Sub questions?
Was she a leader, or was she following God?
Do we regard Israel as very patriarchal at the time? What is the evidence for this?
Patriarch
# A male leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
# A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
# Abraham, his son Isaac or his grandson Jacob. see Wikipedia
# (Christianity) The highest form of bishop, generally in charge of an ethnic community, but in terms of the pope and the ecumenical patriarch, the former is the Patriarch of the West and the latter is the Patriarch of the East, a division dating to the Emperor Constantine the Great. The cities of Antioch, Alexandria, and almost as an afterthought, Jerusalem are accorded equal historical if not ecclesial dignity. Any and all other patriarchs, particularly that of the Russian church, are inferior.
From Jonathan:
ReplyDeleteJohn Drane writes:
Deborah and Barak fight with the Canaanites. It provides a good illustration of the nature of Israelite society at this period. Their exploits against the Canaanites, led by Sisera, the army commander of Jabin, king of the city of Hazor, are vividly described in the great poem (song) which was almost certainly written by an eye witness of the events described.
Deborah and Barak were probably trying to break through the line of the Canaanite city states that isolated northern Galilee from the Israelite settlements - possession of this great plain would be vital as a trade route (SO EVIDENCE OF A GREATER VISION, NOT JUST OF BATTLE).
In the Oxford Bible commentary, it has this to say...
ReplyDeleteDeborah the prophet, Barak the Israelite warrior hero, Jael the woman warrior.
Deborah is introduced as the saviour following the formulaic cry to God for relief from oppression. They say that other FEMALE prophets are alluded to - such as Huldah who provides an important oracel concerning the need for reform in the time of Josiam (see 2 King 22:14-20). Also Noadiah.
They go on to suggest that women prophets were fairly common since the references to many are 'workaday and mundane'. Yet the context of Deborah makes it 'leap off the page as special and unusual in her mediating and leadership roles'.
Judges 4:5 has Deborah sitting under a tree, and the verb 'go up' suggests oracular and prophetic processes involved in rendering various sorts of judgements.
Deborah delivers Barak - the apparent military leader - instructions received direct from God. YHWH is the ultimate military commander in this holy war. The promise of victory by divine communication is essential to waging war in the Near East (see Judges 1:1).
Barak's desire to have Deborah attend the battle highlights her status as leader. But it is NOT unusual to have a holy person present in a military setting (Samuel incorporates the role of priest, prophet and general; etc - loads of examples given on page 180).
The Oxford Bible Commentary also has this to say.
ReplyDeleteThe Victory Song (Judges 5) is one of the oldest Israelite compostions dating ot the 12th centruy BC. It is attributed to Deborah and Barak, and is of the genre frequently associated with women composers.
It highlihgts differences between different translations - esp the NRSV