And Deborah [Hebr. Devorah – meaning "bee"],
a woman [Hebr. isha – a female]
prophetess,
a woman [Hebr. eshet – woman of/with]
torches [Hebr. lappidot – "a fiery woman"].
She judged (she was a judge in) Israel at this time.
[The first five words are all in the feminine form and form a chiasmus where the central word "prophetess" is emphasized by being framed by the word woman on either side. The outer frame, the first and last words, are the name Deborah and Hebr. lappidot, which means torches and light. One interpretation is that Lappidot is Deborah's husband, but unlike, for example, Huldah's husband Shallum (who is mentioned as Tikva's son, i.e. in the masculine form, see ), the ending in lappidot is in the feminine plural. However, there are 10 exceptions, such as in where eshet jafat-toar describes a characteristic of someone's husband. However, there are 10 exceptions, such as in , where eshet jafat-toar describes a characteristic of the woman: "a beautiful woman." This means that the expression eshet lappidot here in the Book of Judges can be interpreted as Deborah being a "lappidot woman" – a woman of torches! This interpretation is neither unusual nor unlikely. According to early Jewish tradition, she made and prepared the lights for the tabernacle in Shiloh. The form of the chiasmus also makes it likely that the expression is a description of Deborah's personality. It is interesting to note that in the story that follows, it is Deborah who sends Barak (which means lightning), see verses 6, 14. She is the torch that ignites the lightning. According to another Jewish tradition, Barak is also her husband. There is also a linguistic connection to Gideon and Samson, who later in the book use torches to defeat the enemy (the word is used a total of five times – four times in the masculine plural form lappidim, see , ; , and the central masculine singular lappid in ). Deborah's dual role as prophetess and judge is evident in how she was like a bee and a torch to the Israelites. Just as bees swarm around the queen who builds the colony (), the people follow the prophetess who leads them. A bee collects pollen and produces sweet honey, but can also sting intruders. Devorah is the feminine form of the Hebrew davar – which means "word." This also connects her name to the word of God, which is a light and a lamp ().]
