Deborah: Lesbian or Destroyer of Patriarchy

Or Both. Both is Good.

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

One thing that Christianity is known for is its general bent towards patriarchy and queerphobia. There are a lot of valid reasons for its reputation, many of which come from culture and tradition more than the Bible, but sometimes it leads to unexpected consequences.

For instance, Christians decided to translate Judges 4:4 in a way that ignores the possible reputation Deborah had in favor of a translation that turns her into a lesbian (even though most people don’t recognize this implication). Here’s the problem, the translation can technically go either way and there isn’t any indication from the text to push us in one direction over the other.

According to the NASB (and basically every translation of this verse), Judges 4:4 says “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.”

The issue comes with the phrase “wife of Lappodoth,” which would be a common construct that would align Deborah into her place within the hierarchical order. There is reasoning behind this understanding. The majority of ancient text references a person’s association with someone higher in the hierarchical structure. This is why we constantly see the phrase “son of” in the Bible and other ancient texts. When it comes to women, their reputation is ascribed to their husband, or their father if they were not married.

For those who know their Hebrew grammar, you might have noticed something unusual about the name Lappodoth. Specifically, it is a female name, not a male name.

Lappodoth comes from the word לַפִּיד, lapid, which means torch or fire. Interestingly, the word lapid is a masculine noun and is intentionally made feminine in this form. Thus, if this is supposed to be a proper noun for a real person, it is most likely the name of a feminine person.

If so, this would be the only time in the Bible that it explicitly states and affirms a homosexual marriage.

How did we end up with this translation?

The short answer is, Christians decided to translate the word as “wife” instead of “woman.” The Hebrew word that is translated “wife” actually just means “woman.” This is true of both Hebrew and Greek and renders the phrase “woman of lappidoth.” The translation of “wife” over “woman” was first seen in the Vulgate when the latin word “uxor” (legal wife) is used.

However, there is another explanation that aligns more closely to Jewish teachings that explains the passage in a way that is also subversive to many Evangelical’s ideologies.

As stated above, lapid means torch or fire. This would render the phrase “woman of fires” and would indicate her reputation as a person of valor, which aligns with the fact she was a judge, prophetess, and military commander (one who ordered around a male commander, Barak, who was possibly her husband)

According to Jewish teachings, Deborah was married to Barak (you can read about him in the same passage) and that “woman of fires” is the proper translation for the phrase.

If this is the case, then it implies the fact that Deborah was a woman known for her own accomplishments outside the headship of a man and was respected and honored above the men of her time, including HER OWN HUSBAND!

This stands in the face of those who believe the Bible teaches female submission to male leadership. The fact is, if Deborah is known as “woman of fire” without needing a reference in the text to indicate her husband or father to justify her honor, then she is living in defiance of a patriarchal culture and understanding.

So, Christians are left with two options (yes, there are other options if we take argument from silence): either admit that she is probably a lesbian in a biblically recognized marriage, or a woman who needs no man over her. Either way, she is a woman who exercises authority over men and a complete badass.