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A review by eserafina42
The Prophetess: Deborah's Story by Jill Eileen Smith
4.0
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.
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.