Daniel P. Barron

Judges 4

Sunday, March 28, 2021 

1 And sons of Israel again did the bad in eyes of Yehvah. And Ehud died. 2 And Yehvah sold them in hand of Jabin, i king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. And commander of his army was Sisera. ii And he dwelt in the Carving of the Nations. iii 3 And sons of Israel cried out to Yehvah, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he harshly oppressed sons of Israel twenty years.


4 And Bee, iv a woman prophetess, woman of Lapidoth, v she was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she was sitting under a palm tree of Bee, between the mountain and House of God in mountain of Ephraim. And sons of Israel went up to her for judgment. vi


6 And she sent and called for Barak, vii son of Abinoam, viii from Naphtali Kedesh. And she said to him, “Has not Yehvah, Gods of Israel, commanded, 'Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you 10,000 men from sons of Naphtali and from sons of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw to you to brook Kishon, ix Sisera, leader of Jabin's army, and his chariots and his multitude. And I will give him in your hand. 8 And Barak said to her, “If you go with me, so I will go. And if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, it will not be your glory upon the way which you go, for in a hand of a woman Yehvah shall sell Sisera.” And Bee arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.


10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and went up, 10,000 men at his feet. x And Bee went up with him. 11 And Heber the Cainite was separated from Cain from sons of Hobab father-in-law of Moses, and he pitched his tent as far as a terebinth tree in Zaanaim xi which is near Kedesh. 12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak, son of Abinoam, went up mount Tabor. 13 And Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him from Carving of the Nations to brook Kishon.


14 And Bee said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that Yehvah gives Sisera in your hand. Has not Yehvah gone out before you?” And Barak went down from mount Tabor and 10,000 men after him. 15 And Yehvah confounded xii Sisera and all the chariots and all the camp with mouth of a sword before Barak. And Sisera came down from upon the chariot and fled on his feet. 16 And Barak pursued after the chariots and after the camp unto Carving of the Nations. And every camp of Sisera fell to mouth of a sword. Not one remained. 17 And Sisera fled on his feet to tent of Jael, xiii woman of Heber the Cainite, for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and house of Heber the Cainite.


18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera. And she said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me. Don't be afraid.” And he turned aside to her to the tent, and she covered him in the blanket. xiv 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” And she opened the skin of the milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and it shall be, if a man comes and asks you and he says, 'Is there a man here?' so you shall say, 'There is not.'” 21 And Jael, woman of Heber, took the tent peg and put the hammer in her hand and secretly came to him and drove the peg in his temple. And it went down into the earth. And he was sound asleep and exhausted, and he died.


22 And behold, Barak was pursuing Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. And she said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man who you are seeking.” And he went in to her, and behold, Sisera was fallen dead and the peg was in his temple. 23 So, Gods, he subdued on that day Jabin, king of Canaan, before sons of Israel. 24 And hand of sons of Israel grew strong upon Jabin, king of Canaan, until they cut off Jabin, king of Canaan.


Judges 3 - Judges 5


Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.

  1. Same name of a king in Joshua 11:1 who also reigned in Hazor. For his demise, see Joshua 11:10-11. ^
  2. א א מֵרן גּיס סיי) siysrâ') “Sisera” - found also in Judges 4:7, 9, 12-18, 22; 5:20, 26, 28, 30; 1 Samuel 12:9; Psalm 83:9. There is also “sons of Sisera” in Ezra 2:53 and Nehemiah 7:55. ^
  3. ם ר( ה ת רששת נָח) charoshet haggoyim) “Carving of the Nations” - YLT “Harosheth of the Goyim”; NKJV “Harosheth Hagoyim”; KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles”; HCSB, Green “Harosheth of the Nations” - found also in Judges 4:13, 16. “Gentiles” = “Nations” and “Harosheth” = “the Carving.” This same Hebrew word, ת רששת נָח) chorshet), is used for “cutting” and “carving” (NKJV, NAS) in Exodus 31:5; 35:33.  ^
  4. ה מֵבורן גּד) devorâh) “Bee” - “Deborah” NKJV, etc. - see footnote for Genesis 35:8. ^
  5. ידות פי ר( ל) lappiydot) “Lappidoth” NAS; “Lapidoth” NKJV, KJV – only here, Bee's husband. ^
  6. This was a shame, that a woman was ruling over them. See Isaiah 3:12; 1 Timothy 2:12-14. ^
  7. ק מֵרן מֵבן) bârâq) “Barak” NKJV, etc. - found also in Judges 4:8-10, 12, 14-16, 22; 5:1, 12, 15. Barak is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:32 in the list of men of faith. ^
  8. ם ר( ינשע בי נָא') aviyno`am) “Abinoam” NKJV, etc. - means “my father is pleasant”- י בי נָא') aviy) is “my father” and ם ר( נשע (no`am) is “pleasant” (e.g. Proverbs 3:17; 15:26; 16:24 NAS). ^
  9. קיישון) qiyshon) “Kishon” NKJV, etc. - found also in Judges 4:13; 5:21; 1 Kings 18:40; Psalm 83:9. ^
  10. יו מֵלן גּג ר( ר גּב) beraglâyv) more literally, “at his feet” KJV - “under his command” NKJV; “with him” NAS ^
  11. ם ר( ע גּצ) tse`anniym) “Zaanaim” NKJV, KJV; “Zaanannim” NAS – see footnote for Joshua 19:33. ^
  12. ם מֵמהןֵין) yâhâm) “confounded” - NKJV, NAS “routed”; KJV “discomfited” (“to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment” MW, “archaic : to defeat in battle”); “confused” CEV, ERV, EXB, ICB, WEB; “threw . . . into confusion” EHV, GNT, HCSB, LEB, TLV; “threw . . . into a panic” CSB, CEB, CJB, GW, ISV, TLB, NOG, NABRE, NLT, NRSV. ^
  13. ל ןא מעֵין) yâ`êl) “Jael” = mountain goat or wild goat, found only in the plural (1 Samuel 24:2[H3]; Job 39:1; Psalm 104:18) – this name also found in Judges 4:18, 21-22; 5:6, 24. ^
  14. ה י מֵיכן מי גּש) semiykhâh) “blanket” NKJV - “rug” NAS; “mantle” KJV – only found here. ^

2 Responses

  1. And sons of Israel cried out to Yehvah, and Yehvah raised up for them a savior, Ehud, xi son of Gera, the Benjamite, xii a man, his right hand bound. xiii And sons of Israel sent in his hand a gift to Eglon, king of Moab. -- אוההוד') êhud) “Ehud” - found also in Judges 3:16, 20-21, 23, 26; 4:1; 1 Chronicles 7:10 (son of Bilhan). There is also “Ehud” (NKJV) in 1 Chronicles 8:6, but that is a different name spelled slightly different וד חו אוה') êchud) "Echud."

  2. And the man knew Eve his woman and she conceived and bore Cain and said, “I have acquired a man from Yehvah.” -- “Cain” - ÷yIq' (qayin) - This name for this man is found in Genesis 4; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12; and Jude 11 (Greek, kain, Kain). There is also “Kain” NKJV (same Hebrew name) in Numbers 24:22; Joshua 15:57 (a city); Judges 4:11 (used in reference to “Kenites” NKJV, a “Kenite” י יני ל ק] qêyniy] is mentioned in this verse). This word is used for “spear” in 2 Samuel 21:16 ינו ל ק) qêyno) “his spear.”

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