Judges 5 Study Notes: The Song of Deborah and Barak
Deborah and Barak praise the LORD for the victory over Sisera, recalling His march from Seir and Israel’s distress under new gods. The song honors the tribes who fought, rebukes those who stayed home, blesses Jael, and pictures Sisera’s mother waiting in vain, ending with a prayer and forty years of rest.
General
True or False: The song closes by praying that all the LORD’s enemies perish and that those who love Him shine brightly, and afterward the land had forty years of rest.
Answer: True
This is true. The song turns the victory over Sisera into a prayer: may all the LORD’s enemies perish in the same way, while those who love Him blaze like the midday sun (5:31). Then the narrator adds that the land was at peace for forty years. Psalm 68:1-3 makes the same contrast between God’s enemies scattering and the righteous rejoicing, and Jesus said that at the end of the age those who are righteous will be radiant as the sun in their Father’s kingdom (Matthew 13:43). The forty years of peace match the rest that followed Othniel’s rescue (3:11), the mercy of God in the cycle of Judges.
- Judges 5:31 (BSB)“So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.”The song closes with a prayer that the LORD’s enemies perish and those who love Him shine, and the narrator records forty years of rest.
- Psalm 68:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence. As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God. But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.”Another psalm sets the scattering of God’s enemies beside the joy of the righteous.
- Matthew 13:43 (BSB)“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”Jesus says the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”Earlier, Othniel’s deliverance was likewise followed by forty years of rest.
Theological
True or False: The song ends with a prayer that the LORD’s enemies perish while those who love Him shine brightly, and the land then rested forty years.
Answer: True
This is true. The closing petition generalizes Sisera’s fall into a prayer for the destruction of all the LORD’s enemies and the radiance of those who love Him (5:31), followed by the narrator’s note of forty years of rest. The antithesis is a biblical commonplace: God’s enemies scatter while the righteous rejoice (Psalm 68:1-3), and Christ promises that the righteous will blaze with sunlike brightness in the Father’s kingdom (Matthew 13:43). The forty years parallel the rest after Othniel (3:11), the gracious pause in the cycle.
- Judges 5:31 (BSB)“So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.”The song closes with a prayer that the LORD’s enemies perish and those who love Him shine, and the narrator records forty years of rest.
- Psalm 68:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence. As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God. But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.”Another psalm sets the scattering of God’s enemies beside the joy of the righteous.
- Matthew 13:43 (BSB)“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”Jesus says the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”Earlier, Othniel’s deliverance was likewise followed by forty years of rest.
General
Why does the angel of the LORD call for a curse on Meroz (Judges 5:23)?
Answer: Its people would not come to the LORD’s aid
The angel of the LORD (a heavenly messenger who speaks with the LORD’s own authority) calls for Meroz and its inhabitants to be bitterly cursed because they failed to come to the LORD’s aid against powerful foes (5:23). The song has just pictured the stars and the River Kishon fighting against Sisera (5:20-21), so the victory did not hang on Meroz. What the curse condemns is their refusal to come and stand with the LORD when His people went out to battle. Scripture elsewhere pronounces a curse on those who are slack in the LORD’s work (Jeremiah 48:10), and Jesus said that whoever is not with Him is against Him (Matthew 12:30). The song treats standing aside in the LORD’s cause as siding against Him.
- Judges 5:23 (BSB)“‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’”The angel of the LORD calls for Meroz to be cursed because its people did not come to help.
- Jeremiah 48:10 (BSB)“Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.”In a judgment oracle the LORD pronounces a curse on those who are slack in the work He assigns.
- Matthew 12:30 (BSB)“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”Jesus teaches that whoever is not with Him is against Him.
Theological
On what ground does the angel of the LORD pronounce a curse on Meroz (Judges 5:23)?
Answer: Its people would not come to the LORD’s aid
Meroz is cursed by the angel of the LORD because its inhabitants refused to come to the LORD’s aid against strong enemies (5:23). The outcome did not hang on Meroz, since the song has just pictured the stars and the Kishon fighting against Sisera (5:20-21); the curse falls on the refusal to come and stand with the LORD when His people went out to battle. The principle recurs in Scripture: a curse on those who are remiss in the LORD’s work (Jeremiah 48:10), and Christ’s word that anyone not with Him stands against Him (Matthew 12:30). Neutrality toward the LORD’s cause is treated as opposition.
- Judges 5:23 (BSB)“‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’”The angel of the LORD calls for Meroz to be cursed because its people did not come to help.
- Jeremiah 48:10 (BSB)“Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.”In a judgment oracle the LORD pronounces a curse on those who are slack in the work He assigns.
- Matthew 12:30 (BSB)“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”Jesus teaches that whoever is not with Him is against Him.
General
How does the song speak of Jael in Judges 5:24?
Answer: It honors her as most blessed of women
The song declares Jael most blessed of women, most blessed of all women who live in tents (5:24). It then briefly retells what happened: when Sisera wanted water, she brought him milk and curds in a fine bowl (5:25) before striking him down (5:26-27). Read alongside chapter 4, the blessing honors Jael as the one through whom the LORD carried out what He had foretold, that Sisera would fall into a woman’s hand (4:9). The song does not stop to discuss the rights and wrongs of her deception; it celebrates the defeat of Israel’s oppressor as the LORD’s victory, the day God brought Jabin low (4:23).
- Judges 5:24 (BSB)“Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.”The song pronounces blessing on Jael above other women.
- Judges 5:25 (BSB)“He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.”Sisera asks for water and Jael gives him milk and curds.
- Judges 4:9 (BSB)““I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,”Deborah had foretold that the LORD would give Sisera into a woman’s hand.
- Judges 4:23 (BSB)“On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites.”The narrator credits God with subduing Jabin that day.
Theological
What does the song declare about Jael in Judges 5:24?
Answer: It honors her as most blessed of women
The song pronounces Jael blessed above all women, and above all women who live in tents (5:24), before recounting the scene in brief: water requested, milk and curds given (5:25), and the blow that ended Sisera’s life (5:26-27). Read with chapter 4, the blessing celebrates Jael as the instrument of the LORD’s announced purpose that Sisera be sold into a woman’s hand (4:9). The song does not weigh the ethics of her deception; its focus is the overthrow of the oppressor as God’s act, when God brought Jabin low (4:23).
- Judges 5:24 (BSB)“Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.”The song pronounces blessing on Jael above other women.
- Judges 5:25 (BSB)“He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.”Sisera asks for water and Jael gives him milk and curds.
- Judges 4:9 (BSB)““I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,”Deborah had foretold that the LORD would give Sisera into a woman’s hand.
- Judges 4:23 (BSB)“On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites.”The narrator credits God with subduing Jabin that day.
General
How does Judges 5:4-5 picture the LORD coming out to fight for His people?
Answer: Earth and mountains shaking as He came
The song remembers the LORD setting out from Seir and Edom: the ground shook, the sky poured rain, and the mountains shook before Him, the God of Sinai (5:4-5). This is the language of God’s appearing at Mount Sinai, when the whole mountain shook (Exodus 19:18), and of Moses’ blessing, which describes the LORD coming from Sinai and dawning from Seir (Deuteronomy 33:2). Psalm 68:7-8 uses almost the same picture. The point is that the God who met Israel at Sinai is the same God who acted at the Kishon. The battle against Sisera was not won by Israel alone; the LORD Himself came out for His covenant people.
- Judges 5:4 (BSB)“O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.”The LORD goes out from Seir and Edom, and earth and sky respond.
- Judges 5:5 (BSB)“The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.”The mountains quake before the LORD, the One of Sinai.
- Exodus 19:18 (BSB)“Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.”At Sinai the whole mountain shook violently when the LORD came down.
- Deuteronomy 33:2 (BSB)“He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.”Moses described the LORD coming from Sinai and shining forth from Seir.
- Psalm 68:7-8 (BSB)“O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wasteland, Selah the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain before God, the One on Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.”A later psalm uses the same picture of God marching out and the earth shaking before the One on Sinai.
Theological
What picture of the LORD’s coming does the song draw in Judges 5:4-5?
Answer: Earth and mountains shaking as He came
The song frames the battle as the LORD’s own march to war: the LORD goes out from Seir and Edom, the earth trembles, the heavens pour rain, and the mountains quake before the God of Sinai (5:4-5). The imagery deliberately recalls the Sinai descent (Exodus 19:18) and Moses’ blessing, where the LORD comes from Sinai and dawns from Seir (Deuteronomy 33:2); Psalm 68:7-8 uses the same picture. The Kishon victory is thus presented as an act of the covenant God of Sinai for His people.
- Judges 5:4 (BSB)“O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.”The LORD goes out from Seir and Edom, and earth and sky respond.
- Judges 5:5 (BSB)“The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.”The mountains quake before the LORD, the One of Sinai.
- Exodus 19:18 (BSB)“Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.”At Sinai the whole mountain shook violently when the LORD came down.
- Deuteronomy 33:2 (BSB)“He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.”Moses described the LORD coming from Sinai and shining forth from Seir.
- Psalm 68:7-8 (BSB)“O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wasteland, Selah the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain before God, the One on Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.”A later psalm uses the same picture of God marching out and the earth shaking before the One on Sinai.
General
What does Judges 5:8 connect with war coming to Israel’s city gates?
Answer: Israel’s choosing of new gods
The song traces the oppression to its root: when Israel chose new gods, war reached their gates, and among 40,000 in Israel not one shield or spear could be found (5:8). The song agrees with the narrator in chapter 4, who said the trouble began when Israel again did evil (4:1). Earlier the book explained that Israel abandoned the LORD for the gods of the nations around them and provoked Him to anger (2:12), and Moses had warned that Israel would turn to recent, unknown gods their fathers never feared (Deuteronomy 32:17). Turning from the LORD left Israel defenseless.
- Judges 5:8 (BSB)“When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.”The song links war at the gates with Israel’s choice of new gods and notes the people’s lack of weapons.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”The narrator says Israel forsook the LORD for the gods of surrounding peoples and provoked Him to anger.
- Deuteronomy 32:17 (BSB)“They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.”Moses warned of Israel turning to gods they had not known, newly arrived ones.
Theological
To what does Judges 5:8 attribute the war that came to Israel’s gates?
Answer: Israel’s choosing of new gods
The song gives a theological diagnosis of the oppression: Israel chose new gods, and war came to the gates, leaving the people disarmed, without shield or spear among 40,000 (5:8). This coheres with the narrator’s account of renewed evil (4:1), with the paradigm of 2:12, where Israel forsook the LORD for the gods of neighboring nations, and with Moses’ prophetic warning about newly arrived gods (Deuteronomy 32:17). Idolatry is the cause; defeat and helplessness are the covenant consequence.
- Judges 5:8 (BSB)“When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.”The song links war at the gates with Israel’s choice of new gods and notes the people’s lack of weapons.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”The narrator says Israel forsook the LORD for the gods of surrounding peoples and provoked Him to anger.
- Deuteronomy 32:17 (BSB)“They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.”Moses warned of Israel turning to gods they had not known, newly arrived ones.
General
True or False: The song praises Reuben’s clans for hurrying to join Barak in the battle.
Answer: False
This is false. The song says Reuben’s clans could not make up their minds, and asks why they stayed among the sheepfolds listening to shepherds calling their sheep (5:15-16). Gilead stayed east of the Jordan, Dan lingered by the ships, and Asher remained at the coast (5:17). These tribes did not come. Their failure stands out against Zebulun and Naphtali, who put their lives on the line (5:18). It also recalls an old warning: Moses once asked Reuben and Gad whether their brothers should fight while they stayed behind (Numbers 32:6), and Joshua required the eastern tribes to cross over and help their brothers (Joshua 1:14).
- Judges 5:16 (BSB)“Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.”The song asks why Reuben stayed among the sheepfolds while the clans deliberated.
- Judges 5:17 (BSB)“Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.”Gilead, Dan, and Asher also stay where they are.
- Numbers 32:6 (BSB)“But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?”Moses had once challenged Reuben and Gad about sitting still while their brothers went to war.
- Joshua 1:14 (BSB)“Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,”Joshua required the tribes east of the Jordan to cross over armed and help their brothers.
Theological
True or False: The song commends Reuben’s clans for their prompt response to Barak’s call.
Answer: False
This is false. Reuben’s clans are depicted in long deliberation that ends in staying among the sheepfolds (5:15-16), and Gilead, Dan, and Asher likewise remain at home, by the Jordan, the ships, and the coast (5:17). The rebuke gains force against the self-sacrifice of Zebulun and Naphtali (5:18) and against Israel’s earlier obligations: Moses challenged Reuben and Gad about sitting still while their brothers fought (Numbers 32:6), and Joshua bound the eastern tribes to cross over armed to help (Joshua 1:14). Covenant solidarity was expected, and its absence is exposed.
- Judges 5:16 (BSB)“Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.”The song asks why Reuben stayed among the sheepfolds while the clans deliberated.
- Judges 5:17 (BSB)“Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.”Gilead, Dan, and Asher also stay where they are.
- Numbers 32:6 (BSB)“But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?”Moses had once challenged Reuben and Gad about sitting still while their brothers went to war.
- Joshua 1:14 (BSB)“Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,”Joshua required the tribes east of the Jordan to cross over armed and help their brothers.
General
According to Judges 5:10-11, what would singers recount where people drew water?
Answer: The LORD’s righteous deeds for Israel
The song calls on everyone, from the wealthy riding white donkeys to ordinary people on foot, to listen by the wells where singers retell the LORD’s righteous deeds (5:10-11). Wells were where people gathered in daily life, and now that the roads were safe again (compare 5:6-7), even ordinary gathering places became places of praise. The LORD’s rescue of Israel was meant to be remembered and retold. Samuel later did exactly that, setting before Israel every righteous act the LORD had done for them (1 Samuel 12:7), including sending Barak to rescue them from their enemies (1 Samuel 12:11). Each generation is to pass on God’s works to those who come after (Psalm 145:4).
- Judges 5:10-11 (BSB)“You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:”Riders and walkers alike are invited to listen as singers at the watering places retell what the LORD has done.
- 1 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.”Samuel sets before Israel all the righteous acts the LORD had done for them.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Among those acts Samuel recalls that the LORD sent Barak and others to deliver Israel.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”Each generation is to pass on God’s mighty works to the next.
Theological
What would be recounted at the places where water was drawn, according to Judges 5:10-11?
Answer: The LORD’s righteous deeds for Israel
The song summons every class, from those riding white donkeys to those on foot, to attend to the singers by the wells, where the LORD’s righteous acts are retold (5:10-11). With the roads secure again (contrast 5:6-7), the common places of daily life become venues of praise. The deliverance is to be rehearsed in Israel’s memory, as Samuel later did in recounting the LORD’s righteous acts (1 Samuel 12:7), naming Barak among the deliverers the LORD sent (1 Samuel 12:11), and as Psalm 145:4 envisions one generation commending God’s works to its successor.
- Judges 5:10-11 (BSB)“You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:”Riders and walkers alike are invited to listen as singers at the watering places retell what the LORD has done.
- 1 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.”Samuel sets before Israel all the righteous acts the LORD had done for them.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Among those acts Samuel recalls that the LORD sent Barak and others to deliver Israel.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”Each generation is to pass on God’s mighty works to the next.
General
How do Sisera’s mother and her wise ladies explain why his chariot is so slow to return (Judges 5:28-30)?
Answer: They suppose he is busy dividing plunder
The song ends its story by turning to Sisera’s mother, peering through the lattice of her window and asking why his chariot is taking so long (5:28). Her wise attendants reply, and she repeats it to herself, that the army must be finding and sharing out the spoil: captive women for the soldiers and richly colored cloth for Sisera (5:29-30). The reader knows what she does not: Sisera is already dead. Her confident talk of plunder echoes the boast of Pharaoh’s army, which planned to divide the spoils just before the LORD destroyed it (Exodus 15:9). It is a picture of confident pride that does not know what the day has brought (Proverbs 27:1).
- Judges 5:28 (BSB)“Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’”Sisera’s mother watches from her window and wonders why his chariot is delayed.
- Judges 5:30 (BSB)“‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’”She reassures herself that the delay means plunder is being shared out.
- Exodus 15:9 (BSB)“The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’”Pharaoh’s army also boasted of dividing the spoils just before the LORD overthrew it.
- Proverbs 27:1 (BSB)“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”No one should boast about tomorrow, since no one knows what a day will bring.
Theological
What explanation do Sisera’s mother and her ladies give for his delay (Judges 5:28-30)?
Answer: They suppose he is busy dividing plunder
The closing scene shifts to Sisera’s mother at the lattice, asking why his chariot is delayed (5:28). Her wise ladies’ answer, which she repeats to herself, is that the warriors are dividing the spoil, captive women and embroidered garments for Sisera (5:29-30). The dramatic irony is sharp: the reader knows the commander is dead. The scene echoes the enemy’s boast at the sea about dividing the spoils on the eve of the LORD’s judgment (Exodus 15:9), and illustrates the folly of presuming on a day whose outcome God alone determines (Proverbs 27:1).
- Judges 5:28 (BSB)“Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’”Sisera’s mother watches from her window and wonders why his chariot is delayed.
- Judges 5:30 (BSB)“‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’”She reassures herself that the delay means plunder is being shared out.
- Exodus 15:9 (BSB)“The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’”Pharaoh’s army also boasted of dividing the spoils just before the LORD overthrew it.
- Proverbs 27:1 (BSB)“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”No one should boast about tomorrow, since no one knows what a day will bring.
General
In Judges 5:3, kings and princes are told to listen. To whom does the singer say the song is sung?
Answer: To Israel’s God, the LORD
Kings and princes are summoned to pay attention, but they are only the audience. The song itself is sung to the LORD, Israel’s God (5:3). This follows the pattern of Israel’s first great victory song, when Moses and Israel lifted their voices in praise of the LORD after He threw Pharaoh’s horses and riders into the sea (Exodus 15:1). God’s people are called again and again to sing praise to Him and to tell of His wonders (Psalm 105:2). Since the LORD gave the victory over Sisera, He receives the praise for it.
- Judges 5:3 (BSB)“Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.”Rulers are summoned to listen as the singer praises the LORD, Israel’s God.
- Exodus 15:1 (BSB)“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”After the crossing of the sea, Moses and Israel likewise sang their victory song to the LORD.
- Psalm 105:2 (BSB)“Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.”God’s people are called to sing praises to Him and tell of His wonders.
Theological
Although foreign rulers are summoned to listen (Judges 5:3), to whom is the song addressed?
Answer: To Israel’s God, the LORD
The summons to kings and princes makes the nations witnesses, but the song is addressed to Israel’s God, the LORD (5:3). The form deliberately echoes the Song of the Sea, where Moses and Israel sang to the LORD over Pharaoh’s defeat (Exodus 15:1), and fits the psalmic call to sing praise to God and recount His wonders (Psalm 105:2). Because deliverance is the LORD’s, the glory of the Kishon victory is His.
- Judges 5:3 (BSB)“Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.”Rulers are summoned to listen as the singer praises the LORD, Israel’s God.
- Exodus 15:1 (BSB)“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”After the crossing of the sea, Moses and Israel likewise sang their victory song to the LORD.
- Psalm 105:2 (BSB)“Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.”God’s people are called to sing praises to Him and tell of His wonders.
General
According to Judges 5:20, what fought against Sisera from the heavens?
Answer: The stars in their courses
The song says that from heaven the stars fought, fighting against Sisera from their courses, and that the Kishon carried the enemy off (5:20-21). This is poetry: it pictures creation itself, the sky and the river, lined up on the LORD’s side. Chapter 4 says the same thing in plain words: the LORD routed Sisera and his whole army (4:15). Israel had seen this before, when the LORD threw down hailstones from heaven on the Canaanite kings in Joshua’s day (Joshua 10:11), because the LORD was fighting for Israel (Joshua 10:14). The Creator of the stars and rivers used them to defeat an army that trusted in chariots.
- Judges 5:20 (BSB)“From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.”The song pictures the stars themselves fighting against Sisera.
- Judges 5:21 (BSB)“The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!”The River Kishon sweeps the enemy away.
- Judges 4:15 (BSB)“And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.”The narrative states plainly that the LORD routed Sisera’s army.
- Joshua 10:11 (BSB)“As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.”In an earlier battle the LORD struck Israel’s enemies from the sky.
- Joshua 10:14 (BSB)“There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.”That earlier victory is explained by the LORD fighting on Israel’s side.
Theological
What does the song say fought against Sisera from heaven (Judges 5:20)?
Answer: The stars in their courses
The song presents the victory in cosmic terms: the stars battled Sisera from their paths in the sky, and the Kishon swept the enemy away (5:20-21). The poetic imagery interprets the narrative’s plain statement that the LORD routed Sisera (4:15): the Creator enlisted His creation against the oppressor. The parallel with Joshua’s campaign is apt, where the LORD hurled hailstones from heaven (Joshua 10:11) because He fought for Israel (Joshua 10:14).
- Judges 5:20 (BSB)“From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.”The song pictures the stars themselves fighting against Sisera.
- Judges 5:21 (BSB)“The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!”The River Kishon sweeps the enemy away.
- Judges 4:15 (BSB)“And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.”The narrative states plainly that the LORD routed Sisera’s army.
- Joshua 10:11 (BSB)“As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.”In an earlier battle the LORD struck Israel’s enemies from the sky.
- Joshua 10:14 (BSB)“There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.”That earlier victory is explained by the LORD fighting on Israel’s side.
General
At the opening of the song (Judges 5:2, 9), what gives Deborah reason to call for blessing the LORD?
Answer: Leaders leading and people volunteering freely
On the day of victory Deborah and Barak sang together (5:1). Their song begins by calling for the LORD to be blessed because Israel’s leaders took charge and the people willingly offered themselves for battle (5:2), and it comes back to the same note later: the singer’s heart is with Israel’s leaders and volunteers, and the LORD is to be blessed (5:9). The praise goes to the LORD, not to the volunteers. Even a willing heart is God’s gift, since God Himself produces in His people both the desire and the action that serve His purpose (Philippians 2:13). King David said the same when his people gave freely for the temple: their ability to give so generously came from God, because everything comes from His hand (1 Chronicles 29:14). The song will later contrast these volunteers with the tribes that stayed home (5:15-17).
- Judges 5:1 (BSB)“On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:”Deborah and Barak sing on the day of the victory.
- Judges 5:2 (BSB)““When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.”The song opens by calling for the LORD to be blessed because leaders led and the people offered themselves.
- Judges 5:9 (BSB)“My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!”The singer’s heart goes out to Israel’s leaders and volunteers, and the call to bless the LORD is repeated.
- Philippians 2:13 (BSB)“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.”God is the one who works in His people both the desire and the action.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 (BSB)“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.”David confesses that his people’s generous giving was possible only because everything comes from God.
Theological
What is the occasion for the call to bless the LORD at the song’s opening (Judges 5:2, 9)?
Answer: Leaders leading and people volunteering freely
The song (5:1) opens with praise to God grounded in the people’s willing response: leaders took the lead and the people volunteered, therefore bless the LORD (5:2); the refrain returns in 5:9. Human willingness is the occasion for praise to God rather than to the volunteers, because God Himself effects both the willing and the doing in His people (Philippians 2:13). David confessed the same over Israel’s free giving for the temple: the capacity to give so generously was itself from God, since all things come from His hand (1 Chronicles 29:14). The willing tribes prepare the contrast with those who held back (5:15-17).
- Judges 5:1 (BSB)“On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:”Deborah and Barak sing on the day of the victory.
- Judges 5:2 (BSB)““When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.”The song opens by calling for the LORD to be blessed because leaders led and the people offered themselves.
- Judges 5:9 (BSB)“My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!”The singer’s heart goes out to Israel’s leaders and volunteers, and the call to bless the LORD is repeated.
- Philippians 2:13 (BSB)“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.”God is the one who works in His people both the desire and the action.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 (BSB)“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.”David confesses that his people’s generous giving was possible only because everything comes from God.
General
Which two tribes does Judges 5:18 honor for putting their lives at risk in the battle?
Answer: Zebulun and Naphtali
The song praises Zebulun and Naphtali for putting their lives in danger on the high ground of the battle (5:18). These were the very tribes the LORD told Barak to call up (4:6), and the ones he summoned at Kedesh (4:10). The song also names others who came: men from Ephraim and Benjamin, commanders from Machir, leaders from Zebulun, and Issachar’s princes, who stood with Deborah and rushed into the valley behind Barak (5:14-15). Judah and Simeon are not mentioned in the song at all, and Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher are named as those who stayed away (5:15-17).
- Judges 5:14-15 (BSB)“Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.”The song lists the tribes and leaders who came down to fight.
- Judges 5:18 (BSB)“Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.”Two tribes are singled out for risking their lives in the battle.
- Judges 4:6 (BSB)“She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun.”The LORD had commanded Barak to take men from these two tribes.
- Judges 4:10 (BSB)“where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.”Barak summoned these two tribes, and ten thousand men followed him.
Theological
Which tribes are honored in Judges 5:18 for hazarding their lives in the fight?
Answer: Zebulun and Naphtali
Zebulun and Naphtali receive the song’s highest praise for hazarding their lives on the high ground of the field (5:18). They correspond to the muster commanded by the LORD (4:6) and carried out by Barak at Kedesh (4:10). The roll of participants also includes Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, and Issachar (5:14-15). Judah and Simeon go unmentioned, while Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher appear among the absent (5:15-17).
- Judges 5:14-15 (BSB)“Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.”The song lists the tribes and leaders who came down to fight.
- Judges 5:18 (BSB)“Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.”Two tribes are singled out for risking their lives in the battle.
- Judges 4:6 (BSB)“She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun.”The LORD had commanded Barak to take men from these two tribes.
- Judges 4:10 (BSB)“where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.”Barak summoned these two tribes, and ten thousand men followed him.