17. 1 chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house 18. of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And he turned in unto her into the tent, 19. and she covered him with a rug. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and 20. gave him drink, and covered him. And he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is 21. there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was 2 in a deep sleep; so he swooned 22. and died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, 1 Or, nations. 2 Or, in a deep sleep and weary; so he died. 17. Jael. The name means mountain goat." Heber the Kenite. See on v. II. 19. Bottle of milk. Skin of curdled milk, which in Bedouin encampments is often found at the tent door. 21. Tent-pin. The sharp wooden pin used to hold a tent cord. Hammer. Probably the heavy wooden mallet with which the tent-pins are driven. This driving is the work of Arab women. The method of slaughter seems cumbersome. But if accustomed to hold and strike the pin, it probably seemed more natural and safer than to crush his head with a single blow. Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, 23. and the tent-pin was in his temples. So God sub- RD dued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before 24. the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. 5. Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, 23 f. The Deuteronomic conclusion. Chap. 5. The Song of Deborah is the most ancient complete piece of writing in the Old Testament, and was composed at the time of the victory which it celebrates. This contemporary origin appears in the natural and vivid description of that event and nothing else, no long enduring circumstances are its background and nothing of a later age is reflected, while marks of its own time are evident in the silence concerning Judah, in the limited number of the warriors of Israel, who are only 40,000 (v. 8), in the mention of Machir for Manasseh (v. 14), and Gilead for Gad (v. 17). The fresh vigor of the poem likewise favors this date. The song is, then, a most precious historical document. A bond of union between the tribes in the worship of Jehovah is revealed, and a lack also of all political unity, since each tribe seems to have acted independently. Their numerical strength also was small. Judah was separated from the rest. No mention also is made of Simeon and Levi. The Israel which acts or to which appeal is made is that which later formed the northern kingdom. The land occupied west of the Jordan was the hill country of Ephraim and stretches to the north in Galilee. The great plain was still in the hands of the Canaanites. The poem is often assigned to Deborah as its author, but the reasons are not very cogent. No decision can be given. While the song is ancient and illustrates the fact that in early Israel, J 2. For that the leaders took the lead in Israel, For that the people offered themselves willingly, as in the case of other peoples, literature had its beginnings in songs, yet it is marked with a certain artistic construction. It opens with a call to bless Jehovah for heroic devotion (v. 2), invoking the attention of kings (v. 3) and describing the manifestation of Jehovah in a storm (vv. 4 f.). The prelude attests the thorough religious character of the song. Then comes in vv. 6-8 a description of the desolation of the land, as overrun by hostile bands so that traffic ceased and villages were abandoned, with an interlude in vv. 9-11 calling upon travellers to rehearse the deeds of Jehovah, thus preparing for the main theme, which follows after a passionate introduction in v. 12. Vv. 13-18 describe the muster or response to the call to arms, enumerating the contingents which came and the tribes who made no response. In the battle, described in the following verses (19-22), a storm and the flooded waters of the stream Kishon seem to have played a significant part. A vivid description of the death of Sisera (vv. 23-27) is introduced, with a curse upon Meroz, who lent no assistance, and a blessing on Jael, who treacherously slew him. The manner of his death is described in detail. This description is matched by an antistrophe in vv. 28-30, picturing the anxious thoughts of the warrior's mother and her attendants awaiting in vain his return, and in v. 31 an appropriate and pious and patriotic wish closes the poem. Many of the words of this song do not occur elsewhere, and are of doubtful meaning. The text also has suffered much in transcription. Some lines therefore are very obscure and the renderings of the English and other versions are little more than guesses. 1. The introduction by the Deuteronomic editor. Day is used in the same meaning of time as in English. 2. Another rendering for the first line, which contains rare words, is For that long hair is loosed in Israel with reference to Nazirite vows of warriors dedicating themselves to Jehovah as though the war were a peculiarly religious one. But the rendering of the text is better. Jehovah is to be praised because the leaders were at hand to lead and because the people freely volunteered. 3. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. 4. LORD, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, 1 5. The mountains 1 flowed down at the presence of the LORD, Even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel. 1 Or, quaked. 3. For similar invocations cf. Gen. 4:23; Num. 23: 18, of the heavens, Isa. 1:2; Deut. 32: 1. The rulers here addressed would be those of adjacent peoples, perhaps of the vanquished foes. 4, 5. In the battle the Israelites were assisted by a storm (vv. 20, 21), hence in anticipation Jehovah is here described as manifesting himself in a thunder storm. This is a frequent way of describing the presence of deity in the Old Testament; Jehovah appears on Mt. Sinai in thunders and lightning and a thick cloud, Exod. 19:16; through a storm he answers and delivers one in distress, 2 Sam. 22: 8 ff.; Ps. 18:7 ff.; he spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, Job 38: 1. Ps. 29 is a description of a thunder storm. Cf. also Ps. 97: 2 ff.; Mic. 1: 2 ff. 4. Jehovah is thought of as dwelling on Mt. Sinai or Horeb (cf. 1 Kgs. 19), and coming from thence to the help of Israel against Sisera by the way of Mt. Seir, the land of Edom, which lies southeast of Judah, and a great storm accompanies him. From this verse are derived the parallel passages, Deut. 33: 2 f.; Hab. 3:3 f.; Ps. 68: 8 f. 5. Flowed down. I.e. streamed with water. Yon Sinai. If retained in the text, Jehovah's presence or the storm was felt even in distant Sinai. 6. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, 1 In the days of Jael, 1 the high ways were unoccupied, And the travellers walked through 2 byways. 7. The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, Until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel. 8. They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: 1 Or, the caravans ceased. 2 Heb. crooked ways. Or, The villages were unoccupied. 6. A description of the insecurity of the times. Shamgar the son of Anath. Not an Israelitish judge who preceded Deborah and Barak, the usual interpretation, because Shamgar as a judge is an afterthought derived from this passage (cf. 3:31), but a foreign oppressor. The name in both its elements is nonIsraelitish; the second, Anath, is the name of a Canaanitish goddess; the first, Shamgar, has not been so clearly identified. Some find in it a Babylonian name, others a Hittite name. In the days of Jael. Jael can only refer to the heroine of vv. 24 ff., but it is difficult to understand why her name should be mentioned in connection with the preceding desolation. The words disturb the metre of the Hebrew lines and are probably a gloss. The high ways were unoccupied. Better the margin, the caravans ceased. This was because of foreign marauders. In peaceful times, long before the period of the judges, there was constant intercours between the towns of Palestine through travelling merchant men. And the travellers, etc. Persons compelled to go through the country were obliged to resort to circuitous and unfrequented routes. 7. The rulers ceased. Better the margin, The villages were unoccupied. Unwalled towns were either deserted through fear or desolated by marauders. 8. The first two lines, as given, mean that at this time Israel departed from the worship of Jehovah, choosing other gods, and suffered from the attacks of enemies. But the Hebrew text is very obscure. Another rendering is The sacrifices to God (or gods) ceased |