God had to rouse Deborah to oppose the Canaanites; she did not initiate this action. God also aroused her to sing His praise after the victory. After God stimulated Deborah and Barak into action, several Israelite survivors of the oppression followed their lead into the Valley of Jezreel. They came from the tribe of Ephraim in the region Amalekites had formerly occupied (cf. 12:15). They also came from Benjamin, western Manasseh (Machir), and Zebulun. Perhaps only the princes or leaders from Issachar came (cf. 6:34-35). Most of Issachar's territory lay in the valley were this battle took place. Perhaps most of the residents of Issachar were too fearful to participate.
Notable by their absence were the tribes of Reuben, the Gileadites (Gad and the part of Manasseh east of the Jordan), Dan, and Asher. The description of Dan staying "in ships"(v. 17) may mean the Danites were pursuing commercial activities off their Mediterranean coast.
". . . they may have become too closely associated with their Phoenician and Canaanite neighbors to engage them in war . . ."121
Some scholars have suggested that a better translation of this phrase may be "at ease."This reading rests on Ugaritic usage of the Hebrew word.122I tend to prefer the traditional reading.
"The [Hebrew] text of Judges is generally in good condition, ranking with the Pentateuch among the best preserved parts of the OT. The Song of Deborah in chapter 5, however, is an ancient poem with several textual problems stemming from the obscurity of its vocabulary."123
The more remote tribes stayed at home and did not participate in the war. Note the lack of tribal unity in Israel that only increased as time passed.
"A voluntary lack of fellowship with other believers will inevitably produce a lack of enthusiasm for God's work."124
Deborah commended the people of Zebulun and Naphtali especially for their bravery (v. 18).
