The story of Deborah (and Barak and Jael) is given
in Judges 4:
4:1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in
Yahweh’s sight, when Ehud was dead. 2 Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who
lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 3 The children of Israel cried to Yahweh,
for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed the
children of Israel for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of
Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time. 5 She lived under Deborah’s palm tree
between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of
Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and called Barak the son of
Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, “Hasn’t Yahweh, the God of
Israel, commanded, ‘Go and lead the way to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten
thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7 I
will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army,
with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will
go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
9 She said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the
journey that you take won’t be for your honor; for Yahweh will sell Sisera into
a woman’s hand.” Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh. Ten
thousand men followed him; and Deborah went up with him. 11 Now Heber the
Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab,
Moses’ brother-in-law, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim,
which is by Kedesh. 12 They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone
up to Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine
hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth
of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon.
14 Deborah said to Barak, “Go; for this is the day in which
Yahweh has delivered Sisera into your hand. Hasn’t Yahweh gone out before you?”
So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15 Yahweh
confused Sisera, all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword
before Barak. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled away on his feet. 16 But
Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth of the Gentiles; and all
the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not a man left.
17 However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael
the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of
Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera, and
said to him, “Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; don’t be afraid.” He came in to
her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink;
for I am thirsty.”
She opened a container of milk, and gave him a drink, and
covered him.
20 He said to her, “Stand in the door of the tent, and if
any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall
say, ‘No.’”
21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg, and took a
hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his
temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep; so
he fainted and died. 22 Behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet
him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.” He
came to her; and behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent peg was in his temples.
23 So God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel on
that day. 24 The hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against
Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Deborah was a prophetess, and, apparently, the leader of all
of Israel. She was, or possible had been, married, but we are told nothing about her husband.
Once in a while, there are two (or more) Bible characters with the same name. This is a case of such duplication.
Genesis 35:8 Deborah,
Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its
name was called Allon Bacuth.
We aren't told anything else about this previous Deborah, although it seems that she was part of Jacob's retinue, wives, concubines, children, and probably other servants, who came with Jacob back to where he grew up.
The name, Deborah, or variants of that name, is fairly common today.
