Hero (and Anti-Hero) Stories (Joshua, Deborah, Samson, etc.)

Basic Info

The Bible contains a number of books that include what are best described as hero stories. The Book of Judges is the best example, but a number of other biblical figures also come across as heroes that can and should be emulated. The Book of Judges tells of the time in Israel’s history when it was governed by wise people called Judges. The story line that keeps repeating is that the people turn away from God, they suffer some calamity, and then they return to God through the faith and heroic actions of a particular heroic figure.

Some of the heroes in the Bible have what would be considered tragic flaws if the stories were presented as dramas. Samson is perhaps the classic hero with a flaw. Even if the Bible doesn’t exactly treat the people as heroes, the art tradition might. In that vein, this section offers very brief summaries of their stories. 

• Joshua (Joshua):  Moses’ successor as leader of the Israelites was a great leader in battle, especially the battle to win the city of Jericho in the Promised Land. Jericho was defeated by blowing horns to knock down the city walls.
• Deborah (Judges 4–5):  She was a prophetess and judge who led her people in battle against the Canaanites because the general Barak wouldn’t go into battle unless she did too. The Canaanite general Sisera was ultimately killed when a woman named Jael (who was an Israelite married to a Canaanite) drove a tent stake through his head.
• Gideon (Judges 6–8):  He was a judge whom God called to lead the people in battle but who asked God for two proofs first, laying a sheep skin out to collect the dew one day and not collect it the next. Gideon destroyed the altar to the enemies’ gods and was led by God to defeat the Midianites with a very small army. The fleece laid out to collect the dew is understood by Christians to foreshadow the Annunciation to Mary.
• Samson (Judges 13–16):  Samson experienced a miraculous birth and vowed to abstain from alcohol and never cut his hair. His hair was the source of his superhuman strength. Samson’s flaw, though, was women. He fell for a Philistine (enemy) woman named Delilah. When he slept one night, she cut off his hair and the Philistines captured him. While he was chained to pillars in their palace, his hair grew back and he destroyed the pillars, taking the whole palace down and destroying the Philistines.
• Ruth (Ruth):  She was a Moabite, but she married an Israelite whose mother, Naomi, was a widow. When Ruth’s husband died, she promised Naomi that she would go with her back to her homeland and take care of her in spite of hardship. (This is a story primarily of heroic loyalty.) Once there, she met Boaz while picking up leftover bits of food in his field after the harvest. She and Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi’s husband, married. Their child Obed was the grandfather of King David.
• Judith (Judith):  Judith was a childless widow in a small town under siege by the Assyrian army. The town was ready to surrender if God didn’t save the people in 5 days. Judith yelled at the leaders for putting God to the test. Judith prayed to God (as one who favors the lowly and oppressed) and went off to the Assyrian camp. She gained the confidence of the general, Holofernes, and was invited to a banquet. Holofernes drank too much and passed out. Judith cut off his head. The town defeated the Assyrians.
• Esther (Esther):  She was an Israelite who married the Persian King Ahasuerus. She saved her husband from one assassination plot and then saved her people when one of the king’s men (Haman) was going to persecute all of the Jews. Her uncle Mordecai became the prime minister.

What to Look For

• The physical appearance of the hero / heroine figure (beautiful, strong, etc.)
• The authority and character of the hero / heroine figure
• Physical attributes that point to the enemy’s being lesser in some way
• Indications of prayer or other connection between the hero / heroine and God

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

In the artwork, is the hero / heroine put forth as a model of right behavior for the viewer to imitate? Is prayer involved?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Which aspect of the artwork is presented for imitation? Is that aspect of the artwork wise to imitate in the present time? How might this artwork be seen as a metaphor for some other kind of heroic deed that would make more sense to perform today?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation



Hero stories are most needed in dark times. What might have been going on in the artist’s time and place to make this hero / heroine especially relevant?