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Friday, July 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 8 / Ordinary 13
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Easy-to-Read Version

Judges 4:5

One day Deborah was sitting under the Palm Tree of Deborah, and the Israelites came up to her to ask what to do about Sisera. (The Palm Tree of Deborah is between the cities of Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim.)

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Beth-El;   Canaanites;   Court;   Deborah;   Palm Tree;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Beth-El;   Courts;   Ephraim, Mount;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Judges of Israel;   Mountains;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Palm-Tree, the;   Tents;   Trees;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jabin;   Jezreel;   Justice;   Sisera;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Deborah;   Women;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Education in Bible Times;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Allon-Bachuth;   Baal-Tamar;   Megiddo;   Woman;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Allon;   Appeal;   Deborah;   Grove;   Judges;   Lapidoth;   Mamre;   Rama;   Tabor;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bethel;   Court Systems;   Deborah;   Elon;   Ephraim;   Ephraim, Mount;   Judges, Book of;   Kedesh;   Palms;   Ramah;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Baal-Tamar;   Barak;   Bethel;   Deborah;   Esdraelon;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Jabin;   Levi;   Naphtali;   Ramah;   War;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Barak;   Judgment-Seat;   Palm Tree;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jabin ;   Palm, Palm Tree,;   Ramah ;   Sisera ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Barak;   Pithom;   Sisera;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armageddon;   Baal;   Barak;   Deborah;   Ramah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Ba'al,;   Deb'orah;   Ra'mah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Barak;   Deborah;   Palm Tree;   Zebulun;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Army;   Augurs' Oak;   Baal-Tamar;   Bethel;   Decision;   Judge;   Palm Tree;   Ramah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Allon Bachuth;   Deborah;   Ephraim;   Ephraim, Mountain of;   Groves and Sacred Trees;   Palm;   Ramah;   Simeon B. Absalom;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to settle disputes.
Hebrew Names Version
She lived under the palm tree of Devorah between Ramah and Beit-El in the hill-country of Efrayim: and the children of Yisra'el came up to her for judgment.
King James Version
And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Lexham English Bible
And she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went up to her for judgment.
English Standard Version
She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
New Century Version
Deborah would sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah, which was between the cities of Ramah and Bethel, in the mountains of Ephraim. And the people of Israel would come to her to settle their arguments.
New English Translation
She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled.
Amplified Bible
She used to sit [to hear and decide disputes] under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
New American Standard Bible
She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And this Deborah dwelt vnder a palme tree, betweene Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came vp to her for iudgement.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now I want to remind you, though you know all things, that Jesus, having once saved a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
Contemporary English Version
She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.
Complete Jewish Bible
She used to sit under D'vorah's Palm between Ramah and Beit-El, in the hills of Efrayim; and the people of Isra'el would come to her for judgment.
Darby Translation
And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
George Lamsa Translation
And Deborah dwelt under the palm tree between Ramtha and Beth-el on mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Good News Translation
She would sit under a certain palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel would go there for her decisions.
Literal Translation
And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hills of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and she dwelt vnder ye palme of Debbora betwene Rama & Bethel, vpon mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came vp vnto her to the lawe.
American Standard Version
And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Bible in Basic English
(And she had her seat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her to be judged.)
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the same Debora dwelt vnder a paulme tree, betweene Ramath & Bethel, in mount Ephraim: And the children of Israel came vp to her for iudgment.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And she sat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
King James Version (1611)
And shee dwelt vnder the palme tree of Deborah, betweene Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came vp to her for iudgement.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And she sat under the palm-tree of Debbora between Rama and Baethel in mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel went up to her for judgement.
English Revised Version
And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Berean Standard Bible
And she would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and sche sat vndur a palm tree, that was clepid bi her name, bitwixe Rama and Bethel, in the hil of Effraym; and the sones of Israel stieden to hir at ech dom.
Young's Literal Translation
and she is dwelling under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-El, in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel go up unto her for judgment.
Update Bible Version
And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Webster's Bible Translation
And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
World English Bible
She lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
New King James Version
And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
New Living Translation
She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.
New Life Bible
She would sit under the tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. And the people of Israel came to her to find out what was right or wrong.
New Revised Standard
She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
she used to sit, therefore, under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim, - and the sons of Israel came up to her, for justice.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she sat under a palm tree, which was called by her name, between Rama and Bethel, in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for all judgment.
Revised Standard Version
She used to sit under the palm of Deb'orah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of E'phraim; and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

Contextual Overview

4 There was a woman prophet named Deborah. She was the wife of a man named Lappidoth. She was judge of Israel at that time. 5 One day Deborah was sitting under the Palm Tree of Deborah, and the Israelites came up to her to ask what to do about Sisera. (The Palm Tree of Deborah is between the cities of Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim.) 6 Deborah sent a message to a man named Barak and asked him to come meet with her. Barak was the son of a man named Abinoam. Barak lived in the city of Kedesh, which is in the area of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak, "The Lord , the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go and gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Lead them to Mount Tabor. 7 I will make Sisera, the commander of King Jabin's army, come to you. I will make Sisera, his chariots, and his army come to the Kishon River. I will help you defeat Sisera there.'" 8 Then Barak said to Deborah, "I will go and do this if you will go with me. But if you will not go with me, I will not go." 9 "Of course I will go with you," Deborah answered. "But because of your attitude, you will not be honored when Sisera is defeated. The Lord will allow a woman to defeat Sisera." So Deborah went with Barak to the city of Kedesh.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the palm: Genesis 35:8

between: Joshua 16:2, Joshua 18:22, Joshua 18:25, 1 Samuel 1:1, 1 Samuel 1:19, 1 Samuel 6:16, 1 Samuel 6:17, 1 Samuel 25:1, Jeremiah 31:15

came up: Exodus 18:13, Exodus 18:16, Exodus 18:19, Exodus 18:26, Deuteronomy 17:8-12, 2 Samuel 15:2-6

Reciprocal: Judges 2:16 - the Lord Judges 5:14 - of Ephraim

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.
Genesis 31:2
Then Jacob noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been in the past.
Genesis 31:5
He said to them, "I have noticed that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be. But the God of my father has been with me.
Numbers 16:15
So Moses became very angry. He said to the Lord , "I never did anything wrong to these people. I never took anything from them—not even a donkey! Don't accept their gifts!"
Job 5:2
A fool's anger will kill him. His jealousy will destroy him.
Psalms 20:3
May he remember all the gifts you have offered. May he accept all your sacrifices. Selah
Matthew 20:15
I can do what I want with my own money. Why would you be jealous because I am generous?'
Acts 13:45
When the Jews there saw all these people, they became very jealous. Shouting insults, they argued against everything Paul said.
Hebrews 11:4
Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God. But Abel offered a better sacrifice to God because he had faith. God said he was pleased with what Abel offered. And so God called him a good man because he had faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah,.... Her dwelling house was under a palm tree, or rather she sat under one, in the open air, when the people came to her with their cases, and it was called from hence after her name; though some, as Abarbinel observes, think it was so called, because Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried here, and which was near Bethel, one of the places next mentioned, see

Genesis 35:8,

between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim; which places were in the tribe of Benjamin in the borders of Ephraim, see Joshua 16:2. The Jews conclude, from the situation of her, that she was a very opulent woman; the Targum is,

"she was dwelling in a city in Ataroth, Deborah was supported of her own; she had palm trees in Jericho, orchards in Ramah, olives producing oil in the valley, a place of watering in Bethel, and white dust in the kings mountain:''

and the children of Israel came up to her; from all parts of the land to the mount of Ephraim:

for judgment: to have her advice and counsel in matters of difficulty, and to have causes between contending parties heard and decided by her, so that she might be truly reckoned among the judges.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

She dwelt - Rather, “she sat,” namely, to judge the people Judges 4:10, but not in the usual place, “the gate” Ruth 4:1-2; Proverbs 22:22. It suited her character, and the wild unsafe times better, that she should sit under a palm-tree in the secure heights of Mount Ephraim, between Ramah and Bethel (Judges 20:33 note). This verse shows that the Judges exercised the civil as well as military functions of rulers 1 Samuel 7:15-17.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 4:5. The palm tree of Deborah — It is common for the Hindoos to plant trees in the names of themselves and their friends; and some religious mendicants live for a considerable time under trees. - Ward.


 
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