4-

The Prophetess is the second book in the Daughters of the Promise Land series by Jill Eileen Smith. In this book we are given the story of Deborah the prophetess. Before reading this I’d only ever heard her mentioned. I’ve not set and read through Judges. While reading this though I did have to look to see if Deborah had children. I was curious if Talya was real. For a little bit there I honestly thought that this was gonna end up being more about her then her mother. But it wasn’t. I enjoyed this story and it’s characters. I think Talya gave the story a little more depth. Honestly, I was surprised that I liked this. The main reason was because I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Mrs. Smith did a great job taking a story of someone not much is know about and making her more relatable in a way. I’m looking forward to the last two books in this series.

I recommend reading The Crimson Cord before you read this one. Though I don’t technically think you have too.

I love Jill Eileen Smiths books. I think she does a wonderful job bringing women, and other characters and events from the Bible to life.
While she always makes sure to be clear that these tales are works of fiction, they are so very believable and everything she writes you can see so clearly in your mind.

Another excellent book by this amazing author.

Another really great read by Jill Eileen Smith. She takes real occurrences that take place in the Bible, and turns them into works of fictional art. I love how she is factually correct, with adding a fun fictional background to the stories she writes.

After twenty years of terrorism - generally translated as "cruel oppression", but that doesn't really have the same impact - the Israelites are calling out to God to save them from Sisera and Jabin. Deborah has been their judge and leader, and it is she who must rally them to action at the right time.

But this isn't really a book about Deborah. She's certainly one of the main characters, but the central theme is how Israel caused her own testing by failing to drive out the Caananites and then fell prey to the temptation of idol worship, along with some interesting social issues regarding the expected roles of both men and women.

Readers may be disappointed to know that there are no Biblical records of Deborah's children, nor we do know her ancestry, but that was the only disappointment for me. The words of Deborah's victory song are taken directly from Scripture, as are many other phrases, as [a:Jill Eileen Smith|2799806|Jill Eileen Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1380065261p2/2799806.jpg] has managed to take the few verses that mention Deborah and weave them into a compelling historical tapestry.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Since the success of Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, which tells the story of Jacob’s daughter Dinah, many authors, some Jewish and some Christian, have sought to tell the stories of the often little-known heroines of the Bible in novel form. An enjoyable example of this trend is The Prophetess, by Jill Eileen Smith.

The story of Deborah, Israel’s only female “judge,” can be found in the fourth and fifth chapters of the book of Judges, which covers the turbulent time between the Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land and the monarchy inaugurated by Saul, David and Solomon. Deborah held court under the “palm of Deborah” and advised the Israelite general Barak in his attempts to lift the yoke of Canaanite oppression. She is also known for the “Song of Deborah,” supposedly composed after Barak’s victory, which is read as the haftarah in the same week as the Song of the Sea.

Smith’s novel of a strong-willed woman, who is believed to channel the voice of God, is told with little deviation from the biblical story, but with personalities and family relationships expanded, and with what appears to be solid research into the times. Deborah and her husband Lappidoth; Barak and Sisera, the opposing generals; and Jael, the wife of the Kenite weapon maker who has a destiny of her own, are well drawn and their story is compelling.

2.5 stars

"The Prophetess" by author Jill Eileen Smith is a historical fiction novel about a wise prophet named Deborah. The novel opens with playful bickering of her boys, and Deborah wondered whether the baby she carried would hopefully be a girl. Deborah urged her people to pray to Adonai for helpto be free from Sisera and Jabin, their tormentors. While praying she also urged them to repent. God called Deborah to lead her people away from falso gods and back to the One true God. God gave her a vision with the right to speak for her people and to pray for them. Israel compromised and did not fully obey God. If they did not root out the cause of their own faithlessness, they would never be free of Canaan's oppression (pg. 48).
I suggest reading Judges 4-5 before beginning this book, for a little background information. The book's scripture quotations come from The Holy Bible (ESV). This 356 page novel is very detailed in the writing of Deborah the Prophetess. I would recommend this book to readers interested in historical fiction or in Women of the Bible.

Disclaimer: I was compensated with this book by Revell for my honest review.

4.5 out of 5 stars - a simply fabulous book! Deborah, the only woman judge in Israel's history is brought to life for me in this book. Mrs Smith weaves a wonderful fiction tale of Deborah, her life and family, her marriage to Lappidoth, in with the commander of Israel's forces (Barak) and the terror of Sisera and King Jabin. She masterfully works in Heber the Kenite and his wife Jael (of tent peg through the temple fame!) and their family into the fabric of the story. I adore reading books like this, that take references in Scripture (Judges 4-5) and weaves them into a wonderful tale. I have read two other series by Jill Eileen Smith and thoroughly enjoyed those, and recommend them as well. Her Wives of the Patriarch Series on Sarai, Rebekah and Rachel, as well as the Wives of King David series (Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba) were all equally great books for me. I look forward to reading the other two in this Daughters of the Promised Land series, Redeeming Grace (Ruth) and A Passionate Hope (Hannah).

I really liked this retelling of the biblical story of the prophetess Deborah. There's isn't much in the scriptures about this woman, but I liked the personality and the imagined story that Jill Smith created for her. I think that it would have taken a strong-willed woman to be a leader at that time, and this story fits with that persona. I enjoy Ms. Smith's writing and look forward to continuing on with her Biblical series.