Deborah’s Hymn of Thanksgiving

In contrast to its biblical prototype in Judges 5, Deborah’s hymn of thanksgiving in Biblical Antiquities is a lengthy prose recitation rather than a poem. In recapitulating the entire history of God’s covenantal relationship with the patriarchs and the people of Israel, embroidering the biblical narrative with postbiblical interpretive traditions, it justifies the Israelites’ cry for divine assistance in the time of Deborah. God’s saving response is then portrayed as a sign for all times that the covenant remains in place and that God can be relied on to save Israel in the future. Referencing the imagery of Deuteronomy 32, the heavens and the earth are invoked as the eternal witnesses to God’s covenant with the people Israel. Although placed in the mouth of an individual, the hymn’s content is communal.