The name of two women in the Old Testament. In Hebrew, Deborah means “honeybee” (Psalm 118:12; Isaiah 7:18).
Rebekah’s nurse (Genesis 35:8). Deborah died as she was traveling to Bethel with her master Jacob’s household. She was buried in a spot known as Allon-bacuth (meaning "the oak of weeping"). It showed she was very loved. She was probably Rebekah’s longtime friend (see Genesis 24:59–61).
A prophetess and judge (Judges 4–5). Deborah's role as a prophetess was to deliver God's message. As a judge, she was a leader of the Israelites. While other women acted as prophetesses in the Bible, it was not common. Other prophetesses included:
Deborah was unique because she was already leading the people as a judge before the main events of her story happened (Judges 4:4). Her husband, Lappidoth, is otherwise unknown.
Deborah was celebrated as a “mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7). She stayed in one location, and the people came to her for guidance. Over 200 years later, when Judges was written, a giant palm tree still marked the spot. Though she lived in the land of Benjamin (Judges 4:5; compare Joshua 16:2; 18:13), Deborah was probably from the tribe of Ephraim, the most prominent tribe of northern Israel. But, some scholars say she came from the tribe of Issachar (Judges 5:14–15). At that time, the tribes were loosely organized. They did not always occupy their assigned territory.
Under Deborah's excellent leadership, the poorly equipped Israelites defeated the Canaanites in the plain of Esdraelon (Judges 4:15). The flood of the Kishon River disrupted the enemy’s chariots (Judges 5:21–22). The Canaanites ran to the north, perhaps to Taanach near Megiddo (Judges 5:19). They never returned as enemies within Israel. The Song of Deborah (Judges 5) is a poetic version of the prose narrative in Judges 4.