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... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SANG DEBORAH AND BARAK THE SON OF ABINOAM,.... Deborah is first mentioned, because she was, as Kimchi says, the root or foundation of the work, the chief person in it, both in the direction of the war, and in the composition of this song; and indeed, as Ben Gersom observes, she alone composed i... [ Continue Reading ]
PRAISE YE THE LORD FOR THE AVENGING OF ISRAEL,.... The injuries done to Israel by any of their enemies, and particularly what wrongs had been done them by Jabin, king of Canaan, for twenty years past; though some understand it of the vengeance God took on Israel for their sins; and though praise is... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR, O YE KINGS; GIVE EAR, O YE PRINCES,.... Not only the neighbouring ones, but all the kings and princes of the earth, far and near, then and in succeeding ages; Deborah desires and wishes that all potentates might hear of the wonderful works of God done for his people, that they might learn to k... [ Continue Reading ]
LORD, WHEN THOU WENTEST OUT OF SEIR, WHEN THOU MARCHEDST OUT OF THE FIELDS OF EDOM,.... Here properly begins the song, what goes before being but a preface to it; and it begins with an apostrophe to the Lord, taking notice of some ancient appearances of God for his people, which were always matter o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MOUNTAINS MELTED FROM BEFORE THE LORD,.... The inhabitants of them, through fear, the Lord going before Israel in a pillar of cloud and fire, and delivering mighty kings and their kingdoms into their hand: [EVEN] THAT SINAI FROM BEFORE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL; or, "as that Sinai", the note of si... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
THE INHABITANTS OF THE VILLAGES CEASED,.... Not only did those Canaanitish robbers go upon the highway, and robbed all they met with, which made travelling difficult and dangerous; but entered into the villages and unwalled towns, and broke into houses and plundered them; so that the inhabitants of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY CHOSE NEW GODS,.... That is, Israel, as most of the Jewish commentators interpret it; for the verb is singular, and Israel agrees well with it: this they did after the death of Joshua; it refers to their first idolatry, begun by Micah, Judges 17:1 they chose other gods than the true God; Baalim... [ Continue Reading ]
MY HEART IS TOWARDS THE GOVERNORS OF ISRAEL,.... Most of the Jewish commentators interpret this of their wise men and Scribes, who were willing to teach the people the law and the commandments, even in times of trouble, and did not cease from doing it on that account, and therefore Deborah praises t... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAK, YE THAT RIDE ON WHITE ASSES,.... Though in some countries, as in ours, it is reckoned disgraceful to ride on asses; so Leo Africanus b makes mention of a preacher in Africa, who was called the ass rider; because he was continually, sitting on an ass; yet in Judea, where there were no horses,... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY THAT ARE DELIVERED FROM THE NOISE OF ARCHERS IN THE PLACE OF DRAWING WATER,.... Meaning either the army of the Israelites, delivered from the archers of Sisera's host at the river Kishon; or such persons, as maidens and others, that went out of the cities to fountains and wells of water, to fet... [ Continue Reading ]
AWAKE, AWAKE, DEBORAH, AWAKE, AWAKE, UTTER A SONG, c] Either perceiving some languor and remissness in her spirits, while she was delivering this song, and therefore arouses herself to attend to this service with more ardour and zeal or rather finding herself more impressed with a sense of the great... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN HE MADE HIM THAT REMAINETH,.... The people of Israel that remained, who had been under the yoke of Jabin king of Canaan, under which many of the Israelites very probably died; but now the few mean and miserable that remained were raised to an high estate, and made to HAVE DOMINION OVER THE NOB... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF EPHRAIM WAS THERE A ROOT OF THEM AGAINST AMALEK,.... In this and some following verses, Deborah makes mention of the tribes that were siding and assisting in this war, and of those that were not; and begins with Ephraim, where she herself dwelt, Judges 4:5 who was the root, foundation, and so... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRINCES OF ISSACHAR WERE WITH DEBORAH,.... On Mount Tabor, whither they came to offer themselves to join in the war against Jabin; or to assist with their counsels, the men of this tribe being understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 1 Chronicles 12:32 EVEN ISSACHAR: not... [ Continue Reading ]
WHY ABODEST THOU AMONG THE SHEEPFOLDS, TO HEAR THE BLEATINGS OF THE FLOCKS?.... This tribe abounded with flocks and herds, and therefore chose the country on the other side Jordan, as suitable for them; and now, at this critical juncture, they judged it wisest, and their best policy, to abide by the... [ Continue Reading ]
GILEAD ABODE BEYOND JORDAN,.... A country which lay on the other side Jordan, and was given by Moses, half of it to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the other half to the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 3:12 and being here distinguished from Reuben, it seems that not only that tribe, but also t... [ Continue Reading ]
ZEBULUN AND NAPHTALI WERE A PEOPLE,.... These two tribes were chiefly concerned in this war; out of them were the 10,000 men that followed Barak, who willingly offered themselves, and were the most active and vigorous: [THAT] JEOPARDED THEMSELVES UNTO THE DEATH; exposed them to the utmost danger, f... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGS CAME,.... Who were with Sisera, as the Targum adds; unless Deborah can be thought to refer to the battle, supposed to be fought about the same place, between Joshua and the kings in confederacy with Jabin, Joshua 10:1 THEN FOUGHT THE KINGS OF CANAAN IN TAANACH BY THE WATERS OF MEGIDDO; th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY FOUGHT FROM HEAVEN,.... Either the angels of heaven, afterwards called stars; or the heavens, the elements, fought for Israel, and against Sisera; a violent storm of rain and hail falling at this time, which discomfited Sisera's army; Judges 4:15, or this victory was obtained in such a manner a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RIVER OF KISHON SWEPT THEM AWAY,.... To which Sisera's army was drawn, and where it was discomfited; and very probably many of them, in their confusion, endeavoured to make their escape by fording or swimming over the river, by which they were swept away and drowned, the waters of it at this tim... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WERE THE HORSE HOOFS BROKEN BY MEANS OF THE PRANSINGS,.... Either through the force of the waters of the river, where they pranced and plunged, and could have no standing; or through the swift haste they made to run away, striking the earth so quick, and with such force and vehemence, that thei... [ Continue Reading ]
CURSE YE MEROZ, SAID THE ANGEL OF THE LORD,.... Not Barak, as the Targum and Jarchi, but Deborah herself said this under a spirit of prophecy, not from her own spirit in a revengeful way, but from the Spirit of God; or this was suggested to her by an angel, not a created, but the uncreated one, the... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED ABOVE WOMEN SHALL JAEL THE WIFE OF HEBER THE KENITE BE,.... Under the same influence that Meroz was cursed, Jael is blessed, the one for not helping Israel in a public way, the other for doing it in a private manner; this blessing is pronounced, either in a way of prayer that it might be, or... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ASKED WATER, AND SHE GAVE HIM MILK,.... That is, Sisera asked it of her, as the Targum expresses it, when he turned into her tent: SHE BROUGHT HIM FRESH BUTTER IN A LORDLY DISH; which signifies either the same, the milk with cream on it, for that is meant by butter; or having first taken off the... [ Continue Reading ]
SHE PUT HER HAND TO THE NAIL,.... Her left hand, as the Septuagint, Arabic, and Vulgate Latin versions express it, and as appears by what follows; she having taken up a pin from her tent, with which it was fastened to the ground, she clapped it to the temples of Sisera: AND HER RIGHT HAND TO THE WO... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 27 AT HER FEET HE BOWED, HE FELL, HE LAY DOWN,.... Perhaps at her first approach to him, and attempt to drive the nail, or at the blow she gave, he rose up, but she had done the business so effectually at the first stroke, that he dropped at once, and laid down his head again: AT HER FEET HE B... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MOTHER OF SISERA LOOKED OUT AT A WINDOW,.... Which perhaps looked towards the high road, in which she expected Sisera to return in his chariot with his victorious army; and she was looking out for him, not through fear of any ill that had befallen him, or suspicion of misfortunte, but through im... [ Continue Reading ]
HER WISE LADIES ANSWERED HER,.... Every one in their turn endeavouring to comfort her and make her easy. The Vulgate Latin version is, "one that was wiser than the rest of his wives;'' but they seem rather to be her maids of honour, or ladies of her acquaintance, who were come to pay her a visit,... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE THEY NOT SPED?.... Or "found" u the enemy, Barak and his army, or the spoil of them? no doubt they have: HAVE THEY NOT DIVIDED THE PREY? doubtless they have, which being large, and the captives many, has taken up much of their time to look over, and make an equal and proper division of, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
SO LET ALL THINE ENEMIES PERISH, O LORD!.... As Sisera and his army did, and be disappointed as his mother and her ladies were; which is not only a wish or prayer that it might be, but a prophecy that so it would be: BUT LET THEM THAT LOVE HIM; that love the Lord superlatively and sincerely, with a... [ Continue Reading ]