The Prophet's Anthem: The Song of Deborah and Barak in the Narrative of Judges

by Michelle Knight

Overview

Within the chaotic world narrated in the book of Judges, the prophet Deborah spoke under the authority of Israel’s God, interpreting an important battle and calling fellow Israelites to faithfulness. The Song of Deborah is a remarkable and challenging text, given its rare vocabulary, unique poetic structure, and opaque compositional history. Even more noteworthy is its placement within the narrative of the book of Judges. In light of studies that demonstrate the interpretive significance of songs embedded in narratives, the inclusion of Deborah’s song within Judges suggests it serves a strategic function within that larger literary complex.

In The Prophet's Anthem, Michelle Knight explores the effect of Deborah’s song being included at this juncture of one of the most fascinating and troubling narratives in the canon. While many previous analyses of Deborah’s song focus primarily on its immediate context—Judges 4—Knight uses a literary approach that attends to the song’s effect on the entire narrative. The song’s prophetic association underscores the importance of knowledge and revelation in the book of Judges, especially for a generation who "knew neither YHWH nor the deeds he had done for Israel" (2:10).

Drawing on over a century’s worth of concentrated critical research on the song, The Prophet’s Anthem combines poetic analysis and narrative criticism to yield fresh thematic and structural insights for reading the entire Judges narrative. With their attention keenly trained on Deborah’s words, readers will be better equipped to hear the book of Judges in a new register.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481321594
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2024
Pages:	207
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michelle Knight is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 Judges 5 in Form and Content
2 Judges 5 in Its Narrative Cycle
3 Characterization in the Song and the Savior Stories
4 Plot and Themes in the Song and the Savior Stories
5 The Narrative Function of the Song of Deborah and Barak in the Book of Judges
Appendix: Lexical and Text Critical Analysis

What People are Saying About This

David G. Firth

Judges 5 is often marginalized from studies of the narrative form of Judges. But with clarity and close attention to the text, Michelle Knight demonstrates how it fulfils key narrative functions within the book, and is thus more closely integrated to it than has been previously recognized. This meticulously argued volume will be essential reading for future studies of both Judges and integrated poems in Hebrew narrative.

Jillian L. Ross

The Prophet’s Anthem is a judicious close reading of Judges that emphasizes the rhetorical and theological role of Judges 5 as an inset song. Michelle Knight successfully and winsomely argues that Judges 5 closes the second phase of YHWH’s salvific work in Judges. This bold assertion challenges the scholarly consensus that each judge’s cycle shows Israel’s progressive decline and makes The Prophet’s Anthem a must read for scholars and students of the book of Judges.

Daniel I. Block

Like many students of Scripture, I have wondered about the nature and function of the Song of Deborah (and Barak) in the development of the overall message of the book of Judges. Michelle Knight has answered my questions. In the process, she has also demonstrated the wisdom of Jewish scribes in classifying Judges as a prophetic rather than a historical book. Grounded in rigorous analysis and composed in very readable—at times lyric—prose, Knight raises the blinds and helps us grasp the brilliant ray of light that shone into the dark world that was Israel at the end of the second millennium BCE. She shows that this Song celebrates the victories that YHWH had won on behalf of his people in chapters 3-4 and warns her people that if they ever forget God’s righteous acts for their benefit, he will not intervene in their conflicts with enemies. Sadly, when their rebellion and the seductive power of alien gods eclipsed the visage of YHWH as their gracious Lord and Savior, he turned off their lights and left them to their own devices in a world that grew ever darker. Anyone who needs help making sense of the biblical book of Judges must read this book.

Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible Elizabeth Backfish

The Prophet's Anthem represents careful exegesis, thorough research, and theological insight at its best. Exploring one of the most exciting songs in Scripture and how it functions within the larger narrative of the book, Michelle Knight navigates the wealth of scholarship on Judges and also pushes it forward. Scholars and serious students alike will be 'most blessed' by this masterful contribution to scholarship on Judges.