Aantekeningen bij de Bijbel:

Onderwerp

Debora (richteres)

Literatuur

Ds. M.T. Al-Chalabi , Debora, een moeder in Israël, Zeven Bijbellezingen over Debora, [2019], ,
A. Alon , The Natural History Of The Land Of The Bible, , [1978], 58-59,
In former years, when there were still swamps, the rains could lead to flooding, but since the land has been drained this problem no longer arises. One may recall here the famous war between the Israelites, under the Judges, Barak and Deborah, and the Canaanites under Sisera, in ancient times. The Bible tells how the 'Stars in their courses fought against Sisera', but another passage enlightens us further by explaining how this heavenly intervention manesfested itself: 'The river Koshon swept them away'. Anyone who is acquainted with winter in the Jezreel Valley can well imagine the actual course of events. The battle took place on a winter's day; a sudden rainstorm caught the Canaanite host in their war chariots, in the middle of the valley, and they were stuck in the mud. The lightly armed warriors of the Israelites, who generally found themselves in unequal combat against these chariots, were able to take advantage of the Canaanites in theire muddy plight, the Canaanites lost their army, and the Israelites saw the hand of Heaven in their victory.
J. Lee Grady , Fearless Daughters of the Bible, What You Can Learn from 22 Women Who Challenged Tradition, Fought Injustice and Dared to Lead, [2012], ,
Tijdschrift , Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (JHS), Volume 5: Article 19 (2005), Elie Assis, "The Hand of a Woman": Deborah and Yael (Judges 4)
This article focuses on the role of Yael in Judges 4. It argues that Yael's central position in the narrative is meant to shed light on Deborah's prophetic image. Yael is thus Deborah's "hand" -- an extension of Deborah who carries out her prophecy: "for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman" (v. 9). Yael overshadows both Sisera and Barak. She controls both men; she decides who will be defeated and who will be victorious. Deborah's prophecy does not refer merely to the identity of the killer but also to the way in which the woman achieves her victory. Yael confronts a strong warrior, a general; physically she is inferior to him; she uses her femininity to defeat him. "While sexuality is a featured element of the Deborah narrative, it is so exclusively with reference to the actions of Yael. Deborah, the focus of the story, is, to be sure, a womanly figure. But her role in the story is purely that of a woman of God. It is she who reveals the hand of God in "the hand of a woman".