Days of Deborah Painting details

In the Days of Deborah

Deborah was a prophet who judged Israel within the time period between Joshua and Samuel, before the people had a king. She sat under what became known as the Palm of Deborah in the hill country of Ephraim. All of the people came to hear her wise counsel and judgments, and the land was at peace for forty years.

In this depiction of Peace in the Promised Land, besides Deborah and her Palm, you will find:

• The hive of industrious bees. Bees were symbols of wisdom in Deborah’s day and her name means “bee” in Hebrew.
• A child carrying a jar of milk, which along with the hive, reminds us that the Promised Land was called the Land of Milk and Honey.
• Two children dancing in the background in front of a representation of the Tree of Life; reminders of another idealized time.
• All of the young people are God’s Children of Israel, who are the hope of the future nation.
• The older boy shepherding the goat is Obed, the son of Ruth and Boaz and future grandfather of King David.
• The little girl with her back to us is Hannah, the future mother of Israel’s final Judge, the Prophet Samuel. Here, Hannah pauses to take note of wise Deborah’s good example.