Who in the Bible was the first woman judge of Israel?

Deborah was the first woman judge of Israel. The Book of Judges introduces her as a prophet and judge who settled disputes beneath the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim.

She led Israel during oppression by Jabin, king of Canaan, whose army was commanded by Sisera. Deborah summoned Barak and instructed him to gather an Israelite force and confront Sisera. Barak agreed only if Deborah went with him, and the battle ended in Israel’s victory. Sisera later fled to the tent of Jael, another woman, who killed him with a tent peg—fulfilling Deborah’s warning that the honor of victory would go to a woman.

Deborah is also remembered as a prophetess and poet. Judges 5 records the Song of Deborah, one of the Bible’s oldest poetic passages, celebrating the victory and praising those who joined the fight. She is described as the fourth judge of pre-monarchic Israel and is the only woman explicitly identified as a judge in the Hebrew Bible. A common mix-up is to credit Deborah with killing Sisera; the text gives that act to Jael, while Deborah served as Israel’s judge, prophet, and military leader.