Judges 5:6

6 In the days of Samegar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, they deserted the ways, and went in by-ways; they went in crooked paths.

Judges 5:6 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 5:6

In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath
Of whom see ( Judges 3:31 ) ; who succeeded Ehud as a judge, but lived not long, and did not much; at least wrought not a perfect deliverance of the children of Israel; but during his time till now, quite through the twenty years of Jabin's oppression, things were as they are after described:

in the days of Jael;
the wife of Heber the Kenite, spoken of in the preceding chapter, ( Judges 4:17-22 ) , who appears to be a woman of masculine spirit, and endeavoured to do what good she could to Israel, though not a judge among them, as Jarchi suggests; and who before this affair of Sisera had signalized herself by some deeds of hers in favour of Israel, and against their enemies; yet far from putting a stop to the outrages committed; for in the times of both these persons,

the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through
byways;
the public roads were so infested with thieves and robbers, who stopped all they met with, and robbed them of what they had, that travellers and merchants with their carriages were obliged either to quit their employments, and not travel at all; or, if they did, were obliged to go in private roads, and roundabout ways, to keep clear of those rapparees the highways and public roads abounded with.

Judges 5:6 In-Context

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.
6 In the days of Samegar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, they deserted the ways, and went in by-ways; they went in crooked paths.
7 The mighty men in Israel failed, they failed until Debbora arose, until she arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then the cities of rulers fought; there was not a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.