Judges 5:12

12 "1Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and 2take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

Judges 5:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 5:12

Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song,
&c] Either perceiving some languor and remissness in her spirits, while she was delivering this song, and therefore arouses herself to attend to this service with more ardour and zeal; or rather finding herself more impressed with a sense of the great and good things the Lord had done for Israel, calls upon her soul to exert all its powers in celebrating the praises of the Lord, and therefore repeats the word awake so often as she does:

arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam;
for though the whole army of Sisera was destroyed, that not a man was left, ( Judges 4:16 ) yet as Barak pursued to Harosheth of the Gentiles, many there and in other places which fell into his hands, that belonged to Jabin, might be taken captive by him; and though the Canaanites were to be slain, yet they might first be led captive in triumph; and besides, there might be some of other nations that were taken by him in this war; see ( Psalms 68:18 ) .

Judges 5:12 In-Context

10 "You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road -sing!
11 "At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD , The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.
12 "Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.
13 "Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the LORD came down to me as warriors.
14 "From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Psalms 57:8
  • 2. Psalms 68:18; Ephesians 4:8

Footnotes 1

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