Judges 5:3

3 Hear, ye kings, and hearken, rulers: I will sing, it is I to the Lord, it is I, I will sing a psalm to the Lord the god of Israel.

Judges 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 5:3

Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes
Not only the neighbouring ones, but all the kings and princes of the earth, far and near, then and in succeeding ages; Deborah desires and wishes that all potentates might hear of the wonderful works of God done for his people, that they might learn to know there is one that is higher than they, to whom all the amazing things done in the world are to be ascribed; and be cautious how they oppressed the people of God, since sooner or later he would avenge them on them. The Targum restrains this to the kings that came with Sisera and the governors with Jabin; but if there were any such, as it is not improbable there were, see ( Judges 5:19 ) ; yet it is most likely that they were slain with them: there are some, as Kimchi observes, who think this respects the people of Israel, who were all the sons of kings; but the first sense is best:

I, [even] I, will sing unto the Lord, I will sing [praise] to the Lord
God of Israel:
which are the words of Deborah particularly, and the repetitions serve to express how cordial, earnest, and vehement she was in her praise and thankfulness to God; thereby setting an example to others, encouraging them to the same practice, and directing persons of every rank and quality to give praise only to Jehovah, the self-existing, everlasting, and unchangeable Being; to him who is the Lord and God of Israel in a peculiar manner, and not to any of the gods of the Gentiles.

Judges 5:3 In-Context

1 And Debbora and Barac son of Abineem sang in that day, saying,

2 A revelation was made in Israel when the people were made willing: Praise ye the Lord.

3 Hear, ye kings, and hearken, rulers: I will sing, it is I to the Lord, it is I, I will sing a psalm to the Lord the god of Israel.

4 O Lord, in thy going forth on Seir, when thou wentest forth out of the land of Edom, the earth quaked and the heaven dropped dews, and the clouds dropped water.

5 The mountains were shaken before the face of the Lord Eloi, this Sina before the face of the Lord God of Israel.