Deborah is another familiar judge, with two chapters in the book of Judges devoted to her. There are some noteworthy facts about her:
1) She is the only female judge in the entire book. This was very counter-cultural for the day — and very cool!
2) She was the only judge who actually “held court” — which would be consistent with our modern understanding of what a judge does.
3) She was also a prophetess. Although there are many prophets listed in the Bible, there are only seven prophetesses (a female prophet). They are:
- Miriam (Moses and Aaron’s sister), Exodus 15:20
- Deborah, Judges 4:4
- Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14 and 2 Chronicles 34:22
- Noadiah (a bad prophetess), Nehemiah 6:14
- Isaiah’s wife, whose name is not given, Isaiah 8:3
- Anna, the prophetess in the temple who was waiting for Jesus, Luke 2:36
- Jezebel, the evil prophetess mentioned in the Revelation 2:20.
Deborah was also a reluctant hero. She didn’t want notoriety, but that is exactly what she received.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.