Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at the time. Judges 4:4
Here we have the Hebrew word (H802) “Ishshah ”(ish-shaw) translated as “wife” in this verse. It is “ishshah” in the singular and “nashiym” (naw-sheem) in the plural. It’s the derivative and the feminine form of iysh (eesh) referring to a man as an individual or a male person. It appears 780x in Scripture, alternately translated as “wife” “woman” or “female” depending on the context.
“Ishshah” however, is also translated as “woman.” According to the law of first mention, here’s the first use of the word:
Then the rib which the Lord God has taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Genesis 2:22-23
Admittedly, this word “ishah” seems to be translated in equal measure as either wife or woman, but here are other verses in which “ishshah is translated as woman or even female, not wife.
Genesis 3:1,2,4,6 used to recount the serpent speaking to Eve
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food… Genesis 3:6
You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, an male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female… Genesis 7:2
And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.” Genesis 12:11
And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwives come in unto them.
Exodus 1:19
And the woman conceived (she was a wife), an bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a good child, she hid him three months. Exodus 2:2
But every woman shall ask of her neighbor…articles of silver, articles of gold,, and clothing….
Exodus 3:22
And the King loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight…
Esther 2:17
A gracious woman retains honor: and strong men retain riches. Proverbs 11:16
Every wise woman builds her house…Proverbs 14:1
For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. Isaiah 54:6
Now we come to the word “lappidoth” in Judges 4:4, referring to Deborah as the wife of “Lappidoth.” It’s most interesting to note that it’s used only one time in Scripture (!)
Lappiydoth Hebrew H3940 (lap-pee-doth): A feminine plural of H3940. It gets more interesting. The word that refers to a man Deborah is married to is actually a feminine plural of another word. Let’s take another look at the word it’s derived from:
Lappiyd: To shine; a flambeau, lamp or flam: - (fire-) brand, (burning) lamp, lightning, torch
And this word is used only 14 x in Scripture, which makes it easier to examine. Let’s take a look at its 14 uses:
…When the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch (lamp in KJ) that passed between those pieces. Genesis 15:17
(speaking of the covenant God initiated with Abram)
Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes (lightnings in KJ) the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Exodus 20:18 (A description of God’s presence)
The he (Gideon) divided the three hundred men into three companies & he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers and torches (lamps in KJ) inside the pitchers.
Judges 7:16
Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers - they held the torches (lamps in KJ) in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing – and they cried, “the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” Judges 7:20
Then Samson went and caught 33 foxes; and he took torches (firebrands in KJ) turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.
When he had set the torches (brands in KJ) on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain… Judges 15:4,5
A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; it is made ready for those whose feet slip. Job 12:5
Out of His mouth go burning lights (burning lamps in KJ); sparks of fire shoot/leap out.
God speaking to Job of Leviathan. Job 41:19
For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. Isaiah 62:1
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches (lamps in KJ) going back and forth among the living creatures…
Ezekiel 1:13
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches (lamps in KJ) of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color… Daniel 10:6
In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place - Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:6
So the word Lapiydoth is used only once in Scripture, and Deborah’s husband is mentioned only once. There is also no mention of Deborah having any children. And the one time Deborah is mentioned as a mother is in Judges 5 when Deborah declares:
Village life cease, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose a mother in Israel. Judges 5:7
And just as women can be spiritual mothers rather than biological mothers, so too, could Deborah have been a spiritual mother to a nation? Could it be that Deborah was able to do what she did because she wasn’t a wife and a mother? Could it be a sacrifice she had to make? Foregoing marriage and motherhood? At any rate, there is strong enough evidence that Deborah was not a wife to Lappiydoth, not a wife to anyone, for the cost to her family would have been too great to carry the weight of the rulership of a nation. It should be no surprise then that Brian Simmons, translates Judges 4:4 in The Passion Translation, as follows:
God raised up Deborah to lead Israel as a champion-deliver. She was a prophetess and a fiery woman. Judges 4:4 TPT
And in TPT notes, Simmons refers to Deborah as a “woman of many torches” and a
“woman of lightning flashes.”
One thing is conclusive; God’s word is a light and Deborah carried God’s word for a nation. And
in the same vein, Barak’s name means “lightning bolt.” It’s the Hebrew word used for lightning in a verse we’ve already looked at:
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches (lamps in KJ) of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color… Daniel 10:6
The Hebrew word (H1300) is Baraq (baw-rawk): Lightining; by analogy a gleam; concretely a flashing sword: - bright, glitter (ing), sword) lightning. (Direct from Strongs)
In a sense, Deborah and Barak were two lights for the Lord, Barak’s name representing the sword of the Lord who is mighty in battle and goes to war on our behalf. Once more, their story portrays the power of men and women working together without envy, intimidation, or strife. Equal honor and respect for one another and mutual submission, preferring and esteeming one another as we are admonished:
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
In this sense, Deborah and Barak are a foreshadowing picture of the church. They stand together, they believe God together, and they go to battle together. Each one fulfilling their role and function, complementing and strengthening each other, just as the roles of pastor and prophet or apostle and prophet complement each other in the church world, when all five offices are in full operation.