Bible Commentaries

And the LORD sold them into the hand of ^a Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, which dwelt in ^b Harosheth of the Gentiles.

(a) There was another Jabin, whom Joshua killed and burnt his city Hazor, (Joshua 11:13).

(b) That is in a wood, or strong place,

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she ^c judged Israel at that time.

(c) By the spirit of prophesy resolving controversies and declaring the will of God.

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel ^d commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

(d) And revealed to me by the spirit of prophecy.

And Barak said unto her, ^e If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.

(e) Fearing his own weakness and his enemies power, he desires the prophetess to go with him to assure him of God's will from time to time.

Now Heber the Kenite, [which was] of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent ^f unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedesh.

(f) Meaning, that he possessed a great part of that country.

And Deborah said unto Barak, ^g Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

(g) She still encourages him to this enterprise by assuring him of God's favour and aid.

Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of ^h Heber the Kenite: for [there was] peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

(h) Whose ancestors were strangers, but worshipped the true God, and therefore were joined with Israel.

Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, ⁱ Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

(i) That is, Sisera.

Then Jael Heber's wife took a ^k nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

(k) That is, the pin or stake, by which it was fastened to the ground.

And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay ^l dead, and the nail [was] in his temples.

(l) So he saw that a woman had the honour, as Deborah prophesied.