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Texts -- Judges 4:4-24 (NET)

Context
4:4 Now Deborah , a prophetess , wife of Lappidoth , was leading Israel at that time . 4:5 She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country . The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled . 4:6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali . She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go , march to Mount Tabor ! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun ! 4:7 I will bring Sisera , the general of Jabin’s army , to you at the Kishon River , along with his chariots and huge army . I will hand him over to you.” 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go . But if you do not go with me, I will not go .” 4:9 She said , “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame on the expedition you are undertaking , for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman .” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh . 4:10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh . Ten thousand men followed him; Deborah went up with him as well. 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites , the descendants of Hobab , Moses ’ father-in-law . He lived near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh . 4:12 When Sisera heard that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor , 4:13 he ordered all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels– and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon . 4:14 Deborah said to Barak , “Spring into action , for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! Has the Lord not taken the lead?” Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 4:15 The Lord routed Sisera , all his chariotry , and all his army with the edge of the sword . Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot . 4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim . Sisera’s whole army died by the edge of the sword ; not even one survived ! 4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael , wife of Heber the Kenite , for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera . She said to him, “Stop and rest , my lord . Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid .” So Sisera stopped to rest in her tent , and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink , because I’m thirsty .” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink . Then she covered him up again. 4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent . If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here ?’ say ‘No .’” 4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground while he was asleep from exhaustion , and he died . 4:22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera . Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead with the tent peg in his temple . 4:23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites . 4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with him .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Sisera

    [isbe] SISERA - sis'-er-a (cicera', of doubtful meaning; S(e)isara): (1) Given in Judges 4 as the captain of the army of Jabin, king of Hazor. The accounts given of the battle of Sisera with Barak, as found in Judges 4 and 5, have ...
    [nave] SISERA 1. Captain of a Canaanite army, defeated by Barak; slain by Jael, Judg. 4; 5:20-31; 1 Sam. 12:9; Psa. 83:9. 2. One of the Nethinim, Ezra 2:53; Neh. 7:55.

  • Barak

    [ebd] lightning, the son of Abinoam (Judg. 4:6). At the summons of Deborah he made war against Jabin. She accompanied him into the battle, and gave the signal for the little army to make the attack; in which the host of Jabin was ...
    [isbe] BARAK - ba'-rak (baraq, "lightning flash"): The name occurs in Sabeanbarqac, in Palmyrene baraq, and in Punic Barcas, as surname of Hamilcar; and as Divine name in Assyrian Ramman-Birqu and Gibil-Birqu (Del. Assyrian, HWB, 1...
    [nave] BARAK, a judge in Israel, Judg. 4; 5; Heb. 11:32.

  • Women

    [smith] The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the usages of ancient as compar...
    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Tabor

    [ebd] a height. (1.) Now Jebel et-Tur, a cone-like prominent mountain, 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It is about 1,843 feet high. The view from the summit of it is said to be singularly extensive and grand. This is alluded ...
    [smith] (a mound), or Mount Tabor, one of the most interesting and remarkable of the single mountains in Palestine. It rises abruptly from the northeastern arm of the plain of Esdraelon, and stands entirely insulated, except on the w...
    [nave] TABOR 1. A mountain on the border of Issachar, Josh. 19:22; Judg. 8:18; Psa. 89:12; Jer. 46:18; Hos. 5:1. Assembling place of Barak's army, Judg. 4:6, 12, 14. 2. A plain of unknown location, 1 Sam. 10:3. 3. A Levitical ci...

  • Judge

    [isbe] JUDGE - juj (shopheT; New Testament dikastes, krites): In the early patriarchal times the heads of families and the elders of the tribes were the judges (compare Gen 38:24), and their authority was based on custom. In the wi...
    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • Patriotism

    [nave] PATRIOTISM. Deut. 26:1-11; Judg. 5:1-31; Psa. 51:18; Psa. 85:1-13; Psa. 122:6, 7; Psa. 128:5, 6; Psa. 137:1-6; Isa. 62:1; Jer. 8:11, 21, 22; Jer. 9:1, 2; Lam. 5:1-22 See: Country, Love of. Instances of Moses, Heb. 11:24-2...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Canaanites

    [nave] CANAANITES Eleven nations, descended from Canaan, Gen. 10:15-19; Deut. 7:1; 1 Chr. 1:13-16. Territory of, Gen. 10:19; 12:6; 15:18; Ex. 23:31; Num. 13:29; 34:1-12; Josh. 1:4; 5:1; given to the Israelites, Gen. 12:6, 7; 15:18...

  • Harosheth of the Gentiles

    [ebd] (Judg. 4:2) or nations, a city near Hazor in Galilee of the Gentiles, or Upper Galilee, in the north of Palestine. It was here that Jabin's great army was marshalled before it went forth into the great battlefield of Esdrael...

  • Courage

    [nave] COURAGE Enjoined upon Joshua, Deut. 31:7, 8, 22, 23; Josh. 1:1-9; the Israelites, Lev. 26:6-8; 2 Chr. 32:7, 8; Solomon, 1 Chr. 22:13; 28:20; Asa, 2 Chr. 15:1-7. Enjoined by Jehoshaphat upon the judicial and executive office...

  • En-Dor

    [nave] EN-DOR, a city of Manasseh, Josh. 17:11. The witch of, consulted by Saul, 1 Sam. 28:7-25. Deborah triumphs at, over Sisera, Judg. 4; Psa. 83:10.

  • Deborah

    [ebd] a bee. (1.) Rebekah's nurse. She accompanied her mistress when she left her father's house in Padan-aram to become the wife of Isaac (Gen. 24:59). Many years afterwards she died at Bethel, and was buried under the "oak of we...
    [smith] (a bee). (B.C. 1857.) The nurse of Rebekah. (Genesis 35:8) Deborah accompanied Rebekah from the house of Bethuel, (Genesis 24:59) and is only mentioned by name on the occasion of her burial under the oak tree of Bethel, whic...
    [nave] DEBORAH 1. Nurse to Rebecca, Gen. 24:59. Buried beneath an oak under Beth-el, Gen. 35:8. 2. The prophetess, a judge of Israel, Judg. 4:4, 5; 5:7. Inspires Barak to defeat Sisera, Judg. 4:6-16. Triumphant song of, Judg. 5...

  • Jael

    [ebd] mountain-goat, the wife of Heber the Kenite (Judg. 4:17-22). When the Canaanites were defeated by Barak, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, fled and sought refuge with the friendly tribe of Heber, beneath the oaks of Zaana...
    [isbe] JAEL - ja'-el (ya`el, "a wild or mountain goat," as in Ps 104:18; Iael): The wife of Heber the Kenite and the slayer of Sisera (Jdg 4:17-22; 5:2-31). Jael emerges from obscurity by this single deed, and by the kindest constr...
    [smith] (mountain goat), the wife of Heber the Kenite. (B.C. 1316.) In the headlong rout which followed the defeat of the Canaanites by Barak, at Megiddo on the plain of Esdraelon, Sisera, their general, fled to the tent of the Kenit...
    [nave] JAEL, wife of Heber, and slayer of Sisera, Judg. 4:17-22; 5:6, 24.

  • Jabin

    [ebd] discerner; the wise. (1.) A king of Hazor, at the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan (Josh. 11:1-14), whose overthrow and that of the northern chief with whom he had entered into a confederacy against Joshua was the ...
    [isbe] JABIN - ja'-bin (yabhin, "one who is intelligent," "discerning." The word may have been a hereditary royal title among the northern Canaanites. Compare the familiar usage of par`oh melekh mitsrayim): (1) "The king of Hazor,"...
    [smith] (whom God observes). King of Hazor, who organized a confederacy of the northern princes against the Israelites. (Joshua 11:1-3) Joshua surprised the allied forces by the waters of Merom, ver. 7, and utterly routed them. (B.C...
    [nave] JABIN, names of two kings of Hazor, Josh. 11:1-14; Judg. 4:2, 7, 17, 23, 24; Psa. 83:9.

  • Kenites

    [ebd] smiths, the name of a tribe inhabiting the desert lying between southern Palestine and the mountains of Sinai. Jethro was of this tribe (Judg. 1:16). He is called a "Midianite" (Num. 10:29), and hence it is concluded that th...
    [isbe] KENITES - ke'-nits (ha-qeni, haqeni; in Nu 24:22 and Jdg 4:11, qayin; of hoi Kenaioi, hoi Kinaioi): A tribe of nomads named in association with various other peoples. They are first mentioned along with the Kadmonites and Ke...
    [nave] KENITES 1. A Canaanite tribe whose country was given to Abraham, Gen. 15:19; Num. 24:21-23. 2. The descendants of Jethro, a Midianite, father-in-law of Moses. Join the Israelites and dwell at Jericho, Judg. 1:16; 4:11; 1 Ch...

  • Hypocrisy

    [nave] HYPOCRISY. Job 8:13-15; Job 13:16; Job 15:31, 33, 34; Job 17:8; Job 20:4, 5 vs. 6-18.; Job 27:8-10 vs. 13-18.; Job 31:33, 34; Job 34:30; Job 36:13, 14; Psa. 5:9; Psa. 50:16, 17; Psa. 52:4; Psa. 55:12-14, 20, 21, 23; Psa. 78...

  • Heber

    [ebd] passing over. (1.) Son of Beriah and grandson of Asher (Gen. 46:17; 1 Chr. 7:31, 32). (2.) The Kenite (Judg. 4:11, 17; 5:24), a descendant of Hobab. His wife Jael received Sisera (q.v.) into her tent and then killed him. (3....
    [isbe] HEBER - he'-ber (chebher, "associate" or, possibly, "enchanter"; Eber): A name occurring several times in the Old Testament as the name of an individual or of a clan. (1) A member of the tribe of Asher and son of Beraiah (Ge...
    [smith] (alliance). Grandson of the patriarch Asher, (Genesis 46:17; Numbers 26:45; 1 Chronicles 7:31) from whom came the Heberites. (Numbers 26:45) The patriarch Eber. (Luke 3:35) [EBER] The father of Socho; a Judite. (1 Chro...
    [nave] HEBER 1. Head of a family in the tribe of Gad, 1 Chr. 5:13. 2. A Benjamite, 1 Chr. 8:22. 3. A son of Beriah, Gen. 46:17; Num. 26:45; 1 Chr. 7:31, 32; Luke 3:35. 4. Husband of Jael, Judg. 4:11, 17, 21; 5:24. 5. Son of Ezr...

  • Quotations and Allusions

    [nave] QUOTATIONS AND ALLUSIONS. In the New Testament from, and to, the Old Testament Matt. 1:23 Isa. 7:14. Matt. 2:6 Mic. 5:2. Matt. 2:15 Hos. 11:1. Matt. 2:18 Jer. 31:15. Matt. 3:3 Isa. 40:3. Matt. 4:4 Deut. 8:3; Luke 4:4. Matt...

  • Abinoam

    [ebd] father of kindness, the father of Barak (Judg. 4:6; 5:1).
    [isbe] ABINOAM - a-bin'-o-am, ab-i-no'-am ('abhino`am, "father of pleasantness," or, "my father is pleasantness"): A man of Kedesh-naphtali, the father of Barak who defeated the army of Jabin and Sisera (Jdg 4:6,12; 5:1,12).
    [smith] the father of Barak. (Judges 4:6,12; 5:1,12) (B.C. 1300.)
    [nave] ABINOAM, father of Barak, Judg. 4:6.

  • Kishon

    [ebd] winding, a winter torrent of Central Palestine, which rises about the roots of Tabor and Gilboa, and passing in a northerly direction through the plains of Esdraelon and Acre, falls into the Mediterranean at the north-easter...
    [isbe] KISHON - ki'-shon, kish'on (qishon; Keison): The "watercourse" or "torrent stream" along the banks of which the great battle was fought between Israel, led by Deborah and Barak, and the army of Sisera, in the waters of which...
    [nave] KISHON Judg. 4:7, 13; 5:21; 1 Kin. 18:40; Psa. 83:9
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • Israel's JudgesJudgeScriptureIsrael's OppressorsLength in YearsNation(s)King(s)OppressionJudgeshipPeaceOthniel3:7-11MesopotamiaCushan-rishathaim8(ca. 1358-1350 B.C.)40(ca. 1350-1310 B.C.)Ehud3:12-30Moab (with Ammon & Amal...
  • Chapters 4 and 5 are complementary versions of the victory God gave Israel over the Canaanites, first in prose and then in poetry (cf. Exod. 14-15).91...
  • 4:1-3 As long as Ehud lived he kept Israel faithful to God (v. 1). However after he died, God's people again turned from the Lord. In discipline God allowed the Canaanites in the North to gain strength and dominate the Israel...
  • The song concludes with a reminder that those who oppose Yahweh will perish. Those who love Him will prosper, as Israel did in this battle through His intervention for her.130Following this victory and the battles that follow...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • Gideon commenced his "attack"at the beginning of the middle watch, which was evidently midnight.169Many of the Midianites would have been sound asleep and upon awakening would have felt confused by the sights and sounds of th...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • The first three verses present Samson sowing "wild oats."Verses 4-21 picture him reaping a bitter harvest (cf. Gal. 6:7).Samson allowed a woman to seduce him again. She lived in the Sorek Valley between Samson's home area of ...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • We meet another Levite in verse 1 who was paying no attention to God's directions concerning where the Levites should live (cf. 17:7). Since monogamy was God's standard for marriage the Levite should not have married a concub...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
  • Armed with trust in God and courage Jonathan ventured out to destroy Israel's enemy in obedience to God's command to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan (cf. 9:16). He would have made a good king of Israel. Saul remained in G...
  • Samuel's years of being a blessing to all Israel ended at this time. David took his place as God's major channel of blessing to the nation. It is appropriate that the notice of Samuel's death occurs here since Saul had just a...
  • 20:6 David was confident he would be successful in the coming conflict because he was the Lord's anointed. Of course, if David had been guilty of sin God might not have given him the victory. However the king believed that he...
  • 83:9-12 Asaph prayed that God would deliver His people as He had in the past during the judges' period. God had destroyed the Midianites with Gideon's small band of soldiers (Judg. 7-8). Oreb and Zeeb were the Midianite comma...
  • 144:3-4 The exalted description of God in verses 1 and 2 led David to reflect in amazement that God would take interest in mere mortals. Man's existence is very brief compared to God who abides forever.144:5-8 The psalmist de...
  • 35:1 This oracle came to Jeremiah during King Jehoiakim's reign (609-598 B.C.) after the Babylonians had begun to invade Judah (v. 11). Second Kings 24:1-2 reads, "In his [Jehoiakim's] days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came...
  • There were female as well as male prophets in Israel (Exod. 15:20; Judg. 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Neh. 6:14; Luke 2:36) and in the early church (Acts 21:9; 1 Cor. 11:5). However there were far fewer female than male prophets, and ...
  • 1:4 Jonah subjected himself to dangers that Israel and the entire ancient Near East viewed as directly under divine control when he launched out on the sea. The sea to them was the embodiment of the chaotic forces that humans...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • 14:1 The Lord announced through His prophet that a day was coming, for His benefit primarily, when the nations that had plundered Israel victoriously would divide their spoil among themselves in Jerusalem. This would be the L...
  • The emphasis in this section is Simeon's prediction of Jesus' ministry (cf. 1:67-79). He pointed out the universal extent of the salvation that Jesus would bring and the rejection that He would experience.2:22-24 Under Mosaic...
  • A. Women served in the doorway of the Tabernacle (Exod. 38:8; 1 Sam. 2:22).The same word (saba) is used of their work as that of the Levites. These women were probably widows who devoted themselves to the service of God.B. Mi...
  • The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...
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