Who was Deborah in the Bible?

The name of two women in the Old Testament

Hebrew name: דְּבוֹרָה (devorah)

Name meaning: “Bee” or “Wasp”; or possibly from דבר (davar) which means “To speak” or “Word”

Rebekah’s nurse (Genesis 35:8)

Rebekah was the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. Deborah, mentioned only once in the Bible, was a nurse who would likely have assisted with the delivery and care of Rebekah’s children. However minor a character she may have been in the biblical narrative, she was apparently significant to Rebekah, Isaac, and their family. Genesis 35:8 recalls that, after her death, Deborah was buried honorably under a tree near Bethel, which Jacob named אַלּ֥וֹן בָּכֽוּת (Allon-bacuth, “tree of weeping”).

An Israelite prophetess and judge (Judges 4:4 ff.)

Deborah was a prophetess, judge, and military leader in Israel before the period of the kings. She was the wife of Lappidoth. One of the most well-known stories involving Deborah is the account of her victory in battle against the Canaanite general Sisera (Judges 4:6-8).