1Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying, 2For that leaders led in Israel, For that the people willingly offered themselves, Bless Jehovah! 3Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, even I, will sing to Jehovah; I will hymn to Jehovah the God of Israel. 4Jehovah, when thou wentest forth from Seir, When thou marchedst out of the fields of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water. 5The mountains quaked before the face of Jehovah, That Sinai, from before Jehovah the God of Israel. 6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, The roads were unused, and the travellers on highways went by crooked paths. 7The villages ceased in Israel, Ceased until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel. 8They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? 9My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah! 10Ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit on carpets, and ye that walk by the way, consider. 11Because of the voice of those who divide the spoil in the midst of the places of drawing water; There they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, His righteous acts toward his villages in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates. 12Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead captive thy captives, thou son of Abinoam! 13Then come down, thou, the remnant of nobles, as his people; Jehovah! come down with me in the midst of the mighty ones. 14Out of Ephraim came those whose root was in Amalek; After thee was Benjamin among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handled the staff of the ruler. 15And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah; And Issachar, like Barak; They were sent into the valley at his feet. In the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart! 16Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the bleating of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart! 17Gilead abode beyond Jordan; And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat on the sea-shore, And abode in his creeks. 18Zebulun is a people that jeoparded their lives unto death, Naphtali also, on the high places of the field. 19Kings came, - they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan; At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoil of silver. 20From heaven was the fight; The stars from their courses fought with Sisera. 21The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, thou hast trodden down strength! 22Then did the horse-hoofs clatter with the coursings, The coursings of their steeds. 23Curse Meroz, saith the Angel of Jehovah; Curse, curse the inhabitants thereof; For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty. 24Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, Blessed above women in the tent! 25He asked water, she gave milk; In the nobles’ bowl she brought forth cream. 26She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; And she smote Sisera, she struck through his head, Shattered and pierced through his temples. 27Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell, overcome. 28Them other of Sisera looketh out at the window, And crieth through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the trampings of his chariots? 29The wise amongst her ladies answer her, Yea, she returneth answer to herself, 30Have they not found, divided the booty, A damsel, two damsels, to each? A booty of dyed stuffs for Sisera, A booty of dyed stuffs of embroidery, Dyed stuff of double embroidery for the neck of a spoiler? 31So let all thine enemies perish, Jehovah! But let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in its might. And the land had rest forty years.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 DEBORAH AND BARAK'S SONG OF THANKSGIVING. (Jdg. 5:1-31)
Then sang Deborah and Barak . . . on that day--This noble triumphal ode was evidently the composition of Deborah herself.
2 The meaning is obscurely seen in our version; it has been better rendered thus, "Praise ye Jehovah; for the free are freed in Israel--the people have willingly offered themselves" [ROBINSON].
4 Allusion is here made, in general terms, to God's interposition on behalf of His people.
Seir . . . the field of Edom--represent the mountain range and plain extending along the south from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf.
thou wentest out--indicates the storm to have proceeded from the south or southeast.
6 The song proceeds in these verses to describe the sad condition of the country, the oppression of the people, and the origin of all the national distress in the people's apostasy from God. Idolatry was the cause of foreign invasion and internal inability to resist it.
9 expresses gratitude to the respective leaders of the tribes which participated in the contest; but, above all, to God, who inspired both the patriotic disposition and the strength.
10 Speak--that is, join in this song of praise.
white asses--Those which are purely white are highly prized, and being costly, are possessed only by the wealthy and great.
Ye that sit in judgment--has been rendered, "ye that repose on tapestries."
11 The wells which are at a little distance from towns in the East, are, in unsettled times, places of danger. But in peace they are scenes of pleasant and joyous resort. The poetess anticipates that this song may be sung, and the righteous acts of the Lord rehearsed at these now tranquil "places of drawing water." Deborah now rouses herself to describe, in terms suitable to the occasion, the preparation and the contest, and calls in a flight of poetic enthusiasm on Barak to parade his prisoners in triumphal procession. Then follows a eulogistic enumeration of the tribes which raised the commanded levy, or volunteered their services--the soldiers of Ephraim who dwelt near the mount of the Amalekites, the small quota of Benjamin; "the governors," valiant leaders "out of Machir," the western Manasseh; out of Zebulun.
15 Then comes a reproachful notice of the tribes which did not obey the summons to take the field against the common enemy of Israel. By the
divisions--that is, the watercourses which descend from the eastern hills unto the Jordan and Dead Sea.
For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart--They felt the patriotic impulse and determined, at first, to join the ranks of their western brethren, but resiled from the purpose, preferring their peaceful shepherd songs to the trumpet sound of war.
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan--that is, Both Gad and the eastern half to Manasseh chose to dwell at ease in their Havoth-jair, or "villages of tents," while Dan and Asher, both maritime tribes, continued with their ships and in their "breaches" ("havens"). The mention of these craven tribes (
Judg 5:18) is concluded with a fresh burst of commendation on Zebulun and Naphtali.
19 describes the scene of battle and the issue. It would seem (
Judg 5:19) that Jabin was reinforced by the troops of other Canaanite princes. The battlefield was near Taanach (now Ta'annuk), on a tell or mound in the level plain of Megiddo (now Leijun), on its southwestern extremity, by the left bank of the Kishon.
they took no gain of money--They obtained no plunder.
20 the stars in their courses fought--A fearful tempest burst upon them and threw them into disorder.
21 the river of Kishon swept them away--The enemy was defeated near "the waters of Megiddo"--the sources and side streams of the Kishon: they that fled had to cross the deep and marshy bed of the torrent, but the Lord had sent a heavy rain--the waters suddenly rose--the warriors fell into the quicksands, and sinking deep into them, were drowned or washed into the sea [VAN DE VELDE].
22 Then were the horse hoofs broken by the means of the prancings--Anciently, as in many parts of the East still, horses were not shod. The breaking of the hoofs denotes the hot haste and heavy irregular tramp of the routed foe.
23 Curse ye Meroz--a village on the confines of Issachar and Naphtali, which lay in the course of the fugitives, but the inhabitants declined to aid in their destruction.
24 is a most graphic picture of the treatment of Sisera in the tent of Jael.
25 butter--curdled milk; a favorite beverage in the East.
28 In these verses a sudden transition is made to the mother of the Canaanite general, and a striking picture is drawn of a mind agitated between hope and fear--impatient of delay, yet anticipating the news of victory and the rewards of rich booty.
the lattice--a lattice window, common to the houses in warm countries for the circulation of air.
29 her wise ladies--maids of honor.
30 to every man a damsel or two--Young maidens formed always a valued part of Oriental conquerors' war-spoils. But Sisera's mother wished other booty for him; namely, the gold-threaded, richly embroidered, and scarlet-colored cloaks which were held in such high esteem. The ode concludes with a wish in keeping with the pious and patriotic character of the prophetess.