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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
4:1-5:31 Deborah. The fourth judge was Deborah (see note on 4:4-5), whose story is the first extended account in the book (cf. Gideon in chs. 6-8; Jephthah in ch. 11; and Samson in chs. 13-16). While the pattern of apostasy continues (esp. 4:1-3), Deborah distinguishes herself as the most godly of all the judges; it is ironic that the most distinguished judge was a woman (4:8-9). She was a prophet (4:4) and "a mother in Israel" (5:7), and many sought out her judicial decisions at the "palm of Deborah" (4:5). She instructed Barak in the conduct of the battle (4:9, 14) and led in the victory song in ch. 5, where she figures prominently (5:7, 12, 15). Deborah's actions and words consistently pointed to God, not away from him, in contrast to the poor choices of judges like Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson.
4:1-24 Victory over the Canaanites. This section describes Israel's remarkable victory over the more powerful Canaanites (see map).
4:4-5 Deborah is called a prophetess, one of five such women in the OT (cf. Miriam [Ex. 15:20]; Huldah [2 Kings 22:14]; Isaiah's wife [Isa. 8:3]; and Noadiah [a false prophetess; Neh. 6:14]). Deborah functioned as a civil leader (Judg. 4:6-10; 5:7) and as a judge who decided cases (4:4-5). She lived in southern Ephraim, near Judah.
4:6-9 Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you? Deborah did not lead the army herself, but challenged Barak, a man, to do so (see also v. 14); a woman would not normally be a military leader in Israel. In response, Barak summoned the tribes of Israel and led the army (see vv. 10, 14, 15, 16, 22). At least six tribes participated in the battle: Naphtali and Zebulun (v. 6), Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh (Machir), and Issachar (5:14-15). This is the nearest thing to an "all-Israelite" coalition in the book. To his discredit, Barak hesitated to lead the Israelites in battle (4:8). Thus, Deborah agreed to go with him but predicted that the glory for the battle would go to a woman (see note on 5:24-27).
4:11 The introduction of Heber, Jael's husband, anticipates vv. 17-22. The Kenites were distantly related to the Israelites (see note on 1:16).
4:13 900 chariots of iron. Sisera's army was very impressive: chariots were swift, maneuverable weapons of war, the ancient equivalent of tanks (see note on 1:19). However, the chariots got mired in the river Kishon (see 5:19-22).
4:17-24 The story of Sisera's death by the hand of Jael is detailed in a slow, suspenseful manner reminiscent of the story of Ehud's killing of Eglon (3:12-30). God himself is credited with subduing Jabin, a process that took some time to complete (4:23-24).
5:1-31 Deborah and Barak's Victory Song. The victory song of Deborah and Barak praises God for his triumph over the Canaanites on Israel's behalf and reviews the events of the victory (cf. the Song of Moses and Miriam in Ex. 15:1-21).
5:1 sang. This verb is a feminine singular form (i.e., "she sang"), which emphasizes Deborah's role and her prominence over Barak (cf. 4:8-9).
5:2 leaders took the lead. The Hebrew is difficult. While the ESV translation is the most likely sense, an alternative proposal is that the word translated "leaders" may literally mean, "the long-haired ones" or "the hairy ones," with the verb translated "took the lead" being "to let [hair] hang loose." offered themselves willingly. All the people gladly cooperated (cf. v. 9). This verb (Hb. nadab) is related to the noun for "freewill offerings" (Hb. nedabah), which were one of three types of offerings making up the "peace offerings" (Lev. 7:16; 22:23). bless the Lord! Cf. Judg. 5:9.
5:4-5 The Lord's marching from Seir and Edom likely refers to God's transferring his "abode" from the wilderness to Canaan (by way of the land of Edom; cf. Num. 10:12; 20:22)--from one mountain (Sinai; Judg. 5:5) to another (Zion; Ps. 2:6).
5:6-8 Before Deborah arose as a deliverer, life as it had been known ceased when Israel silently submitted to its enemies. a mother in Israel. A title of honor and respect. new gods. Cf. 10:14.
5:10-11 All classes of society were to bear witness to the mighty acts of God, from the ruling classes (those riding on white donkeys) to the lowest classes (those who walk by the way, i.e., along the road). Watering places were public places where the entire community gathered.
5:13-18 After the call to worship (vv. 10-12), the text offers a general battle overview (v. 13) and then describes the tribes' participation (vv. 14-18). Ten of the
5:19-23 The victory proper is now described in vivid, impressionistic terms. the stars fought . . . against Sisera (cf. 4:15: "the Lord routed Sisera"). The imagery suggests that the forces of nature fought on God's side (and thus Canaanite deities, who supposedly ruled over these forces, were powerless to help against the true God). The frantic pounding of the horses' hoofs suggests the disarray caused by the waters of the Kishon (5:21-22; cf. 4:7).
5:24-27 Most blessed of women. Jael is a heroine for killing Sisera (see 4:17-22). Between her feet he sank, he fell. Chapter 4 tells us that Sisera already was lying down, asleep, when Jael struck him (4:21). The poem is probably speaking metaphorically, repeating graphic, emotive language to make its point, namely, that a woman triumphed over this great warrior.
5:28-30 The mother of Sisera is a pitiable figure, but these verses highlight Jael's achievement: rather than bringing great plunder to impress his women, Sisera lay dead at another woman's feet. A womb or two. A crude reference to captured women.
