Judg 4:4-7 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Judg 4:4-7: 4:4-7 Deborah was a prophet (Hebrew ’ishah nebi’ah , “a woman, a female prophet”) who was judging ( shoptah , a feminine verb; see study note on 2:16-19). She is the protagonist of this story, though much of the action surrounds her surrogate, Barak. Unlike most of the characters in the book of Judges, Deborah fulfilled both the judicial and the military functions implied by the label “judge.” As a prophet, she foreshadowed Samuel’s later work (1 Sam 7:15-17 ). Deborah called for a holy war in which the Lord would fight for his people (Judg 4:6-7 ; see study notes on Deut 1:30; 2 Chr 20:20-21).

b1 Sam 7:15-17►

cJudg 4:6-7►

eHeb 11:32►

‏ Judges 4:4-7

Summary for Judg 4:4-7: 4:4-7 ^a Deborah was a prophet (Hebrew ’ishah nebi’ah, “a woman, a female prophet”) who was judging (shoptah, a feminine verb; see study note on 2:16-19). She is the protagonist of this story, though much of the action surrounds her surrogate, Barak. Unlike most of the characters in the book of Judges, Deborah fulfilled both the judicial and the military functions implied by the label “judge.” As a prophet, she foreshadowed Samuel’s later work (1 Sam 7:15-17 ^b). Deborah called for a holy war in which the Lord would fight for his people (Judg 4:6-7 ^c; see study notes on Deut 1:30; 2 Chr 20:20-21).
4:6 ^d Though Barak appears in a list of Israelite heroes (Heb 11:32 ^e), Judges never gives him more than an equal place with Deborah.

• Mount Tabor was in the territory of Issachar, just north of the Jezreel Valley.
4:7 ^f The Kishon River, which runs northwest into the Mediterranean just north of Mount Carmel, formed the Jezreel Valley.