THE BOOK OF
JUDGES

Judges 4

1Israel is oppressed by Jabin and Sisera. 4Deborah stirreth up Barak to their deliverance. 10Deborah and Barak go up with an army to mount Tabor. Sisera is defeated. 17He fleeth to the tent of Jael, who killeth him. 23Jabin is totally subdued.


1AND the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.

2And the LORD 1sold them into the hand of 2Jabin king of 3Canaan, that reigned in 4Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera,a5which dwelt in 6Harosheth of the Gentiles.

1 See Judges 2 on verse 14.

2 See of another Jabin, Joshua 11:1.

3 Hereby is sometimes in general understood all the heathen nations which dwelt in Canaan; sometimes, as here, a particular nation amongst them all, which dwelt on the north-borders of Canaan.

4 See Joshua 11:10, 11; 19:36; Jer. 49:28.

a 1 Sam. 12:9.

5 Namely, Sisera, or, (as some) Jabin.

6 A city situated at the waters of Merom, of which see Joshua 11:5, 7. It may be that several, remaining heathen nations pitched their habitations here, to be secured under Jabin and Sisera’s power against Israel. Hebr. Charoscheth.

3And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

4¶And Deborah, a 7prophetess, the wife of 8Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

7 Hebr. a woman a prophetess; also Judges 6:8 a man a prophet.

8 A man’s name, whereof Holy Scripture nowhere else makes mention. Some take Lapidoth for the name of Deborah’s birthplace.

5And she dwelt under the 9palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her 10for judgment.

9 Also named after Deborah.

10 To inquire of her (being a prophetess) the will of the Lord, in things, wherein they knew not how to find out the issue by themselves; or by the ordinary ways of instruction or judicature.

6And she sent and called Barakb the son of Abinoam out of 11Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, 12Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and 13draw toward mount 14Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

b Heb. 11:32.

11 A city in the tribe of Naphtali, Joshua 19:32, 37. Appointed for a city of refuge, Joshua 20:7. Also given to the Levites, Joshua 21:32. See also 2 Kings 15:29. It was positioned upon a hill between the waters of Merom, and the lake of Gennesaret. There was another Kedesh in the tribe of Issachar, 1 Chron. 6:72.

12 As if she had said, Truly, or certainly He hath commanded thee. Such kind of queries strongly confirm that which is spoken by way of question. Also verse 14 and Judges 6:14, etc.

13 Understand, draw unto thee, that is, assemble unto thee, bring together, cause to come unto thee; using for that purpose the reasons and arguments, wherewith I have made thee acquainted, and the help of the rulers among the tribes. Compare Judges 5 on verse 14. As on the contrary, the Lord says in the following verse, I will draw Sisera unto thee.

14 Situated in the tribe of Zebulon, toward the west, by the brook Kison. See 1 Sam. 10:3; Psalm 89:12; Jer. 46:18; Hosea 5:1.

7And I will 15draw unto thee to the river Kishonc Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.

15 That is, I will, by My Divine power and ordering, cause him to meet thee there. The brook or river of Kishon ran out of the lake of Gennesaret, toward the west by Mount Carmel into the Mediterranean Sea, being as a partition between Issachar and Zebulon.

c Psalm 83:9.

8And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

9And she said, I 16will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the 17journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall 18sell Sisera into the hand of a 19woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

16 Hebr. going go, or marching march.

17 Or, in this expedition which thou makest. Other, because of the way which thou goest; that is, because thou art so weak in confidence, that thou without me wilt not follow the command of the Lord, therefore a woman shall go away with the honor thereof.

18 That is, deliver him up. See Judges 2 on verse 14.

19 This may be meant of Jael, or also of Debora herself.

10¶And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 20and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

20 Other, caused ten thousand men to march up beside him. Hebr. together with, beside, or at his feet; that is, which followed him, and trod after his footsteps. See Exod. 11:8; 1 Kings 20:10.

11Now 21Heber the 22Kenite, which was of the children ofd23Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the 24Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

21 The husband of Jael, of whom verse 17, etc. Hebr. Cheber.

22 See Num. 24:21, 22; Judges 1:16 and the annotation there.

d Num. 10:29.

23 See Num. 10:29. Otherwise called: Jethro.

24 Or, had separated himself from Cain. That is, from the Kenites, who had their dwelling place in the wilderness of Judah. See Judges 1:16.

12And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

13And Sisera 25gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

25 That is, he caused them by a proclamation to come together, or, he summoned them.

14And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: 26is not the LORD gone out 27before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

26 See of this kind of questions on verse 6.

27 As the supreme General of the army, to fight for thee, and to appoint the victory on thy side. See Judges 5:20; 2 Sam. 5:24.

15Ande the LORD 28discomfitedf Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the 29edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

e Psalm 83:9.

28 See Judges 5:20.

f defeated, confused, routed*

29 Hebr. by, or at the mouth of the sword. Also in the following verse. Other, affrighted, etc., before the etc., whereof the sense would be, that God terrified and dismayed them in a special manner that they might fall by the sword of the Israelites without resistance.

16But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and 30there was not a man left.

30 That is, so that there remained not so much as one; or, there was not one left. Compare Psalm 14:3; 53:3; Rom. 3:12, etc.

17Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

18¶And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a 31mantle.g

31 Or, course, rough covering spread upon him.

g sleeveless cloak or cape*

19Andh he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

h Judges 5:25.

20Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, 32No.

32 Or, No one.

2133Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail 34of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and 35fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

33 This act of Jael is highly commended by the Spirit of the Lord in the following (Judges 5:23, etc.) as being done out of a special zeal infused by God, and at His command published by Debora and Barak.

34 Which they used in spreading and fastening their tents, being of such a length, that it could pierce through Sisera’s head to the ground; and so also was the hammer proportioned. See Judges 5:26.

35 Or, forced itself in, namely, the nail; or, she fastened it in the ground.

22And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.

23So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

24And the hand of the children of Israel 36prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

36 Hebr. went going, that is, their might still increased, so that they overpowered Jabin.