Judges 4:19

19 And he said to her, I beseech thee, give me a little water, for I thirst greatly (for I have a great thirst). And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave (it) to him to drink, and (then she) covered him (up 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 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Judges 4:19 In-Context

17 And Sisera fled, and came to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber (the) Kenite; for peace was betwixt Jabin, king of Hazor, and betwixt the house of Heber (the) Kenite (for there was peace between Jabin, the king of Hazor, and the house of Heber the Kenite).

18 Therefore Jael went out into the coming of Sisera, and said to him, My lord, enter thou to me, enter thou to me; dread thou not. And he entered into her tabernacle, and he was covered of her with a mantle (And he went into her tent, and she covered him with a cloak).

19 And he said to her, I beseech thee, give me a little water, for I thirst greatly (for I have a great thirst). And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave (it) to him to drink, and (then she) covered him (up again).

20 And Sisera said to her, Stand thou before the door of the tabernacle, and when any man cometh, and asketh thee, and saith, Whether any man is here? thou shalt answer, No man is here. (And Sisera said to her, Stand thou before the door of the tent, and if anyone cometh, and asketh thee, and saith, Is there anyone here? thou shalt answer, No one is here.)

21 And so Jael, the wife of Heber, took a nail of the tabernacle, and she took also an hammer; and she entered privily, and with silence she put the nail upon the temple of his head, and she fastened the nail smitten with the hammer into his brain, unto the earth; and he slept, and died together, and he failed life, and was dead. (And then Jael, Heber's wife, got a tent peg, and she also got a hammer; and she quietly entered, and silently put the peg on the temple of his head, and struck it with the hammer into his brain, and she fastened the other end of the peg into the ground; and so he died in his sleep, yea, his life failed, and he died.)