Deborah was holding court in a high place, which suggests that she held God’s court. For, “the court of God is almost always placed on high ground in Scripture, as can be seen from Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion, as well as many other locations. We ascend into the hill of the Lord (Psalm 24:3; Psalm 15:1), to receive a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24:5)."1
But unlike the male prophets, all of whom went to the people with a word from God (Thus says the Lord
), we don’t at all read that of Deborah. She didn’t go to the people; the people came to her.
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.