Trees have great importance in the Bible. Humanity was first judged at a tree. The tabernacle is pitched under a great tree where the book of the Law of God was kept (Joshua 24:26). It was a place that represented the gate of heaven. It was the palm tree in particular that was used to picture the righteous (Psalm 92:12). In the book of Revelation, trees represented a place of healing and food Revelation 22:2). Thus, the palm tree is a fitting symbol for Deborah herself. She constituted a gate to heaven for her people, rendering judgments for them.
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5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.