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Deborah Summons Barak

The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight[a] after Ehud’s death. The Lord turned them over to[b] King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor.[c] The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.[d] The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera[e] had 900 chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,[f] and he cruelly[g] oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.

Now Deborah, a prophetess,[h] wife of Lappidoth, was[i] leading[j] Israel at that time. She would sit[k] under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled.[l]

She summoned[m] Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun. I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army.[n] I will hand him over to you.” Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame[o] on the expedition you are undertaking,[p] for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.”[q] Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and 10,000 men followed him;[r] Deborah went up with him as well. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away[s] from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived[t] near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When Sisera heard[u] that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he[v] ordered[w] all his chariotry—900 chariots with iron-rimmed wheels—and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. 14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action,[x] for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you![y] Has the Lord not taken the lead?”[z] So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 The Lord routed[aa] Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword.[ab] Sisera jumped out of[ac] his chariot and ran away on foot. 16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died[ad] by the edge of the sword; not even one survived![ae]

17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty.[af] 18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest,[ag] my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera[ah] stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other.[ai] She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground[aj] while he was asleep from exhaustion,[ak] and he died. 22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent,[al] and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead[am] with the tent peg through his temple.

23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm[an] King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with[ao] him.[ap]

Celebrating the Victory in Song

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song:[aq]

“When the leaders took the lead[ar] in Israel,
When the people answered the call to war—
Praise the Lord!
Hear, O kings!
Pay attention, O rulers!
I will sing to the Lord![as]
I will sing[at] to the Lord God of Israel!
O Lord, when you departed[au] from Seir,

when you marched from Edom’s plains,
the earth shook, the heavens poured down,
the clouds poured down rain.[av]
The mountains trembled[aw] before the Lord, the God of Sinai;[ax]
before the Lord God of Israel.
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael caravans[ay] disappeared;[az]
travelers[ba] had to go on winding side roads.
Warriors[bb] were scarce;[bc]
they were scarce in Israel,
until you[bd] arose, Deborah,
until you arose as a motherly protector[be] in Israel.
God chose new leaders,[bf]
then fighters appeared in the city gates;[bg]
but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found[bh]
among forty military units[bi] in Israel.
My heart went out[bj] to Israel’s leaders,
to the people who answered the call to war.
Praise the Lord!
10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets,[bk]
you who walk on the road, pay attention!
11 Hear[bl] the sound of those who divide the sheep[bm] among the watering places;
there they tell of[bn] the Lord’s victorious deeds,
the victorious deeds of his warriors[bo] in Israel.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates—
12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!
Get up, Barak!
Capture your prisoners of war,[bp] son of Abinoam!
13 Then the survivors[bq] came down[br] to the mighty ones;[bs]
the Lord’s people came down to me[bt] as[bu] warriors.
14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek;[bv]
they follow[bw] after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.
From Makir leaders came down,
from Zebulun came[bx] the ones who march carrying[by] an officer’s staff.
15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah;
the men of Issachar[bz] supported[ca] Barak;
into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command.[cb]
Among the clans of Reuben there was intense[cc] heart searching.[cd]
16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds,[ce]
listening to the shepherds playing their pipes[cf] for their flocks?[cg]
As for the clans of Reuben—there was intense searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed put[ch] beyond the Jordan River.
As for Dan—why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards?[ci]
Asher remained[cj] on the seacoast;
he stayed[ck] by his harbors.[cl]
18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives;[cm]
Naphtali charged onto the battlefields.[cn]
19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but[co] they took no silver as plunder.
20 From the sky[cp] the stars[cq] fought,
from their paths in the heavens[cr] they fought against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River carried them off;
the river confronted them[cs]—the Kishon River.
Step on the necks of the strong![ct]
22 The horses’[cu] hooves pounded the ground;[cv]

the stallions galloped madly.[cw]
23 ‘Call judgment down on[cx] Meroz,’ says the angel of the Lord;
‘Be sure[cy] to call judgment down on[cz] those who live there,
because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle,[da]
to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’[db]
24 The most rewarded[dc] of women should be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite!
She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water,
and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for a king,[dd]
she served him curds.
26 Her left[de] hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
She “hammered”[df] Sisera,
she shattered his skull,[dg]
she smashed his head,[dh]
she drove the tent peg through his temple.[di]
27 Between her feet he collapsed,
he fell limp and was lifeless;[dj]
between her feet he collapsed and fell,
in the spot where he collapsed,
there he fell—violently killed![dk]
28 Through the window she looked;

Sisera’s mother cried out through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so slow to return?
Why are the hoofbeats of his chariot horses[dl] delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies[dm] answer;
indeed she even thinks to herself,
30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder[dn]
a girl or two for each man to rape![do]
Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth,[dp]
he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth,[dq]
two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,
for the neck of the plunderer!’[dr]
31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!

But may those who love you shine
like the rising sun at its brightest.”[ds]

And the land had rest for forty years.

Oppression and Confrontation

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight,[dt] so the Lord turned them over to[du] Midian for seven years. The Midianites[dv] overwhelmed Israel.[dw] Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters[dx] for themselves in the hills, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops,[dy] the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them.[dz] They invaded the land[ea] and devoured[eb] its crops[ec] all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat,[ed] and they took away[ee] the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. When they invaded[ef] with their cattle and tents, they were as thick[eg] as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted.[eh] They came to devour[ei] the land. Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, the Lord sent a prophet[ej] to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘I brought you up from Egypt[ek] and took you out of that place of slavery.[el] I rescued you from Egypt’s power[em] and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship[en] the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living.” But you have disobeyed me.’”[eo]

Gideon Meets Some Visitors

11 The angel of the Lord[ep] came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon[eq] was threshing[er] wheat in a winepress[es] so he could hide it from the Midianites.[et] 12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me,[eu] but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster[ev] overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said,[ew] ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself[ex] turned to him and said, “You have the strength.[ey] Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites![ez] Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon[fa] said to him, “But Lord,[fb] how[fc] can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”[fd] 16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but[fe] I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”[ff] 17 Gideon[fg] said to him, “If you really are pleased with me,[fh] then give me[fi] a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back[fj] with a gift[fk] and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat,[fl] along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food[fm] to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s angel said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,[fn] and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.[fo] 21 The angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.[fp] Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The angel of the Lord then disappeared.[fq]

22 When Gideon realized[fr] that it was the angel of the Lord, he[fs] said, “Oh no![ft] Sovereign Lord![fu] I have seen the angel of the Lord face-to-face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe![fv] Do not be afraid. You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”[fw] To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon Destroys the Altar

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.[fx] Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.[fy] Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants[fz] and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family[ga] and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.[gb]

28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw[gc] the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,[gd] “Who did this?”[ge] They investigated the matter thoroughly[gf] and concluded[gg] that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him![gh] He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,[gi] “Must you fight Baal’s battles?[gj] Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause[gk] will die by morning![gl] If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles![gm] After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”[gn] 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub Baal,[go] because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east[gp] assembled. They crossed the Jordan River[gq] and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s Spirit took control of[gr] Gideon. He blew a trumpet,[gs] summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.[gt] 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well.[gu] He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel,[gv] as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.[gw] 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it[gx] is dry, then I will be sure[gy] that you will use me to deliver Israel,[gz] as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked.[ha] When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.[hb] 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign.[hc] Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”[hd] 40 That night God did as he asked.[he] Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 4:1 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
  2. Judges 4:2 tn Heb “the Lord sold them into the hands of.”
  3. Judges 4:2 tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”
  4. Judges 4:2 tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.” “Haroshet” may mean “Forest [area]” or be a reference to some sort of carving.
  5. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. Judges 4:3 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
  7. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “with strength.”
  8. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “ a woman, a prophetess.” In Hebrew idiom the generic “woman” sometimes precedes the more specific designation. See GKC 437-38 §135.b.
  9. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “she was.” The pronoun refers back to the nominative absolute “Deborah.” Hebrew style sometimes employs such resumptive pronouns when lengthy qualifiers separate the subject from the verb.
  10. Judges 4:4 tn Or “judging.”
  11. Judges 4:5 tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”
  12. Judges 4:5 tn Heb “for judgment.”
  13. Judges 4:6 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  14. Judges 4:7 tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”
  15. Judges 4:9 tn Or “honor.”
  16. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
  17. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the Lord will sell Sisera.”
  18. Judges 4:10 tn Heb “went up at his feet.”
  19. Judges 4:11 tn Or “separated.”
  20. Judges 4:11 tn Heb “pitched his tent.”
  21. Judges 4:12 tn Heb “and they told Sisera.”
  22. Judges 4:13 tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  23. Judges 4:13 tn Or “summoned.”
  24. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Arise!”
  25. Judges 4:14 tn The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”
  26. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Has the Lord not gone out before you?”
  27. Judges 4:15 tn Or “caused to panic.”
  28. Judges 4:15 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  29. Judges 4:15 tn Heb “got down from.”
  30. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “fell.”
  31. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “was left.”
  32. Judges 4:17 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
  33. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
  34. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
  36. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
  37. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
  38. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “he went to her.”
  39. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “fallen, dead.”
  40. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
  41. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “cut off.”
  42. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  43. Judges 5:1 tn The words “this victory song” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  44. Judges 5:2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת (bifroaʿ peraʿot) is uncertain. Numerous proposals are offered by commentators. (For a survey of opinions, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 223-27.) The next line refers to the people who responded to Barak’s summons to war, so a reference to the leaders who issued the summons would provide a natural poetic parallel. In v. 9 the leaders (חוֹקְקֵי, khoqeqe) of the people and these same volunteers stand in poetic parallelism, so it is reasonable to assume that the difficult Hebrew term פְּרַעוֹת (peraʿot, v. 2a) is synonymous with חוֹקְקֵי (khoqeqe) of v. 9 (see Lindars, 227).
  45. Judges 5:3 tn Heb “I, to the Lord, I, I will sing!” The first singular personal pronoun is used twice, even though a first person finite verbal form is employed.
  46. Judges 5:3 tn Or “make music.”
  47. Judges 5:4 tn Or “went out.”
  48. Judges 5:4 tn Heb “water.”
  49. Judges 5:5 tn Or “quaked.” The translation assumes the form נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) from the root זָלַל (zalal, “to quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). The LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum also understood the word this way. (See Isa 63:19 and 64:2 for other occurrences of this form.) Some understand here the verb נָזַל (nazal, “to flow [with torrents of rain water]”).
  50. Judges 5:5 tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the Lord rules from Sinai.
  51. Judges 5:6 tc The translation assumes the form אֳרְחוֹת (ʾorekhot, “caravans”) rather than אֳרָחוֹת (ʾorakhot, “roadways”) because it makes a tighter parallel with “travelers” in the next line.
  52. Judges 5:6 tn Or “ceased.”
  53. Judges 5:6 tn Heb “Ones walking on paths.”
  54. Judges 5:7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew noun פְרָזוֹן (ferazon) is uncertain. Some understand the meaning as “leaders” or “those living in rural areas.” The singular noun appears to be collective (note the accompanying plural verb). For various options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 237-38.
  55. Judges 5:7 tn Or “ceased.”
  56. Judges 5:7 tn The translation assumes that the verb is an archaic second feminine singular form. Though Deborah is named as one of the composers of the song (v. 1), she is also addressed within it (v. 12). Many take the verb as first person singular, “I arose” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV).
  57. Judges 5:7 tn Heb “mother.” The translation assumes that the image portrays Deborah as a protector of the people. It is possible that the metaphor points to her prophetic role. Just as a male prophet could be called “father,” so Deborah, a prophetess, is called “mother” (B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239).
  58. Judges 5:8 tn Or “warriors.” The Hebrew text reads literally, “He chose God/gods new.” Some take “Israel” as the subject of the verb, “gods” as object, and “new” as an adjective modifying “gods.” This yields the translation, “(Israel) chose new gods.” In this case idolatry is the cause of the trouble alluded to in the context. The present translation takes “God” as subject of the verb and “new” as substantival, referring to the new leaders raised up by God (see v. 9a). For a survey of opinions and a defense of the present translation, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40.
  59. Judges 5:8 tn The translation of this difficult line is speculative because the second word, לָחֶם (lakhem), appears only here. The line in the Hebrew text literally reads, “Then [?] gates.” Interpretations and emendations of the Hebrew text abound (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40). The translation assumes a repointing of the form as a Qal participle לֹחֵם (lokhem) from the verbal root לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) and understands a substantival use (“fighter”). “Fighter” is a collective reference to the military leaders or warriors mentioned in the preceding line and in v. 9. (For other occurrences of the Qal of לָחַם, see Pss 35:1; 56:2-3.)
  60. Judges 5:8 tn Heb “A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim) introduces an oath of denial (see GKC 472 §149.e).
  61. Judges 5:8 tn Traditionally “forty thousand,” but this may be an instance where Hebrew term אֶלֶף (ʾelef) refers to a military unit. This is the view assumed by the translation (“forty military units”).
  62. Judges 5:9 tn The words “went out” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  63. Judges 5:10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.
  64. Judges 5:11 tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  65. Judges 5:11 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.
  66. Judges 5:11 tn Or perhaps “repeat.”
  67. Judges 5:11 tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.
  68. Judges 5:12 tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)
  69. Judges 5:13 tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).
  70. Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.
  71. Judges 5:13 sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.
  72. Judges 5:13 sn The speaker may be Deborah here.
  73. Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.
  74. Judges 5:14 tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (ʿamaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).
  75. Judges 5:14 tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  76. Judges 5:14 tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  77. Judges 5:14 tn Or possibly “who carry.”
  78. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  79. Judges 5:15 tn Or “were true to.”
  80. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “at his feet.”
  81. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “great was.”
  82. Judges 5:15 tc The great majority of Hebrew mss have “resolves of heart,” but a few mss read “searchings of heart,” which is preferable in light of v. 16.
  83. Judges 5:16 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishpetayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”
  84. Judges 5:16 tn Or “whistling.”
  85. Judges 5:16 tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”
  86. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”sn Apparently the people of Gilead remained on the other side of the river and did not participate in the battle.
  87. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “Dan, why did he live as a resident alien, ships.” The verb גּוּר (gur) usually refers to taking up residence outside one’s native land. Perhaps the Danites, rather than rallying to Barak, were content to move to the Mediterranean coast and work in the shipyards. For further discussion, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 262.
  88. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived.”
  89. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”
  90. Judges 5:17 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.”
  91. Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Zebulun was a people which despised its life even unto death.”
  92. Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Naphtali was on the heights of the field.”
  93. Judges 5:19 tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive.
  94. Judges 5:20 tn Or “from heaven.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  95. Judges 5:20 tn The MT takes “the stars” with what follows rather than with the first colon of v. 20. But for metrical reasons it seems better to move the atnakh (colon divider) and read the colon as indicated in the translation.
  96. Judges 5:20 tn The words “in the heavens” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  97. Judges 5:21 tn Possibly “the ancient river,” but it seems preferable in light of the parallel line (which has a verb) to emend the word (attested only here) to a verb (קָדַם, qadam) with pronominal object suffix.
  98. Judges 5:21 tn This line is traditionally taken as the poet-warrior’s self-exhortation, “March on, my soul, in strength!” The present translation (a) takes the verb (a second feminine singular form) as addressed to Deborah (cf. v. 12), (b) understands נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in its well-attested sense of “throat; neck” (cf. Jonah 2:6), (c) takes the final yod (י) on נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) as an archaic construct indicator (rather than a suffix), and (d) interprets עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) as an attributive genitive (literally, “necks of strength,” i.e., “strong necks”). For fuller discussion and various proposals, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 270-71.
  99. Judges 5:22 tc The MT as it stands has a singular noun, but if one moves the prefixed mem (מ) from the beginning of the next word to the end of סוּס (sus), the expected plural form is achieved. Another possibility is to understand an error of scribal haplography here, in which case the letter mem should appear in both places.
  100. Judges 5:22 tn The words “the ground” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  101. Judges 5:22 tn Heb “galloped, galloped.” The repetition is for emphasis and is more appropriately indicated in English with an adverb.
  102. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”
  103. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.
  104. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “[to] curse.”
  105. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”
  106. Judges 5:23 tn Or “along with the other warriors.”
  107. Judges 5:24 tn Or “blessed.”
  108. Judges 5:25 tn Or “for mighty ones.”
  109. Judges 5:26 tn The adjective “left” is interpretive, based on the context. Note that the next line pictures Jael holding the hammer with her right hand.
  110. Judges 5:26 tn The verb used here is from the same root as the noun “hammer” in the preceding line.
  111. Judges 5:26 tn Or “head.”
  112. Judges 5:26 tn The phrase “his head” (an implied direct object) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  113. Judges 5:26 tn Heb “she pierced his temple.”
  114. Judges 5:27 tn Heb “and he lay.
  115. Judges 5:27 tn Or “dead.”
  116. Judges 5:28 tn Heb “chariots.”
  117. Judges 5:29 tn Or “princesses.”
  118. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”
  119. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “a womb or two for each man.” The words “to rape” are interpretive. The Hebrew noun translated “girl” means literally “womb” (BDB 933 s.v. I. רַחַם), but in this context may refer by extension to the female genitalia. In this case the obscene language of Sisera’s mother alludes to the sexual brutality which typified the aftermath of battle.
  120. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”
  121. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”
  122. Judges 5:30 tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”
  123. Judges 5:31 tn Heb “But may those who love him be like the going forth of the sun in its strength.”
  124. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  125. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
  126. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
  127. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”
  128. Judges 6:2 tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
  129. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”
  130. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (veʿalu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ʿalayv).
  131. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They encamped against them.”
  132. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “destroyed.”
  133. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “the crops of the land.”
  134. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.”
  135. Judges 6:4 tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  136. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “came up.”
  137. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “numerous.”
  138. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.”
  139. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
  140. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.
  141. Judges 6:8 tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (meʾerets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]).
  142. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
  143. Judges 6:9 tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).
  144. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
  145. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
  146. Judges 6:11 sn The angel of the Lord is also mentioned in Judg 2:1.
  147. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Now Gideon his son….” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing.
  148. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “beating out.”
  149. Judges 6:11 sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63.
  150. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Midian.”
  151. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “But my lord.”
  152. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “all this.”
  153. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “saying.”
  154. Judges 6:14 tc The LXX reads “the angel of the Lord” here and in v. 16. The translation follows the MT and adds “himself” to draw attention to the change. sn Some interpreters equate the Lord and the messenger in this story. Since the messenger represents the Lord, perhaps when the Lord is mentioned in vv. 14 and 16 it means so indirectly, while Gideon’s direct encounter is with the angel. Indicators that the Lord and the angel of the Lord are distinct include: 1) the Hebrew text says only “Lord” in vv. 14 and 16; 2) in verse 16 the speaker in the Hebrew text says “I will be with you” referring to the Lord (but see the note at v. 16); 3) Gideon addresses the angel as ‎אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) but the Lord as אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “my Lord”); 4) in vv. 22-23 the Lord and Gideon continue to carry on a conversation after the messenger has vanished (v. 21). On the other hand, if the Lord was present, appearing visibly in human form (called a theophany), as implied by “turning” [his head] to Gideon, why would Gideon not be more fearful at the end of the story for having seen God rather than his angel? The story could be pictured as an exchange with the angel followed by calling out to the Lord in prayer. The translation assumes that the angel and the Lord are distinct in the conversation, but the matter is difficult.
  155. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.”
  156. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
  157. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  158. Judges 6:15 tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) in v. 13.
  159. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “with what.”
  160. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “in my father’s house.”
  161. Judges 6:16 tn Or “certainly.”
  162. Judges 6:16 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
  163. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  164. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
  165. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “perform for me.”
  166. Judges 6:18 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  167. Judges 6:18 tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.
  168. Judges 6:19 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
  169. Judges 6:19 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  170. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
  171. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “and he did so.”
  172. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
  173. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
  174. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “saw.”
  175. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  176. Judges 6:22 tn Or “Ah!”
  177. Judges 6:22 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (ʾadonay yehvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).
  178. Judges 6:23 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
  179. Judges 6:24 tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.”
  180. Judges 6:25 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
  181. Judges 6:26 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
  182. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
  183. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “house.”
  184. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
  185. Judges 6:28 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
  186. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
  187. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “this thing.”
  188. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
  189. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
  190. Judges 6:30 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
  191. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
  192. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
  193. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fights for him.”
  194. Judges 6:31 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
  195. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
  196. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
  197. Judges 6:32 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal defend himself.”
  198. Judges 6:33 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”
  199. Judges 6:33 tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  200. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “clothed.”
  201. Judges 6:34 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
  202. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
  203. Judges 6:35 tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.”
  204. Judges 6:36 tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.”
  205. Judges 6:36 tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  206. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “and on all the ground.”
  207. Judges 6:37 tn Or “know.”
  208. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.”
  209. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “And it was so.”
  210. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece—a bowl full of water.”
  211. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”
  212. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”
  213. Judges 6:40 tn Heb “God did so that night.”