Judges 4:8

8 Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.

Judges 4:8 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 4:8

And Barak said unto her
To Deborah, after she had delivered the words of the Lord unto him:

if thou wilt go with me, then I will go;
which showed faith hi the word of the Lord, for which he is commended, and a readiness to do the will of God, and courage to engage in such a work with a powerful adversary, and is therefore reckoned among the heroes for faith, ( Hebrews 11:32 ) ;

but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go;
which though it might discover some weakness in him, yet showed the high opinion he had of Deborah as a judge of Israel, and prophetess of the Lord; being desirous that he might have her with him to pray to God for him, to give him advice and counsel on any emergency, she being as the oracle God; and whereby he testified his regard to the Lord, and to his presence, which he concluded he should have, the prophetess being with him; and more especially his reason for insisting on her going with him might be to prevail upon the inhabitants of Naphtali and Zebulun to go with him, who he might fear would not believe him, or pay any regard to his words, and be in dread of engaging with the enemy, unless she was present; which he supposed would satisfy them as to the mind of God in it, and animate them, and give them heart and spirit.

Judges 4:8 In-Context

6 She sent and called Barak the son of Avino`am out of Kedesh-Naftali, and said to him, Hasn't the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, commanded, [saying], Go and draw to Mount Tavor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naftali and of the children of Zevulun?
7 I will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Yavin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.
8 Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.
9 She said, I will surely go with you: notwithstanding, the journey that you take shall not be for your honor; for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Devorah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 Barak called Zevulun and Naftali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Devorah went up with him.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.