“wife of Lappidoth.” It has been suggested that since Lappidoth means “torches,” the phrase should be translated “a fiery woman,” rather than “the wife of Lappidoth.” However, although that is semantically a possibility, as Everett Fox points out, “the form [of the Hebrew] here generally calls for a proper name.”^a

Also, it would be rare indeed for a woman in that culture to not be married, so much so that a woman without children was considered cursed. Far from being any kind of detraction, saying that Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth would give her standing and credibility in the culture, and also likely a good deal of personal satisfaction. That the Bible does not say anything else about her family is not unusual since she herself is the focus. Moses’s sister Miriam was a powerful woman, and yet we know nothing of her husband or children, and that is also true of other women in the Bible who powerfully served God. It is apparent from the biblical record that Deborah, whose name means “bee” in Hebrew, was a determined and fiery woman, but that fact does not need to be specifically pointed out.