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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Good News Translation

Judges 4:4

Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Canaanites;   Deborah;   Judge;   Lapidoth;   Prophetesses;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Deborah;   Labour;   Notable Women;   Prophetesses;   Woman's;   Women;   Work, Women's;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Judges, Extraordinary;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Deborah;   Jabin;   Jezreel;   Sisera;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Deborah;   Judges, book of;   Prophecy, prophet;   Wife;   Women;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Education in Bible Times;   Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Huldah;   Isaiah;   Lapidoth;   Prophet;   Woman;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal Tamar;   Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Deborah;   Judges, Book of;   Kedesh;   Lapidoth;   Prophetess;   Ramah;   Salvation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Barak;   Deborah;   Esdraelon;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Holy Spirit;   Jabin;   Judges (1);   Lappidoth;   Levi;   Naphtali;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Prophetess;   War;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Family (Jesus);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jabin ;   Lapidoth ;   Sisera ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Barak;   Lapidoth;   Pithom;   Sisera;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armageddon;   Baal;   Barak;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Prophet;   Women;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Barak;   Deborah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   Samuel the Prophet;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Decision;   Lappidoth;   Mother;   Prophetess;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Lapidoth (Lappidoth);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Hebrew Names Version
Now Devorah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidot, she judged Yisra'el at that time.
King James Version
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Lexham English Bible
Now at that time Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.
English Standard Version
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
New Century Version
A prophetess named Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was judge of Israel at that time.
New English Translation
Now Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.
Amplified Bible
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
New American Standard Bible
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And at that time Deborah a Prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Contemporary English Version
Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader of Israel during those days.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now D'vorah, a woman and a prophet, the wife of Lapidot, was judging Isra'el at that time.
Darby Translation
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, judged Israel at that time.
Easy-to-Read Version
There was a woman prophet named Deborah. She was the wife of a man named Lappidoth. She was judge of Israel at that time.
George Lamsa Translation
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapithor, judged Israel at that time.
Literal Translation
And Deborah the wife of Lapidoth, a woman prophetess, was judging Israel at that time.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
At ye same tyme was Iudgesse in Israel the prophetisse Debbora, the wyfe of Lapidoth,
American Standard Version
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Bible in Basic English
Now Deborah, a woman prophet, the wife of Lapidoth, was judge of Israel at that time.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Debora a prophetisse, the wife of Lapidoth, iudged Israel the same time.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
King James Version (1611)
And Deborah a prophetesse, the wife of Lapidoth, shee iudged Israel at that time.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Debbora, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, —she judged Israel at that time.
English Revised Version
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Delbora was a prophetesse, the wijf of Lapidoth, which Delbora demyde the puple in that tyme;
Young's Literal Translation
And Deborah, a woman inspired, wife of Lapidoth, she is judging Israel at that time,
Update Bible Version
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
World English Bible
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
New King James Version
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
New Living Translation
Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time.
New Life Bible
Now Lappidoth's wife Deborah, a woman who spoke for God, was judging Israel at that time.
New Revised Standard
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, she, was judging Israel, at that time:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there was at that time Debbora, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, who judged the people.
Revised Standard Version
Now Deb'orah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapp'idoth, was judging Israel at that time.
THE MESSAGE
Deborah was a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth. She was judge over Israel at that time. She held court under Deborah's Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hills of Ephraim. The People of Israel went to her in matters of justice.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

Contextual Overview

4 Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time. 5 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. 6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam from the city of Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The Lord , the God of Israel, has given you this command: ‘Take ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor. 7 I will bring Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to fight you at the Kishon River. He will have his chariots and soldiers, but I will give you victory over him.'" 8 Then Barak replied, "I will go if you go with me, but if you don't go with me, I won't go either." 9 She answered, "All right, I will go with you, but you won't get any credit for the victory, because the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah set off for Kedesh with Barak.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2719, bc 1285, An, Ex, Is, 206, Exodus 15:20, 2 Kings 22:14, Nehemiah 6:14, Joel 2:28, Joel 2:29, Micah 6:4, Luke 2:36, Acts 21:9, 1 Corinthians 11:5, Galatians 3:28

Reciprocal: Judges 5:7 - a mother 2 Chronicles 34:22 - the prophetess Isaiah 8:3 - the prophetess Ezekiel 13:17 - prophesy

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
And Cain went away from the Lord 's presence and lived in a land called "Wandering," which is east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
Cain and his wife had a son and named him Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech had two wives, Adah and Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the ancestor of those who raise livestock and live in tents.
Genesis 15:17
When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch suddenly appeared and passed between the pieces of the animals.
Exodus 13:12
you must offer every first-born male to the Lord . Every first-born male of your animals belongs to the Lord ,
Leviticus 9:24
Suddenly the Lord sent a fire, and it consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar. When the people saw it, they all shouted and bowed down with their faces to the ground.
Numbers 16:35
Then the Lord sent a fire that blazed out and burned up the 250 men who had presented the incense.
Numbers 18:12
"I am giving you all the best of the first produce which the Israelites give me each year: olive oil, wine, and grain.
Numbers 18:17
But the first-born of cows, sheep, and goats are not to be bought back; they belong completely to me and are to be sacrificed. Throw their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an odor pleasing to me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth,.... Deborah was a name common to women with the eastern people, see Genesis 35:8; as Melissa, which is of the same signification with the Greeks, and both signify a "bee"; and to which Deborah answered in her industry, sagacity, and sweetness of temper to her friends, and sharpness to her enemies: she was a "prophetess", and foretold things to come, as the drawing of Sisera and his army to a certain place named by her, the victory that should be gained over him, and the delivery of him into the hands of a woman. Who Lapidoth was, or what is meant by the name, is not certain; most take it to be the name of her husband, which seems best, but who he was is not known; the Jews will have him to be the same with Barak, there being, as they think, some agreement in the names, Barak signifying lightning, and Lapidoth, lamps; but the whole context shows the contrary, that he was not her husband. Some render the words, "a woman of Lapidoth", taking it for the name of her native place on habitation; but where there was a place of this name no account can be given: some say she was so called from her employment before she was a prophetess and judge, making wicks for the lamps in the sanctuary, as Jarchi relates; and others take it to be expressive of her excellencies and virtues, which shone in her as lamps; the first sense is best:

she judged Israel at that time; toward the close of the twenty years' oppression under Jabin, being raised up of God as other judges were, and eminently endowed with gifts and grace; she endeavoured to convince the people of their sins, exhorted them to repentance, and was a means of reforming them, and administering justice and judgment in all cases brought before her; and which Jabin might admit of, connive at, or take no notice of, she being a woman, of whose growing power and interest he had no jealousy.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Deborah, a prophetess - Her name, meaning a bee, is the same as that of Rebekah’s nurse (marginal reference). The reason of her preeminence is added. She was “a woman, a prophetess,” like Miriam Exodus 15:20; Huldah 2 Kings 22:14, etc. In Judges 4:6, Judges 4:9,Judges 4:14, we have examples of her prophetic powers, and in Judg. 5 a noble specimen of prophetic song. Though the other Judges are not called prophets, yet they all seem to have had direct communications from God, either of knowledge or power, or both (compare Judges 3:10 note).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 4:4. Deborah, a prophetess — One on whom the Spirit of God descended, and who was the instrument of conveying to the Israelites the knowledge of the Divine will, in things sacred and civil.

She judged Israel — This is, I believe, the first instance of gynaecocrasy, or female government, on record. Deborah seems to have been supreme both in civil and religious affairs; and Lapidoth, her husband, appears to have had no hand in the government. But the original may as well be translated a woman of Lapidoth, as the wife of Lapidoth.


 
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