She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
—Judges 4:5

What does this say of who Deborah was prior to this call? “Sitting under” things gives the impression of a public elder, magistrate, legal judge, or chieftain. But also, the “palm of Deborah” may speak to a possible source of legend underneath this. As in, “Hey, there’s a palm of Deborah? Maybe THIS is the story behind that tree name?”

Also, it’s fascinating that she just starts ordering Barak around and no one thinks this is weird, wrong, disruptive, or against the natural order of things at all. No one bats an eye.

For more on this theme, read: Church History: Where Have the Female Leaders Been? (Part 1).

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