Judges 4:19

19 He said to her, "Please give me a drink of water; I'm thirsty." She opened a leather bag of milk, gave him a drink, and hid him again.

Judges 4:19 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 4:19

And he said unto her, give me, I pray thee, a little water to
drink, for I am thirsty
Which might be occasioned by the heat of the battle, and by the heat of the day, and by heat in running; he asks for a little water, that being very desirable by persons athirst. Some think he did not ask for wine, because he knew the Kenites did not drink any, and so of course kept none in their tents; but though this was the custom of the Rechabites, who were the same with the Kenites, ( Jeremiah 35:8 ) ; yet it is very probable this custom had not yet obtained among them, since it was enjoined by Jonadab their father, who lived in the times of Jehu, ( 2 Kings 10:15 ) ;

and she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink;
which she did either out of courtesy, being a better liquor, or with design to throw him into a sleep, which milk inclines to, making heavy, as all the Jewish commentators observe; though Josephus F14 has no authority to say, as he does? that the milk she gave him was bad and corrupt:

and covered him:
again, after he had taken a draught of milk, which it seems she poured into a dish with the cream on it, see ( Judges 5:25 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F14 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 5. sect. 1.)

Judges 4:19 In-Context

17 Sisera ran away to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because King Jabin of Hazor was at peace with Heber's family.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come in, sir; come into my tent. Don't be afraid." So he went in, and she hid him behind a curtain.
19 He said to her, "Please give me a drink of water; I'm thirsty." She opened a leather bag of milk, gave him a drink, and hid him again.
20 Then he told her, "Stand at the door of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you if anyone is here, say no."
21 Sisera was so tired that he fell sound asleep. Then Jael took a hammer and a tent peg, quietly went up to him, and killed him by driving the peg right through the side of his head and into the ground.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.