(1) The Israelites again did what was offensive to the LORD—Ehud now being dead. (2) And the LORD surrendered them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. His army commander was Sisera, whose base was Harosheth-goiim. (3) The Israelites cried out to the LORD; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he had oppressed Israel ruthlessly for twenty years. (4) Now Devorah a prophetess, a woman of flames; she led Israel at that time. (5) She used to sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would come to her for decisions. (6) She summoned Barak son of Abinoam, of Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded: Go, march up to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun. (7) And I will draw Sisera, Jabin’s army commander, with his chariots and his troops, toward you up to the Wadi Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hands.” (8) But Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; if not, I will not go.” (9) “Very well, I will go with you,” she answered. “However, there will be no glory for you in the course you are taking, for then the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. (10) Barak then mustered Zebulun and Naphtali at Kedesh; ten thousand men marched up after him; and Deborah also went up with him. (11) Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, descendants of Hobab, father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent at Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh. (12) Sisera was informed that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. (13) So Sisera ordered all his chariots—nine hundred iron chariots—and all the troops he had to move from Harosheth-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. (14) Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! This is the day on which the LORD will deliver Sisera into your hands: the LORD is marching before you.” Barak charged down Mount Tabor, followed by the ten thousand men, (15) and the LORD threw Sisera and all his chariots and army into a panic before the onslaught of Barak. Sisera leaped from his chariot and fled on foot (16) as Barak pursued the chariots and the soldiers as far as Harosheth-goiim. All of Sisera’s soldiers fell by the sword; not a man was left. (17) Sisera, meanwhile, had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was friendship between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. (18) Jael came out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord, come in here, do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. (19) He said to her, “Please let me have some water; I am thirsty.” She opened a skin of milk and gave him some to drink; and she covered him again. (20) He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent. If anybody comes and asks you if there is anybody here, say ‘No.’” (21) Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent pin and grasped the mallet. When he was fast asleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the pin through his temple till it went down to the ground. Thus he died. (22) Now Barak appeared in pursuit of Sisera. Jael went out to greet him and said, “Come, I will show you the man you are looking for.” He went inside with her, and there Sisera was lying dead, with the pin in his temple. (23) On that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. (24) The hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.
And Devorah and Barak sang: This does not imply both Devorah and Barak authored this song, rather that Devorah composed it and Barak joined her in singing it... similar to "thus sang Moshe and B'nei Yisrael"... that the Jews sang the song Moshe composed. So to here, Barak and the nation sang the song she composed.
In the days of Shamgar ben Anat, in the days of Yael. This teaches that Yael, too, judged Yisrael in her days.
He was of the judges of Israel, as was shown previously [at the end of chapter 3], and even though he saved Israel, it was not as great a salvation as this, because in his days the caravans stopped.
And the reason Yael is mentioned is because even though at her hands came a small part of the redemption, it is similar [to Shamgar] for while she was an important woman and loved God, despite this she was not the beginning of the redemption until I, Devorah arose and was like a mother to all israel.
Eliyahu Rabba, Chapter 9
Devorah's husband was unlearned (am ha'aretz). She said to him, "Let me make you wicks and you'll take them to the Tabernacle in Shilo; your portion will be among righteous people there and you'll merit the World to Come. He made thick wicks to increase their light, and that's why his name was Lapidot ("torches"). And God said to Devorah, "You both intended to light up the Tabernacle; I, too, will make your light shine in Israel and Judah, and among all the 12 tribes."
תנא דבי אליהו אמרו בעלה של דבורה עם הארץ היה א"ל בוא ואעשה לך פתילות ולך לבית המקדש שבשילה אז יהיה חלקך בין הכשרים שבהם ותבא לחיי העולם הבא, והיא עושה פתילות והוא מוליך לבית המקדש... לפידות ע"ש שאשתו עושה פתילות והיא מתבוננת ועושה פתילות עבות כדי שיהא אורן מרובה והקב"ה בוחן לבות וכליות אמר לה דברוה את נתכוונת להרבות אורי אף אני ארבה אורך ביהודה ובירושלים כנגד י"ב שבטים, מי זכה לו ללפידות שיהא חלקו עם הכשרים ויבא לחיי העולם הבא הוי אומר דבורה אשתו, עליה נאמר חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה....
(יא) והיא יושבת תחת תומר לפי שאין דרכה של אשה להתיחד בתוך הבית וישבה בצלו של דקל מלמדת תורה לרבים:
...Devorah's husband was not a scholar. She said to him , let's make wicks and go to the Mikdash in Shilo, and so you will have a place among the greats and you will have a place in the world to come. So she would make wicks and he would bring them to the Mikdash... Lapidot- his wife would make very thick wicks so that they would last a long time. And God said, "Devorah you intend of sustaining My light, and so I will make your light great in Judah and Jerusalem in front of the 12 tribes. And to what merit did Laipdot arrive to the World to Come? They say because of his wife Devorah...And she sat under the date palm, as it is not the way of women to seculde themselves at home [with men] and so she sat in the shade of the date palm and taught Torah to the public.