Judges 5:14-24

14 "From Ephraim those whose root is ¹in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.

15 "And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed ²at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.

16 "Why did you sit among ³the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

17 "⁴Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore *, And remained by its landings.

18 "⁵Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19 "⁶The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan ⁷At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; ⁸They took no plunder in silver.

20 "⁹The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 "The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. ¹⁰O my soul, march on with strength.

22 "¹¹Then the horses' hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

23 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, 'Utterly curse its inhabitants; ¹²Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.'

24 "¹³Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

Judges 5:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 5

This chapter contains a song of praise on account of the victories obtained over Jabin, and his kingdom; after an exhortation to praise is given, and kings excited to attend to it, the majestic appearance of God at Seir, on Sinai, is observed, to raise in the mind a divine veneration of him, Jud 5:1-5; then the miserable state and condition Israel was in before these victories, and therefore had the more reason to be thankful, Jud 5:6-8; the governors, and judges, and the people that were delivered, together with Deborah and Barak, are stirred up to rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, and bless his name, Jud 5:9-13; and those who willingly engaged in the war are praised, and such who were negligent reproved, and some even cursed, Jud 5:14-23; but Jael, Heber's wife, is particularly commended for her exploit in slaying Sisera, Jud 5:24-27; and the mother of Sisera, and her ladies, are represented as wondering at his long delay, and as assured of his having got the victory, Jud 5:28-30; and the song is concluded with a prayer for the destruction, of the enemies of the Lord, and for the happiness and glory of them that love him, Jud 5:31.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 12:15
• 2. Judges 4:10
• 3. Num 32:1, 2, 24, 36
• 4. Joshua 22:9
• 5. Judges 4:6, 10
• 6. Joshua 11:1-5; Judges 4:13
• 7. Judges 1:27
• 8. Judges 5:30
• 9. Joshua 10:12-14
• 10. Exodus 15:2; Psalms 44:5
• 11. Job 39:19-25
• 12. Judges 5:13
• 13. Judges 4:19-21

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "the scribe"
• [b] So with ancient versions; Heb "My princes"
• [c] Lit "feet"
• [d] Or "saddlebags"
• [e] Or "dwelt"
• [f] Or "dwelt"
• [g] Lit "mighty ones"