Person Old and New Testament
Barak
Also known as Bedan =KJV; Barak =ESV, NIV
Barak, son of Abinoam, led the Israelites to victory against Canaanite forces under Deborah's leadership. Mentioned in 14 verses across 3 books, first at Judges 4:6.
Why it matters. An Israelite commander who defeated Canaanite forces with Deborah.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Barak
Barak was an Israelite commander from the tribe of Naphtali who played a significant role in the victory over the Canaanite forces led by Sisera (Judges 4). Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel, summoned Barak and instructed him to gather troops from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to fight against Sisera's army. Barak agreed to go only if Deborah accompanied him, to which she consented but prophesied that the honor of the victory would go to a woman. Barak led the Israelite forces to Mount Tabor, where they decisively defeated Sisera's army. The victory was celebrated in the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judges 5), which praises their leadership and God's deliverance. Barak is later mentioned in 1Sa.12.11 as one of the deliverers sent by God to save Israel from their enemies. The New Testament also commends Barak's faith in Heb.11.32, listing him among the examples of those who through faith conquered kingdoms and administered justice.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Abinoam
Appears in Scripture
Named in 14 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.