From the Hebrew name דְּבוֹרָה (Devorah) which means “bee,” but which comes from the verb דבר (dabar), meaning “to pronounce” or “formalize.” In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Deborah (Judges 4, 4) is a prophetess who leads the Israelites when they are threatened by the Canaanites. She forms an army under Barak’s command, and together they destroy the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera.

There is also another Deborah mentioned in the Bible, namely Rebecca’s nurse (Rebekah in Genesis 35, 8).