered, and Sisera fled the battle scene on foot. He found refuge in the tent of Jael, a one-time friend. Jael greeted him warmly, gave him drink and let him rest. But after Sisera fell asleep, she sneaked back into the tent and pounded a tent stake through Sisera's temple and on into the ground. The victory was celebrated in song. The text of the victory hymn, sometimes called the Song of Deborah, is found in Judges 5. Judging by the style of its language, Hebrew linguists tell us it is one of the oldest compositions in the Old Testament and may have been written very close to the event itself.
    The tale of Deborah and Barak reveals many things about the period of the judges. It illustrates how at various times, out of military necessity, individual tribes would join forces to combat a formidable enemy. But, as the Song of Deborah indicates, not all the tribes always answered the call for help. Sometimes some refused. Israel as a confederacy was still dominated by regional interests. There was no national cohesion at this time.
    The story also profiles the prophetic and military role female Israelites at times played in Israel. The courage of Deborah and Jael, and the credit for victory they received, sets in relief the deplorable lack of male initiative and leadership in Israel at the time of the judges.
ToC | Reading the Old Testament. . . Chapter 7. Judges | ToC