The Triumph of Deborah: Eva Etzioni--Halevy

Deborah has long been known as one of the most revered and respected women of the Bible. Her place as one of the Judges of the Old Testament has stood the test of time. It is up to authors like Eva Etzioni--Halevy however to remind us that even wise and stalwart judges were human, and very much women of their times. In her third biblical saga, Etzioni--Halevy shows us the heart that beat inside the laws of the people of Israel.

Deborah's position as a judge is already well-established when war breaks out between the Israelites and the Canaanites under King Jabin. After Deborah's husband Lapidoth serves her with a Book of Divorcement for refusing to heed his counsel, she has a vision of the death of Sisra, Jabin's commander, by a woman. Once this has come to pass, the leader of the Israelite army, Barak, brings down Jabin and takes his daughters Asherah and Nogah captive. The former, legitimate, he takes to wife; the latter, illegitimate, he keeps on as a maid. These women, and Deborah herself circle Barak in a triangle of unrequited love on several sides. As each struggles against the other, playing sides, the war moves on. Each will have to lay aside their own personal gains to ensure that victory is achieved for the embattled Israelites. In the end peace may only be found in the heart of a woman.

Eva Etzioni--Halevy has such a truly simple and beautiful way of bringing these women to life. Her style is lyrical but not in the least overdone. One never feels over-awed by who these women are. The reader feels that maybe she would have done the same, or felt the same in the given situation. Bringing historical figures to life, especially figures of an almost mythological proportion (depending on your belief system) isn't easy but this author does it very well.
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Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: February 2008
ISBN-13: 9780452289062