JUDGES - CHAPTER 5: "The Song of Deborah"
VERSES 1-5
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves—
praise the Lord!
3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
4 “When you, Lord, went out from Seir,
when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
COMMENTARY
The story in chapter 4 showed which people were in the battle. It showed where it happened and it showed when it happened. Now this song in chapter 5 shows us how God was working in the battle. In this poetry, the writer tells a lot about the battle itself.
We read that the important people led the other people. And the other people were willing to follow them completely. The singers are singing a song to praise God. And they call the rulers in the area to hear it. They link the storm with the thunder and lightning. They also mention the movement of the earth at Sinai.
VERSES 6-11
6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 God chose new leaders
when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with Israel’s princes,
with the willing volunteers among the people.
Praise the Lord!
10 “You who ride on white donkeys,
sitting on your saddle blankets,
and you who walk along the road,
consider
11 the voice of the singers at the watering places.
They recite the victories of the Lord,
the victories of his villagers in Israel.
“Then the people of the Lord
went down to the city gates.
COMMENTARY
Even during the lives of Shamgar and Jael, the roads were too dangerous. People stopped using camels to carry things. They went on minor roads instead. They left villages to live safely in towns. These towns had walls. This continued until Deborah became ‘like a mother in Israel’. The people had chosen new gods. The result was war and weakness. Their enemies would not allow them to have anything to fight with. So they did not dare to show their weapons.
Deborah’s feelings were with the leaders. And they were with the people who were willing to follow. These included the rich people who rode on white mules. And they also included the poor people, who walked. The singers at the wells encouraged them. They reminded them about what God and His people had done in the past. The people gathered at the city’s gates to give thanks.
VERSES 12-18
12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.
COMMENTARY
The song contains a call to Deborah and Barak. Both Deborah and Barak decided to act together. They were not content with the situation any more. They read aloud a list of some tribes’ names. First were the tribes who came. Makir in verse 14 means Manasseh’s tribe. Not all the tribes came. They did not all obey. Some did not come. The singers refer to these in a bad way. They do not mention Judah’s tribe and Simeon’s tribe. These tribes lived a long way away and they probably fought the Philistines.
VERSES 19-23
19 “Kings came, they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
they took no plunder of silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord against the mighty.’
COMMENTARY
Nature’s powers, which fought for Israel’s people, defeated the army from Canaan. There was a very strong storm. And there was a sudden flood of water from the sky. This was what led to the success. It was not because of Israel’s 10,000 soldiers. The kings of Canaan did not get any possessions that people would normally take from the battle. Instead, they used their horses to escape. These were the horses that they would otherwise have used in the battle.
In the poem, we read ‘March on, my spirit! Be strong!’ This is the cry of success. The song refers in a bad way to Meroz. This was a town that belonged to the Israelites. It was in the area where Naphtali’s tribe lived. It was probably in the area where the battle happened. But its people did not help the Israelites. So the song refers to it in a bad way.
VERSES 24-27
24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.
COMMENTARY
Now the writer of the song blesses Jael. She destroyed someone who was evil. Sisera tried to find safety in Jael’s tent. He asked for water, but Jael gave him milk. While he lay on the floor, he fell asleep. With a hammer, Jael drove a tent peg into Sisera's skull, and he died.
Deborah's prophecy had come true. Barak wouldn't get the praise because Sisera was defeated by a woman.
VERSES 28-31
28 “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother;
behind the lattice she cried out,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments for my neck—
all this as plunder?’
31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength.”
Then the land had peace for forty years.
COMMENTARY
In the final section, the writer talks about Sisera’s mother. She is waiting for his return. She suggests reasons for his delay. Perhaps, he is organizing how they share the property. Perhaps, he is sharing the unhappy slave girls that the soldiers stole after the fight. Sisera will certainly return with clothes that his mother can wear. They will have beautiful colors and patterns. So Sisera’s mother is the mother in Canaan and Deborah is the mother in Israel. Notice the contrast between these. The last verse says, "Lord, I pray that all your enemies will die like this. But those who love God will succeed."
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