Judges 4

However, this particular Kenite, Heber, had left the others and settled in northern Canaan, where he developed friendly relations with Jabin (verse 17). It was Heber’s wife, however, who became the heroine of this story (verses 18–21).

12–16 God had revealed His battle plan to Deborah: He would lure Sisera to fight in the valley of the Kishon River (verses 7,13). Ordinarily that would have been a good place for Sisera’s nine hundred chariots, but God caused a flood to sweep down the valley (see Judges 15:20–21). Sisera’s chariots were mired in mud, and so the lightly armed Israelites routed Sisera’s troops, killing all of them (verses 15–16). It was the Lord who won the victory by sending that heavy rain, just as He had won a similar victory in Joshua’s time by sending hailstones²⁹ (Joshua 10:11).

17–22 Sisera fled on foot and found refuge in the tent of Heber’s wife, Jael. Since no man was allowed to enter a woman’s tent except her immediate family, Sisera assumed that no one would look for him there. Just in case, however, he asked Jael to guard the doorway.

Jael’s husband may have been on friendly terms with Jabin and Sisera, but she clearly was not; when Sisera was asleep, she drove a tent peg through his head and into the ground beneath (verse 21). She was no doubt handy with hammer and tent peg, since in ancient Israel it was the women who set up the tents. Once again God chose a person and weapon suited for carrying out His will (see Judges 3:20–25 and comment).

23–24 With Sisera and his army destroyed, Jabin was no longer a threat to Israel; the Israelites grew stronger and eventually destroyed him.