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25th April 2026
SaturdayReflection
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The Song of Deborah)
.... Judges 5:1-31
David Ashford
is a London-based communications professional
The Song of Deborah is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of literature in the Bible.
Found within the book of Judges, it describes the victory of the Israelites at the battle of Mount Tabor.
The hymn was apparently sung as a duet between Barak,
the Israelite general, and Deborah, the judge and spiritual leader of the nation.
Praising God for the success of the battle, it covers the key events that led to the victory.
This includes Deborah's inspirational leadership,
the role of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali,
the heavy rain that caused the enemy chariots to get stuck in the mud - and how a lone woman named Jael killed the Canaanite general, Sisera.
Jael was of the Kenite tribe, which means she was a foreigner.
She invited Sisera into her tent after he had fled the battlefield.
She covered him in a blanket and once he had fallen asleep, she killed him by driving a tent peg into his skull.
Deborah, for her part, had already foreseen this decisive act (Judges 4:9).
Scholars have noted the strong female perspective of the song.
The main people mentioned are women - Deborah, Jael, the mother of Sisera and her ladies.
In ancient Israel, women often composed songs about national events
(Exodus 15:20-21; 1 Samuel 18:6-7; Judith 16:1-17).
These songs helped shape the way that the nation saw God's role in their history.
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This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
David Ashford
is a London-based communications professional and the project manager of Lo & Behold. He previously worked for the Bible Society, where he developed a Bible Style Guide for journalists. Working with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, he was also involved in the development of 'Word on the Go', a resource to help busy Catholics to engage with Scripture.
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