Daniel P. Barron

1 And Bee and Barak, son of Abinoam, sang on that day, saying,

2 When leaders in Israel led, when people volunteered, bless Yehvah. 3 Listen kings. Give ear rulers. I to Yehvah, I will sing. I will make music to Yehvah, Gods of Israel. 4 Yehvah, in your going out from Seir, in your marching from field of Edom, earth quaked, also heavens dripped, also clouds dripped water. 5 Mountains flowed before Yehvah, this Sinai before Yehvah, Gods of Israel. 6 In days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in days of Jael, paths ceased, walkers of pathways walked crooked ⁱ paths. 7 Villages ⁱⁱ ceased in Israel. They ceased until which I arose, Bee, which I arose mother in Israel. 8 He chose ⁱⁱⁱ new gods, ^iv then, war at gates. Was there a shield seen or a spear ^v in 40,000 in Israel? ^vi 9 My heart is to commanders ^vii of Israel, the volunteers in the people. Bless Yehvah.

10 Riders of tawny ^viii female donkeys, ^ix sitting upon garments, and walkers upon the road, talk! ^x 11 From a noise of dividers ^xi between watering places, there they recount righteousnesses of Yehvah, righteousnesses of his villages in Israel. Then, people of Yehvah shall go down to the gates. 12 Awake, awake, Bee, awake, awake, speak a song. Arise, Barak, and take captive your captive, son of Abinoam. 13 Then, a survivor ^xii came down ^xiii to majestic ones, ^xiv people of Yehvah came down to me among the mighty ones. 14 From Ephraim was their root in the Amalek, after you, Benjamin, in your people. From Machir ^xv commanders came down, and from Zebulun those who grab a recruiter's staff. 15 And officers in Issachar were with Bee, and Issachar, so Barak, sent in the valley under his feet. In divisions of Reuben, great statutes of heart. ^xvi 16 Why did you sit between the two sheepfolds ^xvii to hear hissings ^xviii of flocks? Divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead dwelt beyond the Jordan, and why did Dan sojourn in ships? Asher dwelt by the seashore, and by his landings ^xix he dwelt. 18 Zebulun people, he reproached ^xx his soul to death, and Naphtali upon heights of a field. 19 Kings came, fought, then kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by waters of Megiddo. Profit ^xxi of silver they took not. 20 From heavens they fought. The stars ^xxii from their highways ^xxiii fought with Sisera. 21 Brook Kishon swept them away. Brook of old, brook Kishon, my soul, you trod ^xxiv strength.

22 Then, heels of a horse ^xxv struck from galloping, galloping of his mighty ones. ^xxvi 23 “Curse Meroz,” ^xxvii said messenger of Yehvah, “Curse, curse her inhabitants, because they did not come to the help of Yehvah, to the help of Yehvah against the strong ones.”

24 You are blessed above women, ^xxviii Jael, woman of Heber the Kenite. Above women in the tents, you are blessed. 25 He asked for water. She gave milk in a magnificent bowl. ^xxix She brought forth cream. ^xxx 26 Her hand stretched out ^xxxi to the peg, and her right to a workmen's hammer. And she struck Sisera. She smashed ^xxxii his head and split and pierced through his temple. 27 Between ^xxxiii her feet he bowed. He fell. He lay between her feet. He bowed. He fell. Where he bowed, there he fell destroyed. ^xxxiv

28 At the window she looked down, and mother of Sisera shrillingly cried out ^xxxv at the lattice, “Why does his chariot delay to come? Why do the steps of his chariots tarry?” 29 Her wise noble ladies answer her. Indeed, she returns her words to herself. 30 “Have they not found, divided spoil, a womb, two wombs ^xxxvi to each man, ^xxxvii spoil of dyed things to Sisera, spoil of dyed things, embroidered, dyed, two embroidered for necks of spoil?”

31 Thus, let all your enemies perish, Yehvah. And those who love him, as the sun goes out in his strength.

And the land was quiet forty years.

Judges 4 - Judges 6

Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.

1. ות לו קל לק קל עק`) aqalqallot) “crooked” YLT, TLB, DARBY, TLV; “byways” NKJV, KJV (w/the word for ways/paths); “roundabout” NAS – found also only in Psalm 125:5 “crooked” NKJV, KJV, NAS, YLT, etc.. ^
2. ן רז פק) perâzon) “Villages” YLT; “Village life” NKJV, “peasantry” NAS; “rulers” ASV; “valiant men” DRA; “Rural populations”; “warriors” LEB – also only found in Judges 5:11 – exact meaning unknown. ^
3. חלרְי) yivchar) “He chose” (third person singular) - DRA “The Lord chose”; EHV “Israel chose”; “They chose” NKJV, KJV, etc.; New gods “were chosen” NAS ^
4. e plural, noun plural” - gods new) “chadâshiym elohiym ('אל להְב י ים חק דז שְבי ים ^
5. Other translations translate this as either a question, e.g. “was there a shield or spear seen . . . ?” KJV, BRG, etc., or in the negative, e.g. “Not a shield or spear was seen . . . .” NKJV, NAS, CSB, etc.. This is because of the uncommon use of ם בְא') im) “if” by itself in this sentence, indicating a rhetorical question (i.e. expecting the negative answer of “No”). ^
6. 1 Samuel 13:19-20 ^
7. י י קקי חוקק) choqqay) “commanders” NAS; “rulers” NKJV; “governors” KJV – root idea is “those who decree” e.g. Numbers 21:18; Deuteronomy 33:21. ^
8. תֹרר֜צקח) tsechorot) “tawny” (reddish-gray or yellowish-brown) BDB, RSV; “tan” EHV; “white” YLT, NKJV, KJV, NAS, etc.; “shining” WYC; “fair” DRA; “brown” GW, NOG; “light-colored” NET; “fine” NLT – only found here. Same root found only in Ezekiel 27:18 (similar confusion on translation). “White” is ן בז לז) lâbân) e.g. Genesis 30:35, 37; Exodus 16:31; Leviticus 13:3, etc.. ^
9. ת֜אקת') atonot) “female donkeys” (plural feminine noun) NET; “she-asses” DARBY; “donkeys” NKJV, NAS, etc.; “asses” KJV, YLT, etc.. ^
10. ו בוְש) siychu) “talk” - “talk about it” CJB, LEB; “meditate” YLT; “speak” NKJV, KJV; “sing” NAS – “talk about it” does capture the idea and use of this word in this context. Elsewhere, it is used likewise (1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 77:12[13] “talk” NKJV) or for meditating (Psalm 77:6[H7]; 119:15, 23 “meditate” NKJV) or complaining (Job 7:11; Psalm 77:3[4] “complained” NKJV). ^
11. ים ביְצ צק ו חל מק) mechatstsiym) “dividers” - “those who divide flocks” NAS; “divide flocks” EHV; “divide [the spoil]” DARBY; “archers” NKJV, KJV, etc.; “shouters” YLT; “singers [village musicians; or those who distribute the water; or those who divide the sheep]” EXB – verb also found in Job 21:21 (“cut in half”); Proverbs 30:27 (“ranks” i.e. divided sections). חיץ) chêts) is “arrow” (e.g. 2 Kings 13:17[2x]). ^
12. ד י בְר שז) sâriyd) “survivor” (singular) - NKJV, NAS “survivors”; KJV “him that remaineth” - same exact word for “survivor” (NAS) in e.g. Joshua 10:28, 30, 33, 37, 39-40; 11:8; etc. ^
13. יקרליד) yerad) “came down” - singular verb, same as later in the verse “came down” ^
14. ים י בְיר בְד אל') addiyriym) “majestic ones” - Green “noble ones”; NKJV, KJV, NAS “nobles” - see footnote for Exodus 15:10. ^
15. Machir was a son of Manasseh (Genesis 50:23) and here used as a location. See Joshua 17:1 describing the inheritance. ^
16. ב י־לי קי קק בְח) chiqqêy-lêv) “statutes of heart” - “decrees of heart” YLT; “resolves of heart” NKJV, NAS - “statutes” or “decrees of heart” is evidently a figure of speech for being determined in one's position or perspective. ^
17. םְי תלי פק שק בְמ ו הל) hammishpetaiym) “the two sheepfolds” (dual noun, thus “two”) - see footnote for Genesis 49:14. ^
18. תְשקר) sheriqot) “hissings” WYC; “pipings” NKJV; “piping” NAS; “bleatings” KJV – found also in 2 Chronicles 29:8 (“jeering”); Jeremiah 18:16 (“hissing”); 19:8 (“hissing”); 25:9, 18 (“hissing”); 29:18 (“hissing”); 51:37 (“hissing”); Micah 6:16 (“hissing”). ^
19. וְמ) miphrâtsâyv) “his landings” ESV, OJB, RSV; “its landings” NAS; “his inlets” NKJV – only here. ^
20. ף ף רי חי) chêrêph) “reproached” - NAS “despised”; NKJV “jeopardized”; KJV “jeoparded”; CEB, CJB, CEV, ERV, EHV, ESV, EXB, GW, GNT, ICB, MEV, NOG, NCV, NIV, NLT, OJB “risked” - basic idea of the word is to “reproach” as in 2 Kings 19:4, 16, 22-23. ^
21. ע צל ף בצ) betsa`) “profit” MEV; “gain” YLT, KJV, etc.; “plunder” NAS; “spoils” NKJV = unjust gain, see Genesis 37:26.  ^
22. ?Job 38:7; Isaiah 14:13; See also Daniel 10:2, 11-14, 20-11:1; 12:1; Ephesians 6:12. ^
23. ם לותזי בְס מק) mesillotâm) “their highways” YLT; “courses” NKJV, KJV, NAS, etc.. ^
24. י בףְכ רק דק בְת) tidrekiy) “you trod” imperfect 2nd person feminine (“brook” is masculine, “soul” is feminine), trod = past tense of tread – KJV, BRG, DARBY “thou hast trodden down” strength; YLT “thou dost tread down” strength; NKJV “march on” in strength; NAS “march on” with strength. NKJV & NAS translate the verb as an imperative. ^
25. וס י־סו בי קק בְע`) iqqevay-sus) “heels of a horse” - YLT “horse-heels”; KJV “horsehoofs”; NKJV “horses hooves” - 1st word is “heels” (e.g. Genesis 3:15; 25:26). Same term (“heels of a horse”) found in Genesis 49:17. Horses front heels can get struck by their back hooves and get hurt as a result. ^
26. יו ו ירז בְב אל') biyrâyv) “his mighty ones” - YLT “its mighty ones”; KJV “their mighty ones”; NIV, TLV “his mighty steeds”; NKJV “his steeds”; NAS “his valiant steeds” - same exact word found in context of horses in Jeremiah 8:16 (“His strong ones”); 47:3 (“his strong horses”). This is not a word particular to horses (e.g. 1 Samuel 21:8 “chief”; Job 34:20 “mighty”; Isaiah 10:13 “valiant man). ^
27. ז מי) mêroz) “Meroz” - only found here. ^
28. ם ביְנזש בְמ) minnâshiym) “above women” - more literally, “from women” i.e. set apart from other women. ^
29. “majestics of bowl, “literally more” - bowl magnificent) “addiyriym 'sêphel (סי ף פצ ל אל דְב ירְב י ים ^
30. חצמקאזוה) chem'âh) “cream” NKJV, CEB, etc.; “butter” KJV, YLT; “curds” NAS - “cream” fits context here. Translated “cream” also (NKJV) in Job 20:17; 29:6. ^
31. ה נז חק ללי שק בְת) tishlachnâh) “stretched out” - plural feminine verb for singular feminine noun, “hand.” Gesenius, “perhaps hN"x ,ñl'v.Ti is to be read.” ^
32. ה י קקז חק מז) mâchaqâh) “smashed” NAS, EHV, EXB, ICB, etc.; “pierced” NKJV; “smote off” KJV; “annihilate” BDB – only found here. ^
33. יין בי) bêyn) “between” YLT, NAS, etc.; “At” NKJV, KJV, etc. - more literally “between” ^
34. ד דו שז) shâdud) “destroyed” YLT, EHV; “dead” NKJV, KJV, NAS, etc. - not technically a term for death - found also e.g. in Job 12:6 “destroyers” NAS; 15:21 “destroyer” NKJV, NAS; Psalm 17:9 “oppress” NKJV, “despoil” NAS; 91:6 “destruction” NKJV, KJV, NAS, YLT; 137:8 “destroyed” NKJV, KJV, YLT, “devastated” NAS; Proverbs 11:3 “destroy” NKJV, KJV, NAS. ^
35. ב ילבי תק) teyabêv) “shrillingly cried out” - BDB “shrilly cried”; “lamented” NAS; “cried out” NKJV; “lamented shrilly” TLV – only found here. “Shrilly” = high pitched. ^
36. בםְי תלי מז חק רל ם חל רל) racham rahamâtayim) “a womb, two wombs” - EHV “A womb – no - two wombs”; ESV “A womb or two”; YLT “A female – two females”; NKJV “a girl or two” - this is the word for “womb” (e.g. Isaiah 46:3) and “womb” in dual, thus “two wombs.” ^
37. ר בצ גצ ראש ֜ר לק) lerosh gever) “to each man” - more literally, “to a head, a man” ^