Barak ( or ; ; Tiberian Hebrew: Bārāq; "lightning") was a ruler of Ancient Israel. As military commander in the biblical Book of Judges, Barak, with Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephraim, the prophet and fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, defeated the Canaanite armies led by Sisera.
Background
The son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. His story is told in the Book of Judges, Chapters 4 and 5.
Because Barak would not go to battle without Deborah, in turn she prophesied that the honor of victory would not go to him, but rather to a woman (Judges 4:9). Barak asked Deborah to go with him because of her connection with God. Some scholars see this as Barak being spineless while others might see Barak making a smart decision Most authorities believe this passage refers to Jael's killing of Sisera in her tent following the battle, while others believe this refers to Deborah herself. Barak is also used in the Ethiopian language of Amharic. Meaning " He who blesses."