1Ug ang mga anak sa Israel naghimo pag-usab niadtong dautan sa mga mata ni Jehova, sa diha nga si Aod namatay na. 2Ug si Jehova nagbaligya kanila sa kamot ni Jabin, hari sa Canaan, nga nagahari sa Azor; nga ang capitan sa iyang panon sa kasundalohan mao si Sisara, nga nagpuyo sa Haroseth sa mga Gentil. 3Ug ang mga anak sa Israel mingtu-aw ngadto kang Jehova: kay siya adunay siyam ka gatus nga carrong puthaw; ug sa kaluhaan ka tuig siya nagdaugdaug sa hilabihan gayud sa mga anak sa Israel. 4Karon si Debora, usa ka manalagna nga babaye, ang asawa ni Lapidoth, nagmaghuhukom sa Israel niadtong panahona. 5Ug siya nagpuyo ilalum sa kahoyng palma ni Debora sa kintaliwad-an sa Rama ug Beth-el diha sa dapit sa kabungtoran sa Ephraim: ug ang mga anak sa Israel mingtungas ngadto kaniya aron hukman. 6Ug siya nagpakuha ug nagpatawag kang Barac ang anak nga lalake ni Abinaom gikan sa Cades-nephtali, ug miingon kaniya: Wala ba si Jehova, ang Dios sa Israel, magsugo sa pag-ingon : Lakaw ug moadto sa bukid sa Tabor, ug pagdala uban kanimo napulo ka libo ka tawo sa mga anak ni Nephtali ug sa mga anak ni Zabulon? 7Ug ako nagpaduol kanimo, didto sa suba sa Cison, si Sisara ang capitan sa mga kasundalohan ni Jabin uban ang iyang mga carro ug ang iyang panon; ug ako nga igahatag siya nganha sa imong kamot. 8Ug si Barac miingon kaniya: Kong ikaw mouban kanako, sa ingon niana moadto ako; apan kong ikaw dili mouban kanako, ako dili moadto. 9Ug siya miingon: Ako sa pagkatinuod mouban kanimo, bisan pa nga ang panaw nga imong pagahimoon dili alang sa imong kadungganan; kay si Jehova magabaligya kang Sisara ngadto sa kamot sa usa ka babaye. Ug si Debora mitindog, ug mikuyog kang Barac ngadto sa Cades. 10Ug si Barac nagtawag kang Zabulon ug kang Nephtali sa paghiusa ngadto sa Cades; ug may napulo ka libo ka tawo nga nangadto sa iyang mga tiil: ug si Debora mitungas uban kaniya. 11Ug si Heber ang Cinehanon mibulag gikan sa mga Cinehanon, bisan gikan sa mga anak ni Hobab, ang bayaw nga lalake ni Moises, ug nagpatindog sa iyang balong-balong sama sa kalayoon sa kahoy nga encina sa Zaan-anim nga tupad sa Cades. 12Ug sila nagbalita kang Sisara nga si Barac, ang anak nga lalake ni Abinoam mitungas ngadto sa bukid sa Tabor. 13Ug si Sisara nagpatigum sa tanan niyang mga carro, bisan ang siyam ka gatus ka carro nga puthaw, ug lakip ang katawohan nga uban kaniya, sukad sa Haroseth sa mga Gentil ngadto sa suba sa Cison. 14Ug si Debora miingon kang Barac: Tindog; kay kini mao ang adlaw nga si Jehova nagtugyan kang Sisara nganha sa imong kamot: wala ba si Jehova mag-una kanimo? Busa si Barac milugsong gikan sa bukid sa Tabor, ug ang napulo ka libo ka tawo nga nagsunod kaniya. 15Ug si Jehova midaug kang Sisara, ug sa iyang mga carro ug sa tanan niyang mga kasundalohan pinaagi sa sulab sa iyang pinuti sa atubangan ni Barac; ug si Sisara mikawas sa iyang carro, ug mikalagiw nga nagtiniil. 16Apan si Barac miapas sa mga carro ug sa mga panon ngadto sa Haroseth sa mga Gentil: ug ang tanang panon ni Sisara nahulog sa sulab sa pinuti; walay usa ka tawo nga nahabilin. 17Apan si Sisara nakadalagan ngadto sa balong-balong ni Jael, ang asawa ni Heber nga Cinehanon: kay may pakigdait sa kinataliwad-an ni Jabin ang hari sa Asor ug sa balay ni Heber nga Cinehanon. 18Ug si Jael migula aron sa pagsugat kang Sisara ug miingon kaniya: Sulod dinhi, ginoo ko, atubang kanako; ayaw kahadlok, ug siya misulod ngadto kaniya sa balong-balong ug siya gitabonan niya sa panapton nga balhibo. 19Ug siya miingon kaniya: Hatagi ako, nagapakilooy ako kanimo, ug madiyutay nga tubig nga ilimnon; kay giuhaw ako. Ug siya nag-abli ug usa ka botella sa gatas ug gipainum siya ug iyang gitabonan. 20Ug iyang giingon siya: Magtindog ka sa pultahan sa balong-balong ug kong mahitabo nga may usa ka tawo moanhi ug mangutana kanimo ug magaingon: Ania bay tawo dinhi? nga ikaw mamulong sa pag-ingon: Wala. 21Unya si Jael, ang asawa ni Heber mikuha ug usa ka lagdok sa balong-balong ug nagbitbit usa ka pakang sa iyang kamot, ug naghinay sa pag-adto kaniya, ug gibugsok ang lagdok sa iyang dungan-dungan, ug kana milapos ngadto sa yuta; kay siya nahinanok sa iyang pagkatulog; busa siya gipunawan ug namatay. 22Ug, ania karon, sa diha nga si Barac nag-apas kang Sisara, si Jael migula sa pagsugat kaniya, ug miingon kaniya: Umari ka, ug tudloan ko ikaw sa tawo nga imong gipangita. Ug siya miadto kaniya, ug, ania karon, si Sisara naghigda nga patay, ug ang lagdok nagatarok sa iyang dungan-dungan. 23Busa ang Dios niadtong adlawa nagdaug kang Jabin, ang hari sa Canaan, sa atubangan sa mga anak sa Israel. 24Ug ang kamot sa mga anak sa Israel midugang pa sa pagdaug batok kang Jabin ang hari sa Canaan hangtud nga ilang nalaglag si Jabin, ang hari sa Canaan.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 DEBORAH AND BARAK DELIVER ISRAEL FROM JABIN AND SISERA. (Jdg. 4:1-17)
The children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead--The removal of the zealous judge Ehud again left his infatuated countrymen without the restraint of religion.
2 Jabin king of Canaan--"Jabin," a royal title (see on
Josh 11:1). The second Jabin built a new capital on the ruins of the old (
Josh 11:10-
Josh 11:11). The northern Canaanites had recovered from the effect of their disastrous overthrow in the time of Joshua, and now triumphed in their turn over Israel. This was the severest oppression to which Israel had been subjected. But it fell heaviest on the tribes in the north, and it was not till after a grinding servitude of twenty years that they were awakened to view it as the punishment of their sins and to seek deliverance from God.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess--A woman of extraordinary knowledge, wisdom, and piety, instructed in divine knowledge by the Spirit and accustomed to interpret His will; who acquired an extensive influence, and was held in universal respect, insomuch that she became the animating spirit of the government and discharged all the special duties of a judge, except that of military leader.
the wife of Lapidoth--rendered by some, "a woman of splendors."
5 she dwelt under the palm tree--or, collectively, "palm-grove." It is common still in the East to administer justice in the open air, or under the canopy of an umbrageous tree.
6 she sent and called Barak--by virtue of her official authority as judge.
Kedesh-naphtali--situated on an eminence, little north of the Sea of Galilee, and so called to distinguish it from another Kedesh in Issachar.
Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded?--a Hebrew form of making an emphatic communication.
Go and draw toward mount Tabor--an isolated mountain of Galilee, northeast corner of the plain of Esdraelon. It was a convenient place of rendezvous, and the enlistment is not to be considered as limited to ten thousand, though a smaller force would have been inadequate.
8 Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go--His somewhat singular request to be accompanied by Deborah was not altogether the result of weakness. The Orientals always take what is dearest to the battlefield along with them; they think it makes them fight better. The policy of Barak, then, to have the presence of the prophetess is perfectly intelligible as it would no less stimulate the valor of the troops, than sanction, in the eyes of Israel, the uprising against an oppressor so powerful as Jabin.
9 the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman--This was a prediction which Barak could not understand at the time; but the strain of it conveyed a rebuke of his unmanly fears.
11 Now Heber the Kenite . . . pitched his tent--It is not uncommon, even in the present day, for pastoral tribes to feed their flocks on the extensive commons that lie in the heart of inhabited countries in the East (see on
Judg 1:16).
plain of Zaanaim--This is a mistranslation for "the oaks of the wanderers." The site of the encampment was under a grove of oaks, or terebinths, in the upland valley of Kedesh.
13 the river of Kishon--The plain on its bank was chosen as the battlefield by Sisera himself, who was unconsciously drawn thither for the ruin of his army.
14 Barak went down from mount Tabor--It is a striking proof of the full confidence Barak and his troops reposed in Deborah's assurance of victory, that they relinquished their advantageous position on the hill and rushed into the plain in face of the iron chariots they so much dreaded.
15 the Lord discomfited Sisera--Hebrew, "threw his army into confusion"; men, horses, and chariots being intermingled in wild confusion. The disorder was produced by a supernatural panic (see on
Judg 5:20).
so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet--His chariot being probably distinguished by its superior size and elegance, would betray the rank of its rider, and he saw therefore that his only chance of escape was on foot.
16 But Barak pursued . . . unto Harosheth--Broken and routed, the main body of Sisera's army fled northward; others were forced into the Kishon and drowned (see on
Judg 5:21).
17 Sisera fled . . . to the tent of Jael--According to the usages of nomadic people, the duty of receiving the stranger in the sheik's absence devolves on his wife, and the moment the stranger is admitted into his tent, his claim to be defended or concealed from his pursuers is established.
19 she . . . gave him drink, and covered him--Sisera reckoned on this as a pledge of his safety, especially in the tent of a friendly sheik. This pledge was the strongest that could be sought or obtained, after he had partaken of refreshments, and been introduced in the inner or women's apartment.
20 he said unto her, . . . when any man doth come and enquire of thee and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No--The privacy of the harem, even in a tent, cannot be intruded on without express permission.
21 Then Jael took a nail of the tent--most probably one of the pins with which the tent ropes are fastened to the ground. Escape was almost impossible for Sisera. But the taking of his life by the hand of Jael was murder. It was a direct violation of all the notions of honor and friendship that are usually held sacred among pastoral people, and for which it is impossible to conceive a woman in Jael's circumstances to have had any motive, except that of gaining favor with the victors. Though predicted by Deborah [
Judg 4:9], it was the result of divine foreknowledge only--not the divine appointment or sanction; and though it is praised in the song [
Judg 5:24-
Judg 5:27], the eulogy must be considered as pronounced not on the moral character of the woman and her deed, but on the public benefits which, in the overruling providence of God, would flow from it.