Judges 5 (NET)

Celebrating the Victory in Song

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song:1

2 “When the leaders took the lead2 in Israel,

When the people answered the call to war –

Praise the Lord!

3 Hear, O kings!

Pay attention, O rulers!

I will sing to the Lord!3

I will sing4 to the Lord God of Israel!

4 O Lord, when you departed5 from Seir,

when you marched from Edom’s plains,

the earth shook, the heavens poured down,

the clouds poured down rain.6

5 The mountains trembled7 before the Lord, the God of Sinai;8

before the Lord God of Israel.

6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael caravans9 disappeared;10

travelers11 had to go on winding side roads.

7 Warriors12 were scarce,13

they were scarce in Israel,

until you14 arose, Deborah,

until you arose as a motherly protector15 in Israel.

8 God chose new leaders,16

then fighters appeared in the city gates;17

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found,18

among forty military units19 in Israel.

9 My heart went out20 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,21

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

11 Hear22 the sound of those who divide the sheep23 among the watering places;

there they tell of24 the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors25 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,26 son of Abinoam!

13 Then the survivors27 came down28 to the mighty ones;29

the Lord’s people came down to me30 as31 warriors.

14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek,32

they follow33 after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came34 the ones who march carrying35 an officer’s staff.

15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah,

the men of Issachar36 supported37 Barak;

into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command.38

Among the clans of Reuben there was intense39 heart searching.40

16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds,41

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes42 for their flocks?43

As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.

17 Gilead stayed put44 beyond the Jordan River.

As for Dan – why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards?45

Asher remained46 on the seacoast,

he stayed47 by his harbors.48

18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives;49

Naphtali charged on to the battlefields.50

19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought,

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,51

but52 they took no silver as plunder.

20 From the sky53 the stars54 fought,

from their paths in the heavens55 they fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River carried them off;

the river confronted them56 – the Kishon River.

Step on the necks of the strong!57

22 The horses’58 hooves pounded the ground;59

the stallions galloped madly.60

23 ‘Call judgment down on61 Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic62 messenger;

‘Be sure63 to call judgment down on64 those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle,65

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’66

24 The most rewarded67 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,68

she served him curds.

26 Her left69 hand reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.

She “hammered”70 Sisera,

she shattered his skull,71

she smashed his head,72

she drove the tent peg through his temple.73

27 Between her feet he collapsed,

he fell limp74 and was lifeless;75

between her feet he collapsed and fell limp,

in the spot where he collapsed,

there he fell limp – violently murdered!76

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-horses77 delayed?’

29 The wisest of her ladies78 answer;

indeed she even thinks to herself,

30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder79 –

a girl or two for each man to rape!80

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth,81

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth,82

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’83

31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!

But may those who love you shine

like the rising sun at its brightest!”84

And the land had rest for forty years.

15:1tn The words “this victory song” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 25:2tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת (bifroa’ pÿra’ot) 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, khoqÿqey) of the people and these same volunteers stand in poetic parallelism, so it is reasonable to assume that the difficult Hebrew term פְּרַעוֹת (pÿra’ot, v. 2a) is synonymous with חוֹקְקֵי (khoqÿqey) of v. 9 (see Lindars, 227). 35:3tn 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. 45:3tn Or “make music.” 55:4tn Or “went out.” 65:4tn Heb “water.” 75:5tn 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 (nazul, “to flow [with torrents of rain water]”). 85:5tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the Lord rules from Sinai. 95:6tc The translation assumes the form אֳרְחוֹת (’orÿkhot, “caravans”) rather than אֳרָחוֹת (’orakhot, “roadways”) because it makes a tighter parallel with “travelers” in the next line. 105:6tn Or “ceased.” 115:6tn Heb “Ones walking on paths.” 125:7tn The meaning of the Hebrew noun פְרָזוֹן (fÿrazon) 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. 135:7tn Or “ceased.” 145:7tn 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). 155:7tn 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). 165:8tn 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. 175:8tn 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.) 185:8tn Heb “A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) introduces an oath of denial (see GKC 472 §149.e). 195:8tn Traditionally “forty thousand,” but this may be an instance where Hebrew term אֶלֶף (’elef) refers to a military unit. This is the view assumed by the translation (“forty military units”). 205:9tn The words “went out” are supplied in the translation for clarity. 215:10tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain. 225:11tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. 235:11tn 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. 245:11tn Or perhaps “repeat.” 255:11tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7. 265:12tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.) 275:13tn 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). 285:13tn 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. 295:13sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army. 305:13sn The speaker may be Deborah here. 315:13tn 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. 325:14tn 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 (’amaleq) 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). 335:14tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. 345:14tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. 355:14tn Or possibly “who carry.” 365:15tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 375:15tn Or “was true to.” 385:15tn Heb “at his feet.” 395:15tn Heb “great was.” 405:15tc 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. 415:16tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishpÿtayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.” 425:16tn Or “whistling.” 435:16tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.” 445:17tn 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. 455:17tn 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. 465:17tn Heb “lived.” 475:17tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.” 485:17tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.” 495:18tn Heb “Zebulun was a people which despised its life even unto death.” 505:18tn Heb “Naphtali was on the heights of the field.” 515:19map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1. 525:19tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive. 535:20tn Or “from heaven.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context. 545:20tn 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 atnach and read the colon as indicated in the translation. 555:20tn The words “in the heavens” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity and for stylistic reasons. 565:21tn 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. 575:21tn 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 (nafshiy) as an archaic construct indicator (rather than a suffix), and (d) interprets עֹז (’oz, “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. 585:22tc 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. 595:22tn The words “the ground” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification. 605:22tn Heb “galloped, galloped.” The repetition is for emphasis and is more appropriately indicated in English with an adverb. 615:23tn Heb “Curse Meroz.” 625:23tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive. 635:23tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic. 645:23tn Heb “[to] curse.” 655:23tn 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.” 665:23tn Or “along with the other warriors.” 675:24tn Or “blessed.” 685:25tn Or “for mighty ones.” 695:26tn The adjective “left” is interpretive, based on the context. Note that the next line pictures Jael holding the hammer with her right hand. 705:26tn The verb used here is from the same root as the noun “hammer” in the preceding line. 715:26tn Or “head.” 725:26tn The phrase “his head” (an implied direct object) is supplied in the translation for clarification. 735:26tn Heb “she pierced his temple.” 745:27tn Heb “he fell.” The same Hebrew expression occurs two more times in this verse. 755:27tn Heb “and he lay. 765:27tn Or “dead, murdered.” 775:28tn Heb “chariots.” 785:29tn Or “princesses.” 795:30tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?” 805:30tn 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. 815:30tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.” 825:30tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.” 835:30tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.” 845:31tn Heb “But may those who love him be like the going forth of the sun in its strength.”