Judges 4:1-10

1 And the sons of Israel added to do evil in the sight of the Lord, after the death of Ehud. (And the Israelites did more evil before the Lord, after the death of Ehud.)
2 And the Lord betook them into the hands of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; and he had a duke of his host, Sisera by name; and he dwelled in Harosheth of heathen men. (And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Jabin, the king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and he had a leader of his army, who was named Sisera; and he lived in Harosheth of the heathen.)
3 And the sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes, and twenty years he oppressed Israel greatly. (And the Israelites cried to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes, and for twenty years he greatly oppressed Israel.)
4 And Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, the which Deborah deemed the people of Israel in that time;
5 and she sat under a palm tree, that was called by her name, betwixt Ramah and Bethel, in the hill of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her at each doom. (and she sat under a palm tree, that was named after her, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went up to her for judgements.)
6 And she sent, and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, of Kedesh of Naphtali, and she said to him, The Lord God of Israel commanded to thee, (and said,) Go thou, and lead an host into the hill of Tabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand of fighters of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun. (And she sent, and called for Barak, the son of Abinoam, of Kedesh of Naphtali, and she said to him, The Lord God of Israel commanded to thee, and said, Go thou, and lead an army to Mount Tabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand fighting men of the Naphtalites and of the Zebulunites.)
7 And I shall bring to thee, in the place of the strand of Kishon, Sisera, the prince of Jabin's host, and his chariots, and all the multitude; and I shall betake them in thine hand. (And I shall bring to thee, at the Kishon River, Sisera, the leader of Jabin's army, and his chariots, and all the multitude; and I shall deliver them into thy hands.)
8 And Barak said to her, If thou comest with me, I shall go; if thou wilt not come with me, I shall not go.
9 And she said to him, Soothly I shall go with thee; but in this time the victory shall not be areckoned to thee; for Sisera shall be betaken into the hand of a woman (for Sisera shall be delivered into the hand of a woman). And so Deborah rose, and went with Barak into Kedesh.
10 And when Zebulun and Naphtali were called, Barak ascended with ten thousand of fighters (Barak went up with ten thousand fighting men), and had Deborah in his fellowship.

Judges 4:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 4

This chapter shows how that Israel sinning was delivered into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, by whom they were oppressed twenty years, Jud 4:1-3; and that Deborah and Barak consulted together about their deliverance, Jud 4:4-9; and that Barak, encouraged by Deborah, gathered some forces and fought Sisera the captain of Jabin's army, whom he met, and obtained a victory over, Jud 4:10-15; who fleeing on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, was received into it, and slain by her while asleep in it, Jud 4:16-22; which issued in a complete deliverance of the children of Israel, Jud 4:23,24.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.