Judges 5:10-13

5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets, ¹ 

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

5:11 Hear ²  the sound of those who divide the sheep ³  among the watering places;

there they tell of ⁴  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ⁵  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

5:12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!

Get up, Barak!

Capture your prisoners of war, ⁶  son of Abinoam!

5:13 Then the survivors ⁷  came down ⁸  to the mighty ones; ⁹ 

the Lord’s people came down to me ¹⁰  as ¹¹  warriors.

[5:10]  ¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.

[5:11]  ² tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:11]  ³ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.

[5:11]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps “repeat.”

[5:11]  ⁵ tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.

[5:12]  ³ tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)

[5:13]  ⁴ tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).

[5:13]  ⁵ tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.

[5:13]  ⁶ sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.

[5:13]  ⁷ sn The speaker may be Deborah here.

[5:13]  ⁸ tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.