Deborah

Deborah
Deborah as portrayed in Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (1553)
Born	c. 12th century BC
Died	c. 11th century BC
Residence	Shelter in Mount Ephraim, which is between Ramah in Benjamin and Bethel
Other names	Debora, Débora, Dvora
Occupation	Prophet of God, Fourth Judge of Israel
Predecessor	Shamgar
Successor	Gideon
Spouse(s)	Lapidoth

Deborah (Hebrew: דְּבוֹרָה, Modern Dvora, Tiberian Dəḇôrā; "Bee") was a prophet of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5. The only female judge mentioned in the Bible, Deborah (being a prophetess) told Barak that the Lord God of Israel commanded him to lead an attack against the forces of Jabin king of Canaan and his military commander Sisera (Judges 4:6-7); the entire narrative is recounted in chapter 4.

Judges chapter 5 gives the same story in poetic form. This passage, often called The Song of Deborah, may date to as early as the 12th century BC and is perhaps the earliest sample of Hebrew poetry.

In Hebrew, her name, דְּבוֹרָה, translates as bee. She is considered a saint in the Catholic Church. The Deborah number, a dimensionless number used in rheology, is named after her.

In the Book of Judges, it is stated that Deborah was a prophet, a judge of Israel and the wife of Lapidoth (Hebrew: לפידות‎‎; the name means "Bright lights"). She rendered her judgments beneath a date palm tree between Ramah in Benjamin and Bethel in the land of Ephraim. Some people today refer to Deborah as the mother of Israel, as she is titled in the biblical "Song of Deborah and Barak".