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.
