Judges 5:20

_THEY FOUGHT FROM HEAVEN; THE STARS IN THEIR COURSES FOUGHT AGAINST SISERA._ The stars in their courses fought - a fearful tempest burst upon them, and threw them into disorder. The stars that betokened the time of rain are here connected with the sudden swelling and overflow of the river (cf. Judges 5:4: Josephus, 'Antiquities,' b. 5:, ch. 5:, sec. 4)....

12-23 Deborah called on her own soul to be in earnest. He that will set the hearts of other men on fire with the love of Christ, must himself burn with love. Praising God is a work we should awake to, and awake ourselves unto. She notices who fought against Israel, who fought for them, and who kept away. Who fought against them. They were obstinate enemies to God's people, therefore the more dangerous. Who fought for them. The several tribes that helped are here spoken of with honour; for though God is above all to be glorified, those who are employed must have their due praise, to encourage others. But the whole creation is at war with those to whom God is an enemy. The river of Kishon fought against their enemies. At most times it was shallow, yet now, probably by the great rain that fell, it was so swelled, and the stream so deep and strong, that those who attempted to pass, were dro...

Verse Judges 5:20. _THEY FOUGHT FROM HEAVEN_] The angels of God came to the assistance of Israel: and the _stars in their orbits fought against_ _Sisera_; probably some thunder storm, or great inundation from the river Kishon, took place at that time, which in poetic language was attributed to the _stars_. So our poet sung relative to the storms which dispersed the Spanish armada in 1588: - "Both _winds_ and _waves_ at once conspire To aid old England-frustrate Spain's desire." Perhaps it means no more than this: the _time_ which was measured and ruled by the heavenly bodies seemed only to exist for the destruction of the Canaanites. There may be also a reference to the sun and moon standing still in the days of Joshua....

God fought on the side of Israel, and gave them the victory. Josephus relates that, just as the battle began, a violent tempest came on with a great downfall of rain; and a hailstorm, which, driving full in the faces of the Canaanites, so blinded and benumbed them with cold, that they could neither use their bows with effect nor even hold their swords....

EXPOSITION JUDGES 5:1 THEN SANG DEBORAH, etc. The ode which follows was doubtless the composition of Deborah the prophetess, and was sung by her (as the gender of the Hebrew verb indicates), assisted by Barak, who perhaps sang the antistrophe (cf. Exodus 15:1, Exodus 15:21). It is a song of wonderful beauty and lyric power, somewhat difficult, as all Hebrew poetry is. JUDGES 5:2 Her first feeling was one of patriotic joy that her countrymen had been roused to the venture of war, and of gratitude to God that it was so. "For the bold leading of the leaders of Israel, for the

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 as plainly showed it was not of man, but of God from heaven; so the Targum, "from heaven war was made with them;'' with the kings before mentioned; God fought against them, and no wonder they were conquered: THE STARS IN THEIR COURSES FOUGHT AGAINST SISERA it seems as if it was in the night that this battle was fought, at least that the pursuit lasted till night, when the stars by their brightness and clear shining favoured the Israelites, and were greatly to the disadvantage of the Canaanites; unless it can be thought, as is by some, that the stars had an

CHAPTER 5 The Song of Deborah and Barak _ 1. The praise of Jehovah (Judges 5:1)_ 2. The condition of the people and their deliverance (Judges 5:6) 3. The celebration of the victory and the victors (Judges 5:12) 4. The fate of the enemy (Judges 5:23) This is one of the prophetic songs of the Bible. It is full of the fire of passion and enthusiasm, reflecting the character of the woman through whom the deliverance had been wrought. It has been classed with the barbaric outbursts of the battle-hymns and odes of triumph of heathen nations, likened to some wild chant of a victor, whose blood-thirst has been que

THE BATTLE OF MEGIDDO. The waters of Megiddo were tributaries of the Kishon. Taanach and Megiddo (p. 30) were both towns on the left bank of the river. The battle-field of Megiddo long afterwards suggested the name of the last weird battle of the nations the apocalyptic Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Judges 5:20. The very stars take part in the fight a magnificent poetical way of saying that all the forces of the universe are arrayed on the side of righteousness. The battle must have been fought in winter or spring. Yahweh's storm-clouds burst, and the swollen river swept many of Israel's enemies away. In Judges 5:22 b there is an attempt to imitate the galloping of horses in flight....

FOUGHT. Figure of speech _Prosopopoeia._ App-6. Compare Joshua 10:11....

The battle....