place of greater security and to join Barak. However, she prophesied that the “beautifying thing” of the victory would go to a woman. These words were fulfilled when the woman Jael put Sisera to death.—Judg. 4:6-10, 17-22.

Deborah and Barak joined in singing a song on the day of victory. Part of the song is written in the first person, indicating that Deborah was its composer, in part, if not in its entirety. It was a custom for the women to celebrate victories with song and dance. (Ex. 15:20, 21; Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6, 7; Ps. 68:11) The song gives all credit and praise to Jehovah for the victory in behalf of his people. It adds considerably to the narrative that precedes it, and to get a full picture the two must be viewed side by side. After describing Jehovah’s might and majesty and recalling the condition of Israel prior to Barak’s fight, it commends the tribes who responded to the call and inquires about others who did not. It graphically adds details concerning the battle and the rout of the Canaanites, the courageous act of Jael in killing Sisera and the disappointment of Sisera’s mother, who waited in vain for spoils and slaves of Israel to be brought back after the expected victory of her son Sisera.—Judg. chap. 5.

DEBT, DEBTOR

In ancient Israel, debts were incurred primarily due to financial reverses. For an Israelite to become a debtor was a misfortune, the borrower, in effect, becoming the lender’s servant. (Prov. 22:7) God’s people were therefore commanded to be generous and unselfish in lending to needy fellow Israelites, not seeking to profit from their adversity by charging them interest. (Ex. 22:25; Deut. 15:7, 8; Ps. 37:26; 112:5) But foreigners could be required to pay interest. (Deut. 23:20) Jewish commentators understand this provision to apply to business loans, not to cases of need. Ordinarily foreigners were in Israel only temporarily, often as merchants, and could reasonably be expected to pay interest, especially since they would also be lending to others on interest.

At times a third party would assume responsibility or go surety for a debtor. This practice is repeatedly warned against in the book of Proverbs (6:1-3; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26), since the one going surety would be the loser in case of the debtor’s default.

The first-century Christian view of debts is expressed at Romans 13:8: “Do not you people be owing anybody a single thing, except to love one another.”

MOSAIC LAW PROTECTED CREDITORS AND DEBTORS

Under the Mosaic law, even a thief was required to pay off the debt he incurred through his wrongdoing. If unable to do so, he was to be sold into slavery. (Ex. 22:1, 3) Thus the victim was certain of being compensated for his loss.

Faithful Israelites recognized that meeting their debts was a divine requirement. (Ps. 37:21) So the creditor could rest assured of receiving repayment. An Israelite with no material assets could sell himself or his children into slavery to care for his debts.—Ex. 21:7; Lev. 25:39; compare 2 Kings 4:1-7.

On the other hand, the Law also protected the debtor. The creditor could not enter the house of the debtor and seize a pledge but had to wait outside until the debtor brought it to him. (Deut. 24:10, 11) Neither the garment of a widow nor necessities, such as a hand mill or the upper grindstone thereof, could be seized as a pledge. (Deut. 24:6, 17) Since it was common for the poor to have only one outer garment (mantle), in which they also slept, this garment, if taken as a pledge, had to be returned by the creditor at sunset.—Ex. 22:26, 27; Deut. 24:12, 13.

According to Deuteronomy 15:1-3, it appears that during the sabbath year (every seventh year) a creditor could not press a fellow Israelite for payment of a debt. Unlike the sabbath-keeping Israelite who realized virtually no return from his land, the foreigner continued to have an income from his nonagricultural work. Reasonably, therefore, he could be pressed for payment of a debt during the sabbath year. At the approach of the sabbath year, some Israelites, knowing that they would not be able to press matters, may have refrained from lending to their needy brothers. But the Law condemned such selfishness.—Deut. 15:9.

During the Jubilee year (every fiftieth year) Hebrew slaves were set free; all hereditary possessions, with the exception of houses in walled cities not formerly belonging to Levites, were returned to their original owners. This arrangement prevented Israelite families from sinking into hopeless debt and poverty. Even one who mismanaged his assets could not permanently lose his inheritance for his family.—Lev. 25:10-41.

Strict adherence to God’s law would have resulted in a stable economy free from great national and internal debts. The Israelites were assured: “For Jehovah your God will indeed bless you just as he has promised you, and you will certainly lend on pledge to many nations, whereas you yourself will not borrow.”—Deut. 15:6.

ABUSES

As Israel lapsed into a course of unfaithfulness, needy debtors were among those that suffered. The fact that debtors joined themselves to David while he was outlawed suggests that they were hard pressed by their creditors. (1 Sam. 22:2) Lending on interest to fellow Israelites appears to have become common. (Isa. 24:2) Through his prophet Amos, Jehovah condemned Israel for selling “someone poor for the price of a pair of sandals.” (Amos 2:6) And by means of Ezekiel, He denounced the Israelites for charging interest and fraudulently profiting from their companions.—Ezek. 22:12.

After the return from Babylonian exile a deplorable situation developed among the Jews because of their failure to obey God’s law about making interest-free loans to needy fellow Israelites. In the time of Nehemiah, many Jews had been forced to put up their houses, fields and even their sons and daughters as security. However, after Nehemiah’s exhortation to rectify matters, the creditors agreed to make restoration to their debtors and to lend without interest.—Neh. 5:1-13.

JESUS’ ILLUSTRATIONS

In the first century C.E., the relationship of creditors and debtors was very familiar to the Jews, and Jesus at times drew on this for his illustrations. He emphasized the need of being forgiving by telling about a wicked slave who, although having been released from a 60,000,000-denarii debt, had a fellow slave thrown into prison for a 100-denarii debt. (Matt. 18:23-33) The illustration of two debtors, one of whom was forgiven a 500-denarii debt and the other a 50-denarii debt, highlighted the principle: “He who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:41-47) Wise use of “unrighteous” (material) riches to make friends with God is illustrated by the unrighteous steward who, when about to lose his position, shrewdly used his authority to make friends with the debtors of his master by reducing their debts.—Luke 16:1-9.

OTHER DEBTS

In the Scriptures, the words “debt” and “debtor” are also used with reference to obligations other than those accrued by borrowing. The wage due a worker is called a “debt.” (Rom. 4:4) Sinners are “debtors” to those against whom they have transgressed and therefore must seek their forgiveness. God’s forgiveness of “debts” depends on whether a person has forgiven his personal “debtors.” (Matt. 6:12, 14, 15; Luke 13:4) In view of his obligation to preach the “good news,” the apostle Paul spoke of himself as a “debtor” to all persons. (Rom. 1:14, 15) Gentile believers were, in effect, “debtors” to the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem because of having benefited spiritually from them. Therefore, it was only proper that they assist their poor Jewish brothers materially.—Rom. 15:26, 27.

DECALOGUE

See TEN WORDS.

DECAPOLIS

(De·capʹo·lis).

A league or confederation of ten cities (from Greek deʹka, meaning “ten,” and poʹlis, “city”). The name also applied to the region in which most of these cities were centered.—Matt. 4:25.

Following the conquest by Alexander the Great in 333-332 B.C.E., Greek colonies developed in Syria and Palestine, apparently settled by veterans from Alexander’s armies who were thereafter followed by Greek-speaking immigrants. In many cases these colonies grew on the sites of earlier Jewish towns, while in others they were built on fresh sites, particularly E of the Jordan River. They flourished during the rule of the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt, but the rise of the Maccabean-Jewish state (starting about 168 B.C.E.) greatly jeopardized their relatively independent position. While the populations of these cities doubtless included many Jews, still they were centers of Greek culture and organization and hence very much ‘out of step’ with the Maccabean aims. When Pompey conquered and reorganized Palestine in 64-63 B.C.E., these Hellenistic cities were given Roman protection and a favored status. They were allowed to mint their own coins and, to a great extent, exercise self-government, though still owing allegiance to Rome and to the Syrian provincial government and required to pay taxes and provide men for military service.

FORMATION OF THE LEAGUE

Likely sometime between Pompey’s conquest and the death of Herod the Great (1 B.C.E. or 1 C.E.) ten of these Hellenistic cities formed themselves into the loose federation known as the Decapolis. The motive underlying this union seems to have been a mutual interest in close trade relations and also defense against anti-Hellenistic forces within Palestine or aggressive nomadic tribes in the desert regions to the E. The term “Decapolis” first appears in the Christian Greek Scriptures and in the writings of Josephus and Pliny the Elder (both of the first century C.E.). Pliny, while acknowledging that some difference of opinion already existed, listed the following cities as among the original ten: Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha. Of these, only Scythopolis (Beth-shean) lay W of the Jordan. Due to the strategic position of the Valley of Esdraelon, it served as an important link with the Mediterranean coast and seaports. Damascus, far to the N in Syria, was evidently included because of its importance as a trade center. Philadelphia (ancient Rabbah, modern Amman) was the southernmost of the ten cities, only about 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) NE of the northern end of the Dead Sea. The remainder of the cities were in the fertile region of Gilead or neighboring Bashan. Most of them are believed to have been on or near the main roads of that region. Canatha is likely the Kenath of Numbers 32:42.

In the second century C.E., Ptolemy names eighteen cities as in the “Decapolis,” which may indicate that the name came to be used in a general way and the number of cities varied. Some authorities would put Abila, listed by Ptolemy, in place of Raphana as among the original ten. It seems evident, at any rate, that the Decapolis region did not have precisely defined boundaries and that the authority of the cities of the Decapolis did not embrace all the intervening territory but applied only within the district of each particular city.

JESUS’ MINISTRY AND THE DECAPOLIS

While people from the Decapolis were among the crowds that flocked to hear Jesus’ teaching in Galilee (Matt. 4:25), there is no specific mention of his having devoted time to any of its Hellenistic cities. Jesus did enter the region of Decapolis during his Galilean ministry when he crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes