Introduction
In Judges chapters 4 and 5, Deborah, a woman, is described as a prophet and as judging Israel.[1] Some Christians, however, take issue with Deborah’s story. They are concerned that Deborah, a successful leader of Israel, might be used as a precedent for women leading in the church.
This concern is exemplified in a message that was given at a church in West Seattle (USA) in August 2023.[2] In a 30-minute message entitled, “Can Women Teach or Lead in the Church? Part 1,” the speaker focused on Judges 4.[3] He seemingly believed that the best way to address the topic of women in ministry today was to start with Deborah.
I was previously aware of arguments used to diminish and downplay Deborah’s ministry. In 2012, I wrote an article entitled, “Deborah and the No-Available-Men Argument.” I had to close comments on that article because I grew tired of dealing with the hundreds of baseless and disrespectful comments it was attracting.[4]
Since that time, I’ve seen more statements that are used to diminish and undermine Deborah’s leadership. In this article, I critique seven arguments I’ve seen used to minimise Deborah’s role and ministry as Israel’s judge. Arguments 3 and 4 are taken from the sermon given in West Seattle.
1. Deborah was Israel’s judge only because no men were available.
This argument, which is worded in various ways, is the one that is brought up most often in articles and online discussions. It seems many Christians believe that Deborah became judge only because either no man willingly stepped up to take that role or because no man was capable of being the leader at that time.[5]
However, the idea that Deborah became a judge because there was a problem with the supply of competent male leaders is contrived. It’s a made-up idea that is not based on the biblical text. Nothing in Judges 4-5 conveys the notion that Deborah was judge by default because there was no man who would or could do the job.
We know from other Bible stories that being unwilling or feeling inadequate is not an impediment to being called by God to lead major projects or to lead his people. Think of Moses, Gideon, Saul, and Jonah.
I have more to say about Deborah’s ministry and the no-available-men argument, here.
2. Deborah, as a female leader, signified God’s judgment on Israel.
An extension of the no-available-men argument is that having a woman as judge was a punishment against the Israelite men because they were somehow inadequate. But Israel prospered under Deborah’s leadership (Judg. 5:6-7). Deborah was not a punishment; she was a blessing.
God’s judgment is stated at the beginning of Judges 4.
“The Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD, now that Ehud was dead. So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan … The sons of Israel cried out to the LORD for … [Jabin] oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years” (Judg. 4:1–3).
This is when Deborah enters the narrative to set things right (Judg. 4:4ff). Deborah’s leadership was God’s answer to the prayers of his people who were suffering because of his judgment.
A related argument is that Deborah’s leadership as a woman was designed to shame the men.[6] However, Barak is praised as a hero in the Bible, even if Sisera did fall by Jael’s hand. And the men mentioned in Judges 5, as well as Barak, do not seem to be ashamed. They seem to be happy.[7]
Stanley J. Grenz and Denise Muir Kjesbo observe,
Scripture offers no evidence that the Israelites ever rejected a woman’s leadership simply on the basis of gender. On the contrary, we get the impression that Israel acknowledged the authority of God-ordained women leaders to the same extent as their male counterparts.[8]
3. Deborah isn’t given the title of “judge” in the Bible.
At the 8.45-minute mark of his message, the West Seattle pastor, Ryan Faust, says that in the book of Judges, “there are twelve who are actually given the title of ‘judge’: the noun is used to describe them in that role.” He implies that Deborah isn’t one of these twelve, and says it is questionable if Deborah is given the title of judge (18.18).[9]
Beginning with Moses, and ending when Saul was crowned king, the leaders of Israel, at the highest level, were called “judges” (cf. Sirach 10:2, 24). The Hebrew word for “judge” in this context is shofet. This word is not used in the Hebrew Bible as a noun. As far as I can tell, no judge, not even God the Judge, is called a “judge” using a noun form of shofet. (See here.)[10]
Shofet occurs only as a verb or participle in the biblical text, but participles of shofet are sometimes used as substantives and function as nouns. For example, shofet is used as a participle for God as judge in Judges 11:27, it is used as a participle for Samuel’s sons who were judges in 1 Samuel 8:1-2,[11] and it is used as a participle for Deborah in Judges 4:4.[12]
On the other hand, none of the male judges in the Book of Judges are called “judge” with a participle (or non-existent noun). Instead, shofet is used as a verb. In all, eight male judges in the Book of Judges are described with the verb “judged.” [13] So, unlike Ryan’s claim, it could be said that Deborah, more so than the male judges, is given the title of “judge.”
Moreover, three of the judges in the Book of Judges (Ehud, Shamgar, and Gideon) are not mentioned with any form of the “judge” word. These three are called “deliverers.” So the statement that “there are twelve who are actually given the title of ‘judge’” is incorrect about the number twelve and about shofet being used as a noun for a title.
4. Because she is not called a “deliverer” and did not lead an army, Deborah was not a real judge.
Ryan believes that a defining role of the judges was to be military leaders, and that “the judge was at the forefront of the battles” (11.20). In another comment, he said that judges were “deliverers” or “saviours,” and he referred to the Hebrew word yasha.
The Hebrew word for “deliverer/ saviour” (yasha) is used for six of the twelve judges as either a verb, or as a participle where it can function as a noun (cf. Neh. 9:27). For example, in the stories of Othniel and Ehud, there is the line, “the LORD raised [name] to be a deliverer (yasha)” (Judges 3:9, 15).[14] Yasha is not used for Deborah. It’s also not used for Barak.[15]
Furthermore, of the twelve judges, only four (shown in italics) are said to have led armies.
- Othniel went to war and so presumably he led an army (Judges 3:10).
- Ehud acted alone and then called the Israelites to follow him in battle (Judges 3:15, 27-29).
- Shamgar seems to have acted alone. There is no mention that he formed or led an army (Judges 3:31).
- Deborah directs Barak to go to war against the Canaanites, and she goes with him to war (Judges 4:6-10, 14). Deborah led the man who led the army.
- Gideon forms an army (Judges 6:34ff).
- Tola is not said to have formed or led an army (Judges 10:1-2).
- Jair is not said to have formed or to have led an army (Judges 10:3-5).
- Jephthah led an army that was already formed and in need of leader (Judges 10:18-11:1).
- Ibzan is not said to have formed or to have led an army (Judges 12:8-10).
- Elon is not said to have formed or to have led an army (Judges 12:11).
- Abdon is not said to have formed or to have led an army (Judges 12:13-15).
- Samson seems to have acted alone. There is no mention that he formed or led an army (Judges 14:19; 15:14ff, 20; 16:30).
As the military leader, Barak delivered Israel from the Canaanite army. He did so under Deborah’s direction and in Deborah’s company, and he did so with the crucial help of another woman, Jael.
Ryan’s claim that the role of judges meant, or included, being a military leader and being at the forefront of battles is not entirely accurate. Moses and Samuel, who were judges and prophets like Deborah, were not military leaders.[16]
5. God didn’t raise Deborah; she raised herself.
Some say that because of the wording in Judges 5:7, a line in the song that Deborah and Barak sang, God didn’t raise Deborah to be a judge; she raised herself. Some further claim she raised herself against God’s wishes.
Here’s what Judges 5:7 says.
“Village life ceased in Israel; it ceased until I arose;
I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.”[17]
The argument that God didn’t raise Deborah continues to be repeated despite the fact that when the ministry of all the judges is explained in Judges 2:16-19 (this is where it says twice, “the LORD raised up judges”), Deborah’s leadership fits the explanation quite well.
Furthermore,
- No verse in the Book of Judges mentions a person called a judge and says God raised him or her: no verse says, “the LORD raised [name] to be a judge.”
- Two verses say that “the LORD raised [name] to be a deliverer” (Judg. 3:9, 15). This is said only about Othniel and Ehud.[18]
- The same Hebrew (qal imperfect) verb, where it says Deborah “rose up” (Judg. 5:7 X2), is used for the judges Tola and Jair (Judg. 10:1-5 NIV).[19]
When we look at the whole story of Deborah in chapters 4 and 5, and at the surrounding chapters in Judges, especially Judges 2, we recognise that the LORD inspired Deborah to rise, and her rise in leadership is not vastly different from the rise of other judges.[20] Nevertheless, each of the judges has their own unique story.
6. Barak, not Deborah, is mentioned in Hebrews 11, showing he was the real judge.
Even though Jael received the honour and fame for killing Sisera, Barak received honour and fame for his actions in defeating the enemy army (cf. Judg. 4:9). Furthermore, he is mentioned in 1 Samuel 12:11 alongside several men who served as judges,[21] and is named as a faith hero in Hebrews 11:32-33.
Deborah is not mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 or in 1 Samuel 12:11.[22] I don’t know why that is. Still, Judges 4 states that Deborah, not Barak, was the person judging Israel at that time. The word shofet (“judge”) is never used in the Bible for Barak, but it is for Deborah. Furthermore, a feminine pronoun, equivalent to “she” is used before the word shofet in Judges 4:4. This pronoun is not needed in the Hebrew text for its meaning; rather, it adds emphasis: “she,” Deborah is the one judging (leading) Israel.[23]
Deborah is the one calling the shots in Judges 4: summoning Barak, telling him what to do, and what the outcome will be. In Judges 5, where Barak is mentioned by name three times, Deborah is named before him each time. (See Judges 5:1, 12, 15.) The authors of Judges chapters 4-5 regarded Deborah as the leader of Israel, holding a higher position, or being more prominent, than Barak.
Nevertheless, Ryan believes that Barak, because he was the military leader, was the real judge, and that Deborah was initially only a prophet. Ryan claims that Deborah became a co-judge with Barak at Barak’s invitation when she was asked to accompany him to the battle.[24] The biblical text, however, does not express this co-judge idea.[25]
There may have been many times when Deborah’s roles as prophet and judge coincided in her ministry, as they did with Moses and Samuel.[26] I see no reason to suppose that Deborah was not acting or speaking as both prophet and judge (leader) when she summoned Barak and gave him detailed instructions, telling him what to do (Judg. 4:6-7).
7. Deborah did not speak in public.
The claim that Deborah didn’t speak in public is as old as Origen (d. 253) who used it to argue against women leaders in the Montanist movement. Origen stated that “There is no evidence that Deborah delivered speeches to the people, as did Jeremiah and Isaiah.”[27] This argument has been rehashed and is still used by some today to argue against women leaders in churches.[28]
Deborah was a prophet, a spokesperson for God. She was also a judge, and one of her roles was to arbitrate disputes among the Israelites. Speaking was a big part of her ministry, and she did this in a public place, the Palm of Deborah (Judg. 4:5; cf. Moses in Exod. 18:13).[29] This location was just north of the crossroads of busy trading routes at the centre of Israel.[30]
As the judge, or leader, of Israel (Judg. 4:4ff) and as a matriarchal figure (Judg. 5:7), she probably made many speeches. And even though no public spoken speech is recorded in Judges 4-5, her song, a sung speech, is recorded. Victory songs, such as the one Deborah sang with Barak, were typically sung in public. (I’ve written about this custom here.) Moreover, the Hebrew verb for “sing” in Judges 5:1 is feminine and singular, putting a focus on Deborah. Since she sang this song publicly there is no reason to presume Deborah did not also speak publicly at times, even if the Bible does not record these occasions.
Some of Deborah’s spoken words to Barak are also recorded. We don’t know if they were said in a public setting or in private. Either way, the argument that Deborah didn’t speak publicly is an argument from silence and seems to ignore her song which fills chapter 5.
Deborah and Barak’s Story
Deborah as prophet and judge of Israel, and Barak as the leader of the army, worked together. It’s a great example of collaboration.[31] They go into battle together in Judges 4, and they sing and celebrate together in Judges 5. It is an inspiring story, with interesting and surprising twists, which can be overlooked if we interpret the story with our own concerns in mind and don’t pay attention to what the authors wanted to say.
Unlike what is said of some of the male judges, not one bad word is said of Deborah in the biblical text, and there is no valid reason to denigrate her or downplay her leadership. We can admire Barak’s success as military leader without belittling Deborah as prophet and judge, and vice versa. We distort the Deborah-Barak story if we try to reduce Deborah’s ministry because of our own theological or doctrinal issues.
Whether Deborah, as the judge of early Iron Age Israel, is a precedent for women leading local congregations of Jesus-followers is a whole other discussion. 11th-century Israel and 21st-century congregations are not analogous. Still, I’m glad that Deborah, and other women leaders, are mentioned in the Bible.
As Gordon Hugenberger has observed,
The scriptures … offer an impressive number of examples of women exercising social or political authority without raising any questions as to the propriety of that authority.[32]
Note: I welcome constructive critiques of this article. I may not have everything right, I might have missed something in Judges, and I’m happy to correct any errors. But I will remove any comments that are even slightly disrespectful, snarky, unedifying, or unhelpful.
Footnotes
[1] Barry G. Webb comments on the statement that Deborah was judging Israel. He says that it has the sense that she was “the effective ruler of the nation as a whole.” Webb, The Book of Judges (NICOT; Eerdmans, 2012), 188.
Hebrew scholar Robert Alter mentions the two roles of Deborah as shofet (“judge”).
The word shofet, traditionally translated as “judge,” has two different meanings —”judge” in the judicial sense and “leader” or “chieftain.” The latter sense is obviously the relevant one for [the book of Judges], though the sole female judge, Deborah, in fact also acts as a judicial authority, sitting under the palm tree named after her.
Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, Vol. 3 (W.W. Norton, 2019) (Google Books)
[2] I was made aware of this message recently when a reader of my blog contacted me with questions about its content. The message is posted on YouTube here.
[3] The speaker regards himself as an “exegete” (6.35) with the job of explaining “straightforwardly what this text means” (7.10). Later in the message (32:26), he says that he aims to “look plainly at the text [and] see what it actually says …” I think he has failed to see what Judges 4 actually says.
[4] I removed disrespectful and silly comments.
[5] This flawed argument is even expressed in a few Bible commentaries. For example, Trent C. Butler says that Deborah’s “special role seems to be so strongly emphasized to show not only her qualifications but also the absence of any man to fill the role, another way of showing the weakness of leadership in Israel.”
Butler, Judges (Word Biblical Commentary; Thomas Nelson, 2009), 93.
[6] Calvin, for example, wrote,
Deborah was not only a prophetess, but also ruled the people of God. … And thus we see how God might use a woman to govern his people. And it is to be marked that he did it to despite [vex or offend] men withal, as if he would by this means shame them, because there was none of them meet to be in authority and dignity.
Calvin, 19th Sermon on 1 Timothy (Source: Purely Prebyterian)
[7] Except perhaps for the men in the tribe of Reuben (Judg. 5:15-16). They don’t seem happy for some reason.
[8] Stanley J. Grenz and Denise Muir Kjesbo, Women in the Church: A Biblical Theology of Women in Ministry (InterVarsity Press, 1995), 67.
[9] Ryan includes Barak in his comment, casting the same level of doubt on both Deborah and Barak as judges even though Deborah is referred to with “judge” language and Barak isn’t.
At the 18.22-minute mark, Ryan points out that “judging” is used as a verb in Judges 4:4. More precisely, it is used as participle in the Hebrew. As discussed above, when a participle of shofet is used in the biblical text, it can function as a noun.
Ryan makes an incorrect statement about the grammar of the “judgement” word, mishpat, in Judges 4:5. This word is not related to shofet. It is an entirely different word with a different range of meanings. Deborah’s leadership of Israel was multifaceted and included making judgements, judicial decisions (cf. Moses in Exodus 18:13-16, 26, and Samuel in 1 Samuel 7:15-17).
[10] K. Lawson Younger Jr states, “It is interesting that the noun shopet [or, shofet] is never used of any named individual in the book [of Judges], except for Yahweh.” Younger, Judges, Ruth, Revised Edition (NIVAC; Zondervan Academic, 2002), 24. However, I can only see shofet being used as a verb or as a participle functioning as a noun. Have I missed something? I’m happy to be corrected on this.
[11] The shofet verb is used three times for Samuel in the previous three verses (1 Sam. 7:15-17). (See here: BibleGateway.) But this verb doesn’t imply that Samuel wasn’t a real judge or a real leader of Israel.
[12] For comparison, participles of shofet are also used in Num. 25:5; Deut. 1:16; 16:18; 17:9, 19:17-18; Judg. 2:16, 17, 18 (3X), 19; 2 Sam. 7:11; etc. The participles in Judges 2, and in most other verses, are typically translated as nouns in English translations.
[13] To be precise, the qal consecutive imperfect 3rd person masculine singular form of the verb shofet, with the vav conjunction, is used for Othniel (Judges 3:10), Tola (Judges 10:2), Jair (Judges 10:3), Jephthah (Judges 12:7), Ibzan (Judges 12:8), Elon (Judges 12:11), Abdon (Judges 12:13 & 14), and Samson (Judges 15:20). The qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular of shofet is used for Samson in Judges 16:31.
The ESV, which Ryan quotes from in his sermon, accurately translates shofet as a verb in the stories of these eight male judges. The ESV does not translate shofet as a noun or title for these men. (See here: BibleGateway.)
[14] Yasha is also used for the actions of Shamgar (Judges 3:31), Gideon (Judges 6:14; 7:7; 8:22), Tola (Judges 10:1), and Samson (Judges 13:5). (See here: Bible Hub.)
[15] Yasha is not used for Barak in the book of Judges or in 1 Samuel 12:10-11.
[16] In a blog post on the Unlocking Femininity website, the author Gabrielle Pickle ignores the examples of Moses (Exod. 18:13-16, 26) and Samuel (1 Sam. 7:15-17) as male judges who held court, listened to complaints, made legal decisions, and were not military leaders. She also seems to differentiate between the verb and non-existent noun for “judge” when she says that Deborah was not named “judge.” Gabrielle states,
The only judge in Scripture that did not serve as military leader was, you guessed it … Deborah. […] Deborah is the only “judge” identified as having a legal function. Clearly Deborah is not providing military deliverance under her palm tree. The Israelites sought her out to obtain justice. The verb form of the word “judging” tells us that she was doing the action of legal judging rather being named “Judge” a.k.a. leader of Israel and military deliverer. This is different from the male judges, who did not hold court, listen to complaints, or make legal decisions.” (Unlocking Femininity)
[17] Deborah was a “mother in Israel,” a matriarchal figure in the community of his people, a female counterpart to the male judges. I have more on “mother in Israel” in a footnote here.
[18] The hifil imperfect of קוּם-kum (“raised”) is used in Judges 3:9 & 15.
[19] The qal perfect of קוּם-kum is used in Judges 5:7; 10:1 & 3.
For more on the “rise” verb in the context of Deborah, Tola, and Jair, see definition 4 in Brown, Driver and Briggs’s Hebrew Lexicon: “arise = come on the scene, appear, of leader, prophet, king” (Online: Bible Hub)
[20] Gabrielle Pickle observes that “Deborah is the only significant character in the book of Judges whose call is not described and who is not said ‘to arise,’ a call that was given to every deliverer-judge.” (Unlocking Femininity) However, the “calling stories” of the judges, where there is such an account, are each unique. Deborah’s account of rising is also unique. This doesn’t mean some judges were more like leaders, and others were less like leaders. Though some judges, unlike Deborah, were more like military deliverers.
Gabrielle probably doesn’t call herself a Bible scholar, but her work, which is easily accessible, contributes to unfairly denigrating Deborah.
Daniel I. Block, who is a Bible scholar, asks several rhetorical questions about Deborah beginning with, “Why is [Deborah] not introduced as one whom Yahweh had raised up?” followed by, “Why is there no reference to her inspiration and empowerment by Yahweh’s Spirit (rûaḥ yhwh)?” But not all judges are said to have been raised by God, and the Spirit is mentioned as inspiring or empowering only four of the judges in the Book of Judges: Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), Jephthah (Judg. 11:29), and Samson (Judg. 13:24-25; 14:6, 9; 15:14). (See here: BibleGateway)
Block also asks, “Why is the verb yāša [yasha], “to save,” never applied to [Deborah]?” This word is discussed in Argument 4, and as I’ve previously stated, it is only used for six judges in the Book of Judges, and is never used for Barak. Block asks several more questions, all seemingly designed to unfairly cast doubt on veracity of Deborah’s ministry as judge.
Block, Judges, Ruth: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (New American Commentary; Broadman & Holman, 1991), 196–197.
It’s reasonable to compare the stories of the judges, but when we do so, we find there are many differences and unique elements in their stories.
[21] These men are not called “judges” in 1 Samuel 12:10-11, but are described as “defending” or “delivering” (natsal) Israel.
[22] Deborah is not named in 1 Samuel 12:11 in the Hebrew Bible or Septuagint. Interestingly, her name is first in 1 Samuel 12:11 in the Peshitta: “And YHWH sent Deborah and Barak and Gideon and Jephthah and Samuel and he saved you from the hand of your enemies, those who surrounded you, and you lived in quietness.”
The Old Testament of the Pershitta was translated from Hebrew into Syriac in the second century AD. (See NET note 3 about the names in 1 Samuel 12:11, here. An English translation of 1 Samuel 12 from the Peshitta is here.)
[23] Robert G. Boling comments on the inclusion of the feminine pronoun: “She. Not any one else. The emphasis is clear from the Hebrew word order, independent pronoun preceding the verb for emphasis.”
Boling, Judges: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Anchor Bible; Doubleday, 1975), 95. (Internet Archive)
[24] Josephus has an entirely different interpretation from Ryan. Josephus writes, “Barak said that he would not be the general unless she would also go as a general with him.” According to Josephus, Barak asks Deborah to be his co-general (participle of systratēgeō) in battle. (Antiquities 5.5) I have notes about Josephus’s interpretation of the Deborah-Barak story in the comments section, here.
[25] Webb differentiates between Deborah’s role as prophet and judge and Barak’s role as saviour (or, deliverer), and notes that a judge may or may not be a saviour.
… judges are not necessarily saviors, and saviors are not necessarily judges. However, Deborah does play a crucial role in the saving of Israel, in two senses: by settling disputes (the Israelites went up to her for judgment) she saves it from trouble within, and by commissioning Barak to deal with Jabin and Sisera she saves it from trouble without.
Webb, Judges, 183.
[26] Ryan acknowledges that Moses (who was not a military leader) was the first judge.
[26] I quote Origen and write about his words in my article, Origen on Biblical Prophetesses.
[28] For example, William C. Weinrich echoes Origen and states, “there is no evidence that Deborah delivered speeches to the people.”
Weinrich, “Chapter 15: Church History: Women in the History of the Church: Learned and Holy, but Not Pastors,” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, John Piper and Wayne Grudem (eds) (Crossway, 2009), 263–279, 275. I critique Weinrich’s views on Deborah and other prophetesses in my article on Huldah.
[29] Ryan acknowledges that the Palm of Deborah was an accessible public place, but he also makes some odd inferences about the phrase “Palm of Deborah.” He says that this phrase makes a statement about Deborah’s grace as a woman and that there is an implicit “softness” in this reference (20.30).
Webb draws on a very different image. He states that Deborah sitting, or presiding, under her palm “is somewhat like the picture we have in 1 Samuel 14:2, of Saul, Israel’s first king “sitting” (yoseb) on the outskirts of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree, holding a council of war with six hundred of his men.” Webb, Judges, 189.
[30] Webb writes about the central location of the Palm of Deborah: “In terms of the distribution of the tribes from north to south Mount Ephraim, the central hill country, was a logical place for an all-Israel leader to be based.” And he adds, “The picture of Deborah under her palm tree became a sign of hope for Israelites in an otherwise bleak and threatening environment. That’s why the Israelites went up to her for judgment.”
Webb, Judges, 189 & 190.
[31] For example, the word “with” is used 5 times in Judges 4:8-10 (ESV) about Deborah going with Barak to the battle.
[32] Gordon P. Hugenberger, “Women in Church Office: Hermeneutics or Exegesis? A Survey of Approaches to 1 Tim 2:8–15,” JETS 35.3 (September 1992), 341–360, 344-345. (A pdf of this article can be accessed here.) I discuss Hugenberger’s quotation here.
© Margaret Mowczko 2025
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Image credit
Relief of Deborah from the original Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Donskoy Monastery, Moscow. Source: Wikimedia (cropped). (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)
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Deborah: An Abnormal Judge or a Great Woman Leader? By Lyn Kidson