The fourth of the judges who ruled over the Jewish people after
the death of Joshua, was not a man, but a woman, one of the most
famous of all times, the Prophetess Deborah. Before her were
Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar, the latter only for a short time.
After Ehud's death the Jews forsook the ways of the Torah and
adopted many of the idols of the people about them. As a
consequence G-d delivered them into the hands of the King of
Canaan, Jabin, whose royal residence was the city of Hazor. His
cruel general Sisera oppressed the Jews for twenty years. Sisera
possessed a well-trained army of cavalry. He also bad iron
chariots that were the "tanks" of those days. The Jews suffered
terribly under the cruel rule of Sisera, and in great despair
cried unto G-d. It was then that G-d sent them Deborah the
Prophetess. She was one of the seven women prophetesses whose
prophecies are recorded in the Bible. Deborah lived in the
Mountains of Ephraim, between Ramah and Beth-El. In the midst of
the sin and idolatry, Deborah rema