Song of Deborah by Bette M. Ross was originally published in 1981 and is the retelling of the Biblical story of Deborah the prophetess who led Israel to victory over the Canaanite leaders Jabin and Sisera. You can find the Biblical account of Deborah's life in chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges which I would highly recommend you read in any case but especially if you intend to read this novel. While I enjoy reading novels based on people from the Bible, I believe it is of first importance to read the actual Bible and keep the truth at the forefront of our minds when we're reading (or watching) someone's dramatized interpretation of the facts.
That being said, I am always impressed by the imaginative scope authors possess to bring the Bible to life in ways I never could have dreamed up.
In Song of Deborah, Ross presents the prophetess as a very young woman (not even 16 at the beginning of the book), and she tells the story not just of Deborah leading the Israelites into battle alongside Barak, but of Deborah's marriage to Lapidoth and her relationships with other Biblical people such as Heber and Jael and even Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth. While I am skeptical of the potential accuracy of these connections as portrayed in the novel, it is interesting to think about how Deborah lived and related to people as a prophetess of God, especially to her husband. It never really hit me until reading this book that Deborah was a married woman according to Judges 4:4. How did she balance her role as a wife with her role as a prophetess? How did her husband feel when she agreed to go into battle with Barak?
And though it's doubtful that Deborah ever met Naomi, Boaz, or Ruth, it broadens my understanding of the Bible to realize that the separate book of Ruth took place within the time of the book of Judges (Ruth 1:1). While I had the knowledge that Naomi and Ruth lived in the time when the judges ruled, I never thought about the implications of that in their actual lives. Which judge was ruling during their lifetime? Did they ever hear him (or her) speak? And did the family of Elimelech ever travel or interact with other tribes outside of their time in Bethlehem and Moab?
Song of Deborah was entertaining, and I appreciate the way novels like this one bring these people to life for me, prompt me back to the Bible to read about them, and make me think about what life was really like for them and how grateful I am for where God has placed me in history. I've always enjoyed the stories of the judges (Deborah's in particular), and it was fun to read this novel about her.
Who is your favorite Judge to read about? Have you read any novels that expand their lives beyond the Biblical account? And is anyone else thankful for the clarity that Sisera actually died in Judges 4:21? Because that verse always makes me laugh out loud. What are some of your favorite laugh-out-loud verses in the Bible?
Samson's my favorite judge for sure but Deborah has always intrigued me. It's interesting that you brought up the "dramatization" of characters like this: in my personal experience, I've found that reading fictionalized takes or watching films based on these characters as very helpful to remind that these people were in fact *just* people. I think it's easy to get caught up in idolizing these characters or putting them in very specific boxes if you're reading their dry account from the Biblical text. But these guys were people just like you and me with foibles and passions and qualities good and bad--diving in and hypothesizing about head spaces and motivations and whys and hows is what makes me tick.
ReplyDeletenot sure if that makes the sense i want it to make--i'm sick and delirious but i'd be interested in your thoughts on more works like this for sure.
No, it makes sense and I agree with you. But my point was that while, yes, books like this bring these people down to earth for me, it's important not to take fiction as Gospel truth when it's all really speculation, you know? Like, it's interesting to think that Deborah may have met Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz but given the fact they were from different tribes, that likely never happened.
Deletewe are in agreement.
Delete"So he died." So succinct. Love it.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely enjoy the storytelling aspect of fictionalization. The meta-narrative of Scripture leaves a lot to our imagination. Personal faves are the Mark of the Lion series from Rivers. Though it's fiction it represents a lot of actual research into the history of that time that contextualizes the Scripture in ways that would take a lot of scholarly effort to uncover on our own. For that, I am appreciative of those authors who take the time & bring the stories to life in novels. Still in agreement with your original thesis about the importance of the primary source of Scripture!
Just in case you were thinking he could have survived a tent peg being driven clean through his head: he didn't. Hahahahahaha!
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