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The Woman Warrior Deborah's Story
The Woman Deborah’s Story is book #10 in the Extraordinary Women of the Bible historical fiction series.
For twenty long years the people of Israel have turned their backs on their God. They have forgotten their covenant promise to worship only Him and to keep themselves separate, a holy people dedicated to the One who led them out of Egypt. Their lives have become tainted by their worship of the baals. As a result, God seems to have withdrawn His arm of protection.
When the oppression of the Canaanites grows worse, the attacks on Israel more frequent and more violent, the desperate people cry out to the God they have forgotten. They beg for a deliverer, a prophet, a judge who will draw them back into the safety of their covenant relationship. God answers their cries with an unexpected warrior.
He sends Deborah.
For twenty long years the people of Israel have turned their backs on their God. They have forgotten their covenant promise to worship only Him and to keep themselves separate, a holy people dedicated to the One who led them out of Egypt. Their lives have become tainted by their worship of the baals. As a result, God seems to have withdrawn His arm of protection.
When the oppression of the Canaanites grows worse, the attacks on Israel more frequent and more violent, the desperate people cry out to the God they have forgotten. They beg for a deliverer, a prophet, a judge who will draw them back into the safety of their covenant relationship. God answers their cries with an unexpected warrior.
He sends Deborah.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2024
105 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Smith
125 books353 followersUSA Today bestselling author Virginia Smith has written over fifty books with sales exceeding 1 million copies worldwide. Her book, Guilty Secrets, was recently produced as a movie now streaming on Lifetime. She lives in Kentucky with her husband, 27 chickens, a barn kitty, and a barky Maltese named Max. Learn more about Ginny and her books at www.virginiasmith.org
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 24, 2024
Deborah, Israel's only female judge, is a fascinating figure. These days, she's almost a controversial one depending on who you ask. Honestly, I didn't quite know what to expect from a book about her, because as extraordinary as she is, there aren't that many fictional books about Deborah. Virginia Smith's portrait of her though, made a unique and distinctly positive impression.
First off, kudos to Virginia for spending time on Deborah's days as a prophetess and judge well before the battle for which she is known. That's kind of a mixed bag, which I'll get to. But it shows off Deborah's wisdom, her thirst for knowledge, her love of teaching, and her dedication to Yahweh and Torah. As a "brainy" lady who loves to read and learn, I identified with Deborah, but she also inspired me. I've read the Bible many times and attended many Bible studies, but Deborah's level of enthusiasm and wisdom is a goal I can only hope to reach.
I also loved seeing Deborah as a wife and mother in The Woman Warrior. In particular, her relationship with Sabra caught my attention. I'm still the daughter in the mother-daughter dynamic, but as an adult, I can see more of my mom's perspective. Yet, I could also understand Sabra's desires and frustrations. Therefore, I found myself in the unique position of rooting for Sabra's betrothal to a man who would love her, but sharing Deborah's concerns and the effort it took for her to build trust.
This, of course, brings me to Deborah's time with Yahweh. It's probably the most overt spiritual thread I've seen yet from either this or the Ordinary Women series, but it's also deftly written with a careful, expert hand. The focus, again, is on Deborah's desire to know and learn from her God, which makes her all the more relatable. Even her visions, the likes of which I haven't had, nor have most people I know, read as gifts given from a loving, concerned Father teaching His child the next steps in her journey.
Finally, major kudos to Virginia Smith for touching on some evergreen themes. To wit, I don't think she meant to make any statements about what women should or shouldn't do inside the church or synagogue or any other circle. But as someone who's been inundated with that controversy and seen faithful women excoriated, I applaud Virginia for having Deborah walk through that controversy. I applaud Virginia for having Deborah show both courage and vulnerability, and for the conclusion she eventually comes to about Yahweh's character.
The Woman Warrior does get a bit wordy near the end. I'm also unsure how I feel about leaving the battle until almost the end, since it is one of Deborah's pivotal moments, so to speak. That also influences the character of Barak, who is well-written but might have been a bit too courageous and supportive. That is, when I read Deborah's story in the Bible, I see Barak as a bit more passive.
Additionally, while I appreciated Jael's part in the story, in hindsight, it doesn't work for me. Jael has the beginnings of strong characterization, but she's in and out of the story too much to make an impact. I'd have preferred if Jael had a book to herself.
Then again, a lot of these critiques are personal preferences. Additionally, what works here is great, so I cannot and will not rate The Woman Warrior any lower than a four. It's probably the best fictionalized take on Deborah I've seen so far, and it's well worth at least one read.
First off, kudos to Virginia for spending time on Deborah's days as a prophetess and judge well before the battle for which she is known. That's kind of a mixed bag, which I'll get to. But it shows off Deborah's wisdom, her thirst for knowledge, her love of teaching, and her dedication to Yahweh and Torah. As a "brainy" lady who loves to read and learn, I identified with Deborah, but she also inspired me. I've read the Bible many times and attended many Bible studies, but Deborah's level of enthusiasm and wisdom is a goal I can only hope to reach.
I also loved seeing Deborah as a wife and mother in The Woman Warrior. In particular, her relationship with Sabra caught my attention. I'm still the daughter in the mother-daughter dynamic, but as an adult, I can see more of my mom's perspective. Yet, I could also understand Sabra's desires and frustrations. Therefore, I found myself in the unique position of rooting for Sabra's betrothal to a man who would love her, but sharing Deborah's concerns and the effort it took for her to build trust.
This, of course, brings me to Deborah's time with Yahweh. It's probably the most overt spiritual thread I've seen yet from either this or the Ordinary Women series, but it's also deftly written with a careful, expert hand. The focus, again, is on Deborah's desire to know and learn from her God, which makes her all the more relatable. Even her visions, the likes of which I haven't had, nor have most people I know, read as gifts given from a loving, concerned Father teaching His child the next steps in her journey.
Finally, major kudos to Virginia Smith for touching on some evergreen themes. To wit, I don't think she meant to make any statements about what women should or shouldn't do inside the church or synagogue or any other circle. But as someone who's been inundated with that controversy and seen faithful women excoriated, I applaud Virginia for having Deborah walk through that controversy. I applaud Virginia for having Deborah show both courage and vulnerability, and for the conclusion she eventually comes to about Yahweh's character.
The Woman Warrior does get a bit wordy near the end. I'm also unsure how I feel about leaving the battle until almost the end, since it is one of Deborah's pivotal moments, so to speak. That also influences the character of Barak, who is well-written but might have been a bit too courageous and supportive. That is, when I read Deborah's story in the Bible, I see Barak as a bit more passive.
Additionally, while I appreciated Jael's part in the story, in hindsight, it doesn't work for me. Jael has the beginnings of strong characterization, but she's in and out of the story too much to make an impact. I'd have preferred if Jael had a book to herself.
Then again, a lot of these critiques are personal preferences. Additionally, what works here is great, so I cannot and will not rate The Woman Warrior any lower than a four. It's probably the best fictionalized take on Deborah I've seen so far, and it's well worth at least one read.
May 16, 2025
Beautifully Written Biblical Fiction!
The Woman Warrior: Deborah's Story tells the tale of the woman judge and prophet God chose to draw His people back into their covenant relationship with Him. Israel was without a king, and the oppression of the Canaanites was growing increasingly worse. Author Virginia Smith did a masterful job fleshing out her characters, and the depth of her historical research was readily evident. I highly recommend this beautifully written book and can't wait to read more works by Smith!
The Woman Warrior: Deborah's Story tells the tale of the woman judge and prophet God chose to draw His people back into their covenant relationship with Him. Israel was without a king, and the oppression of the Canaanites was growing increasingly worse. Author Virginia Smith did a masterful job fleshing out her characters, and the depth of her historical research was readily evident. I highly recommend this beautifully written book and can't wait to read more works by Smith!
November 13, 2025
Enjoyed Seeing Her Grow Into Her Role
I've never really thought about how Deborah actually became a prophetess and judge for Israel. It was interesting to see how this author unfolded these roles being assigned to her by the people in her town as she expanded her private moments spent with God.
I truly enjoyed the author's perspective of a women being favored by her father to hear, discuss, and memorize God's Word. I enjoyed seeing all the characters become three dimensional people that once lived and breathed.
I've never really thought about how Deborah actually became a prophetess and judge for Israel. It was interesting to see how this author unfolded these roles being assigned to her by the people in her town as she expanded her private moments spent with God.
I truly enjoyed the author's perspective of a women being favored by her father to hear, discuss, and memorize God's Word. I enjoyed seeing all the characters become three dimensional people that once lived and breathed.
February 5, 2025
I loved this book. I had no idea that Israel did not have a king
rule them for a number of years and were lead by judges who were prophets. This woman was also a teacher and basically a preacher, which even today is not always popular. She ruled for forty years and appeared to be a very stable leader which couldn’t be said for a lot of the kings. It was an eye-opening book.
rule them for a number of years and were lead by judges who were prophets. This woman was also a teacher and basically a preacher, which even today is not always popular. She ruled for forty years and appeared to be a very stable leader which couldn’t be said for a lot of the kings. It was an eye-opening book.
March 9, 2025
Wow!
This story took me on a wonderful journey into the life of Deborah, from the Bible. Honestly, the most I remember of Deborah is that she was a Prophetess and a Judge of the Israelites.
I would like to thank Virginia Smith for her great story, and the research she did for this. You turned a Biblical figure into a story that is very engaging!
This story took me on a wonderful journey into the life of Deborah, from the Bible. Honestly, the most I remember of Deborah is that she was a Prophetess and a Judge of the Israelites.
I would like to thank Virginia Smith for her great story, and the research she did for this. You turned a Biblical figure into a story that is very engaging!
November 30, 2025
I really enjoyed this book.. It was .
well written ..
Interesting on every page. It's a true story too..
I really recommend it.
well written ..
Interesting on every page. It's a true story too..
I really recommend it.
January 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews