Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Judges Chapter 4 mean?

The pattern of Judges repeats, and a new story begins. After the previous judge-deliverer dies, Israel returns to doing evil, including the worship of the gods of Canaan (Judges 2:16–19). The Lord responds by submitting Israel to Jabin, who rules over Canaan. This is a distinct nation-state among the “Canaanites” of the Promised Land in general. Jabin rules from Hazor in the northern part of Israel’s prophesied territory. The Canaanite general is Sisera, whose headquarters are to the west in the town Harosheth-hagoyim. Sisera has command over 900 iron chariots—a great technological advantage in that era. This gives him all the power he needs to cruelly oppress the people of Israel (Judges 4:1–3).

Finally, after twenty years, the Israelites cry out to the Lord for help. The Lord responds by speaking through Deborah, a well-known and well-respected prophetess and judge who lives in the hill country of Ephraim. Deborah seems to act very much in accordance with the English term “judge,” settling disputes and deciding matters for Israel. She is associated with a Hebrew term meaning “torch,” which either refers to the name of her husband or her fiery disposition (Judges 4:4–5).

Directed by the Lord, Deborah summons a man named Barak. Barak lives in Kedesh in the territory of the tribe Naphtali. Deborah’s command from God is to recruit “10,000” troops from Naphtali and Zebulun and gather them at Mount Tabor. Ancient literature used the term “ten thousand” much in the same way modern English uses the term “a million,” as a poetic way of indicating a vast number. Whether the figure is literal or not, the message is clear: God expects Barak to raise a massive number of soldiers. The Lord will then lure Sisera, with his iron chariots and his army, to meet Barak and his forces by the River Kishon. There the Lord will give Barak and Israel victory over Sisera and Canaan (Judges 4:6–7).

Barak’s response is unfortunately timid. He agrees to go only if Deborah will go with him. He might have worried that recruiting troops would be difficult without her. He may also have thought that victory in battle would be more likely if a prophetess was there—despite Deborah already telling him God had promised Israel victory. She agrees to go, but prophesies that Barak will lose the glory of capturing Sisera. Instead, credit for defeating the Canaanite general will go to a woman. Barak and Deborah return to Kedesh and quickly recruit their forces who are prepared to fight the Canaanites. They arrange their army on Mount Tabor, as God has told Barak to do (Judges 4:8–10).

The story pauses, then, to make what at first seems like a random statement. Heber is a Kenite, from the same people group as Moses’ father-in-law Jethro (Judges 1:16). Most of these are friendly to Israel, but Heber will later be identified as an ally of Jabin. This information will become important later in the passage (Judges 4:11).

When Sisera learns that Israel has amassed an army, he orders his 900 iron chariots and his soldiers to head into battle at Mount Tabor, approaching from the west. This is an arrogant move: their position on Tabor gives Israel a tactical advantage, so Sisera must be greatly confident that he can easily win. What happens next is easier to understand with details given in the next chapter (Judges 5:21). Rather than stay on the mountain, the army launches forward at a sudden order from Deborah, who speaks for the Lord. It’s possible God sent an unexpected flood of the river at that exact moment, swamping the Canaanite chariots, and turning their advantage into a crippling weakness (Judges 4:12–14).

The result is dramatic. As noted with Ehud’s victory over the Moabites (Judges 3:29), it is extremely unusual for every single enemy soldier to die in a battle. Yet Israel obliterates the entire Canaanite army, erasing Jabin’s military power in a single stroke. Sisera apparently sees the defeat coming, so he runs in the opposite direction as his forces are routed and destroyed (Judges 4:15–16).

Sisera’s escape takes him northeast. He eventually comes to the tents of Heber, the man mentioned earlier in the passage. Heber has some unspecified peace agreement with Jabin. Sisera likely expects aid, or at least a place to hide from the Israelites chasing him. Heber’s wife, Jael, goes out to meet Sisera and urges him to take refuge in a tent. She covers him with a rug and gives him milk to drink, agreeing to turn away anyone who comes looking for him. This would have been in keeping with ancient middle eastern hospitality, which obligated the host to protect the guest (Judges 4:17–20).

Once Sisera is asleep, however, Jael picks up implements with which a nomadic woman would have been familiar: a hammer and tent peg. The “peg,” in this case, would have been a sharp wooden spike about 1 inch, or 25 millimeters, thick. Jael strikes the spike through the soft spot on the side of Sisera’s head, driving it through his skull and into the ground. The slaughter is summarized with an almost comical understatement: “so he died” (Judges 4:21).

Jael’s motives are not stated. She might have been more loyal to her ancestral allies, Israel, than her husband was. She may have feared Israel’s wrath if they caught Sisera hiding in her home. She might also have resented Sisera’s oppressive and brutal career (Judges 5:30). For whatever reason, the deed is done. Soon after, Barak and his men approach, looking for the runaway general. Jael shows the corpse, and Deborah’s prophecy is fully revealed. A woman—Deborah, for her role in raising and inspiring the army, and Jael for striking down the general—gets credit for the victory (Judges 4:22).

With an entire army slain, Jabin’s defeat is merely a matter of time. Israel presses their advantage until Jabin, as well, is destroyed. The final verses of this chapter poetically repeat Jabin’s name and title three times, emphasizing the relentless and thorough victory granted by God. Israel is once again freed from oppression (Judges 4:23–24).

The following chapter is in the form of a song—a celebration by Barak and Deborah—which retells the defeat of Sisera and Jabin, including details that help make more sense of their impressive victory (Judges 5). Sadly, the pattern of the era of the judges will continue (Judges 6:1), leading to the introduction of the next rescuer of Israel: Gideon (Judges 6:11).

Chapter Context
Judges 4 begins with the death of Ehud, the assassin-leader of chapter 3 who freed Israel from the Moabites. After the Israelite people return to wickedness, God submits them to Jabin and the Canaanites. After twenty years, the Lord raises up a deliverer called Barak through His prophetess Deborah. Israel obliterates the enemy army, and the general is slaughtered in his sleep by a woman. Jabin and the Canaanites are defeated. The next chapter poetically retells these events, followed by the introduction of an especially famous judge in chapter 6: Gideon.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died.

The downward spiral, a cycle of sin and rescue (Judges 2:16–19), continues. Israel remains faithful to the Lord as long as the judge who delivered them lives. Perhaps the judge keeps alive the needed memories: both the pain of oppression and God’s mighty victory on Israel’s behalf. Once the judge dies, however, faithfulness to the Lord doesn’t remain with the following generations. The allure of the false gods of the land becomes too strong, and the children of the faithful generation fall away into doing “evil in the sight of the Lord.”

It should be emphasized that this “evil” went far beyond failing to keep the law of Moses down to the tiniest detail. Any sin would justify God’s wrath. In this case, serving Canaanite gods involved everything from participation in gross sexual immorality to the killing of children on fiery altars. The Lord’s anger against His people came in response to truly evil practices.

Context Summary
Judges 4:1–10 introduces the pair of godly leaders featured in this cycle of Israel’s redemption: Barak and Deborah. Israel is oppressed by the Canaanite king, Jabin, and his military commander, Sisera. The prophetess Deborah is said to be leading Israel as a judge, and she summons Barak to tell him about God’s plan. Barak agrees to serve only if Deborah goes with him. She agrees, noting that credit for defeating Sisera will go to a woman. They raise an army and prepare for battle.

Verse 2. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.

Judges makes it clear, repeatedly, that the Lord is the one responsible for Israel’s defeat by one nation after another. This time, the Lord responds to Israel’s rebellion and wickedness by selling His people into slavery under Jabin, king of Canaan. While the general region of the Promised Land is often referred to as Canaan, and the people as Canaanites, there is also a distinct people group and culture tied to that name. Jabin rules this society from a city called Hazor. Hazor was located ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was on the road between Damascus and Megiddo.

Earlier in Israel’s history, Joshua had killed another king called Jabin. This Jabin is likely his descendant, carrying an inherited title. He has rebuilt the city Joshua burned during his campaign against the nations in the land (Joshua 11:1–15).

The commander of King Jabin’s Canaanite army is a man named Sisera. He is said to have lived in Harosheth-hagoyim, which may have meant “forests of the nations.” It was likely located somewhere in Galilee. “Sisera” is not a Canaanite name. Scholars speculate that he may have come from the Philistines.

Verse 3. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

God subjected His people into slavery under the Canaanites, ruled by King Jabin (Judges 4:1–2). A man named Sisera was the greatly feared commander of Canaan’s army. He had 900 iron chariots under his command. Iron chariots were advanced warfare technology during this time and had proved especially difficult to overcome. Nine hundred chariots would have created a staggering advantage for Sisera. Later descriptions imply that these chariots terrorized local roads (Judges 5:6).

Sisera had oppressed the Israelites with great cruelty for twenty years. Those conquered in war during this time were often treated badly. The addition of the word “cruelly” in this verse suggests that the treatment was worse even than normal. The people of Israel finally cried out to Yahweh for help after two decades of oppression.

Verse 4. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

Israel has cried out to the Lord for help after twenty years of cruel oppression (Judges 4:1–3). They have been subject to the king of Canaan and the commander of Canaan’s army. Immediately, the writer of Judges introduces us to someone functioning as a judge in Israel. The Hebrew term translated “judge” in this book means much more than a legal expert who renders decisions. In Deborah’s case, however, that seems to be exactly what she was doing. Her role appears to have been that of an arbiter—a legal referee between parties. She leads the people, primarily, by her wisdom.

Deborah is described as a prophetess, along with four other women in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:20; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Isaiah 8:3). A prophet was someone used by God to deliver His messages to the people. This prophetess was also leading in Israel by resolving disputes between the people not addressed by their Canaanite conquerors.

The prophetess is also associated with a Hebrew word referring to a torch, usually translated as the name Lappidoth. If this is Deborah’s husband, he is curiously not mentioned again, nor is his tribe recorded. For these reasons, some scholars believe the Hebrew phrase ē’set lappidot, typically translated as “wife of Lappidoth,” might mean “woman like a torch” or “woman of fire.” The same structure is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to assign traits to particular women (Proverbs 21:19; 31:10). Deborah’s personality certainly seems fiery, as shown in these two chapters of Judges.

Verse 5. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.

In the book of Judges, the title “judge” comes from a Hebrew word which can include many other ideas. God-empowered judges were civil and military leaders who rescued Israel from oppressors (Judges 2:16). In the case of Deborah, her initial role was much more like the literal meaning of the English term “judge.” The site where she ministered was so well known in Israel that it was called the “palm of Deborah.” She would sit at this spot (Exodus 18:13; John 19:13) between Ramah and Bethel in the territory of Ephraim. There, she would receive the people who came to her to solve their disputes and legal matters.

As a prophetess of the God of Israel, her word would have stood as final. As this passage indicates, she was also powerfully used by God to free Israel from slavery to Canaan. The Lord will summon Israel’s next deliverer through her, and the two will work closely together.

Verse 6. She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.

Deborah was a prophetess of the Lord (Judges 4:4–5). God revealed His will to Israel through His prophets. So, when Deborah summoned a man named Barak, she delivered this message to him on behalf of God.

Barak’s name means “lightning.” He was from a town called “Kedesh of Naphtali.” Scholars say this is likely the place later known as Tell Qadesh, north of Lake Huleh in northern Galilee. This town had been conquered earlier in Israel’s history by Joshua and eventually declared a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7).

Deborah’s message to Barak is simple: The God of Israel commands you to recruit 10,000 men from the tribes Naphtali and Zebulun. The number “10,000” is used numerous times in the book of Judges. Scholars note this term is often a placeholder for “very many in number,” somewhat as modern English often uses the number “a million.” Any or all these instances might be literal, as well, but it’s possible that the phrase is symbolic.

Barak is to gather his troops at Mount Tabor. This mountain rises prominently above the landscape at the northeastern end of the Jezreel Valley, where the borders of the territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali come together. Not only did this make it a suitable meeting spot, but it would also give Israel’s fighting forces the high ground in any conflict.

The Lord’s message to Barak through Deborah continues in the following verse.

Verse 7. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin ‘s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”

The people of Israel have finally cried out to the Lord to deliver them from the cruel oppression of the Canaanites (Judges 4:1–6). God now begins to answer that prayer. He is raising up a deliverer by the name of Barak. The Lord is instructing Barak through the prophetess Deborah. God commanded Barak to gather a massive number of men from his own tribe of Naphtali, as well as that of Zebulun. That army is to meet at Mount Tabor, west of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Now the Lord tells Barak, still through Deborah, that He will draw out the fearsome general of the Canaanite army to face Barak’s army in battle. Sisera commands 900 iron chariots and is responsible for oppressing the Israelites. In that era, iron chariots would have been advanced technology. Later depictions of Canaanite oppression (Judges 5:6) suggest these chariots made travel on roadways almost impossible.

The Lord promises Israel the victory at the river Kishon, just to the south of Mount Tabor. Normally, the broad, flat plain of this area would have favored Sisera’s chariots and spelled doom for Israel’s army. However, the additional details given in the following chapter suggest that the Kishon River suddenly flooded at the time of the battle (Judges 5:20–21). This might have swept some enemy away. More likely, it would have created muddy conditions which would have slowed or stopped the chariots. Perhaps this was the Lord’s mechanism to give victory to Barak and the Israelites.

Verse 8. Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Barak must have been greatly impressed with Deborah, the prophetess and judge over Israel. She has given him a message from the Lord: gather troops and face the feared commander of the Canaanite army in battle (Judges 4:1–7).

The statement Barak makes here is often debated by commentators. A plain reading implies hesitation, driven by uncertainty. Along with Deborah’s following comments (Judges 4:9), he seems resistant to obey God unless Deborah accompanies him on his mission. This certainly shows respect for Deborah’s relationship with the Lord. But it also reflects a lack of trust in God’s promise of victory. His suggestion that he “will not go” without her might be rhetorical, but that doesn’t easily fit her response.

It may be that Barak imagined God’s favor was on Deborah, not himself, therefore her presence would cause the Lord to ensure the victory over Sisera. It’s also possible Barak thought it would be easier to recruit an army with the renowned prophetess helping his cause. The Bible doesn’t explain those details. All we are told is that Deborah will agree to go with Barak.

Verse 9. And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel (Judges 4:4–5) has delivered a command from God to a man called Barak (Judges 4:6–7). Barak is to gather a large army and meet the Canaanite forces at a particular spot. The Lord has assured Barak of success. Barak, rather than acting immediately, has hesitated to accept the mission. He will only do so if Deborah will come with him (Judges 4:8). Barak’s faith in God’s promise seems weak, yet his faith in Deborah’s influence seems strong. It may be Barak is convinced God would not allow Israel to lose the battle if Deborah were there in person.

Although Deborah agrees to come, she also chides Barak for asking her to do so. In a sense, she challenges Barak’s manhood. She prophesies that his chosen approach—”the road on which you are going”—will mean glory for the victory will go to a woman. Modern readers can easily miss the magnitude of such a statement. In that society, women were not considered fighters, nor often accepted as leaders. Deborah is already an exception to her culture. For military victory to be credited to a woman would have been both unexpected and slightly embarrassing.

This prophecy certainly means Barak will get little or no glory for the victory. At first, it seems Deborah is suggesting that she will be the gloried one. To some extent, this is true. However, the full story of the battle against Sisera reveals another woman’s impact on the victory. What follows becomes evidence that Deborah spoke the very words of God in this verse.

Deborah and Barak then set out for Kedesh, Barak’s hometown in the territory of Naphtali. They begin recruiting their army of fighters from among the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. A sidenote given in verse 11 notes a particular Kenite living near there—his importance to the story only becomes clear later in the passage (Judges 4:11).

Verse 10. And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.

The first difficult step for Barak in fulfilling God’s call to defeat Sisera and the Canaanite army in battle was recruiting an army. This might have been one of his reasons for insisting that Deborah come along. The presence of a respected spiritual leader would have encouraged more men to join the fight (Judges 4:1–9). As it happens, the outcome suggests that the presence of the well-known prophetess of God made Barak’s job much easier.

After returning to his hometown of Kedesh, Barak sends out a call. He seeks men of his tribe, Naphtali, and those of the neighboring tribe of Zebulun. Before long, an enormous army stands at Barak’s “heels;” this expression means they come ready to follow his orders and follow him into battle. Scholars note that many languages use certain phrases, even numbers, as metaphors. In English, the phrase “a million” is often meant to mean “very many,” as in, “I’ve worn that shirt a million times.” The exact figure “10,000” is seen frequently in the book of Judges, and many of those instances might be that form of poetic license.

Regardless of the exact number of men recruited, the response is extremely positive. An enormous number was sought, and an enormous number was attained. This was great confirmation for Barak that God was engineering this effort.

Verse 11. Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

The introduction of a man named Heber at this point in the passage seems random. However, it sets up the conclusion to Israel’s great victory over the army of Canaan (Judges 4:1–3). The story will come back to Heber the Kenite, revealing a kind of alliance or peace agreement with King Jabin of Hazor, the oppressor of the Israelites (Judges 4:17).

The Kenites were the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law Hobab. They had been friends of God’s people from the time of Moses and had even settled in the southern, desert region of the Promised Land known as Arad. Heber had broken off from the rest of the Kenites and moved his family north. He settled down near a landmark known as the oak in Zaanannim (Joshua 19:33). Scholars suggest this locally famous tree was found at the southern end of the territory of Naphtali. This was near to Kedesh.

Kedesh is Barak’s hometown (Judges 4:4–7). From there, Barak and Deborah amassed an army to fight the Canaanite oppressors (Judges 4:8–10). Some Bible scholars question whether this story describes two different towns known as Kedesh. If that is the case, one is Barak’s home, the other was closer to where the battle took place. Most interpreters believe these to be the same, near the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Context Summary
Judges 4:11–16 tells how Israel’s army, led by the prophetess Deborah and the judge Barak, defeat the Canaanite army of King Jabin. The following chapter implies that an unexpected flood may have disabled the enemy’s iron chariots (Judges 5:21–22). The Canaanite commander, Sisera, flees on foot. He alone escapes, as the rest of his men are wiped out.

Verse 12. When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,

After noting the presence of a Kenite (Judges 4:11), whose influence will only be understood later, the passage returns to the main storyline. The Lord had promised Barak that He would draw out Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, into a battle (Judges 4:4–7). That moment comes now.

Sisera learns that Barak has raised an army in defiance of Israel’s oppressors, the Canaanites. He also learns that they have positioned themselves at Mount Tabor. This is exactly what God has told Barak to do. Sisera would have understood Mount Tabor as a tactical stronghold, giving an army the higher ground from which to do battle. Still, Sisera will not hesitate to take his own army out to confront this threat to Canaan’s dominance over the Israelites. His 900 iron chariots would have been a considerable advantage in any fight against troops on foot (Judges 4:1–3; 5:6).

Later explanations show that God has a plan to undo this technological advantage (Judges 5:21).

Verse 13. Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.

Sisera has been informed that Barak has amassed troops and gathered for battle at Mount Tabor. In response, the commander of Canaan’s army has called out his own troops, along with his 900 iron chariots. These are the same chariots that gave Canaan the tactical advantage when Canaan defeated and enslaved Israel twenty years earlier (Judges 4:1–3). At that time, though, the Lord allowed Israel to be defeated. Now, God will give Israel the victory over these same chariots.

Sisera sends his army, and the chariots, east through the Jezreel Valley toward the Kishon River, near Mount Tabor and the waiting Israelites. The exact location of this battle turns out to be key to Israel’s victory. Later explanations imply an unexpected flood in this area. This would not only have drowned some of the Canaanites, but it would have turned the terrain into muck, and mobile iron chariots into immobile death traps (Judges 5:21).

Verse 14. And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.

The fearsome Canaanite general Sisera is on his way to battle with his 900 iron chariots (Judges 4:1–3). The Israelite army, led by God’s hand-picked deliverer Barak, wait for them on Mount Tabor. Barak had insisted that the prophetess of the Lord come with him to raise the army and to fight (Judges 4:4–10). Now she speaks on behalf of the Lord: an encouraging, commanding word: quwm! This means, “Up!” or “Go!” or “Arise!” depending on the translation. She makes it clear that the time to head into battle against Sisera is right now.

Deborah’s insistence might be more than just encouragement. Barak’s army is positioned on the high ground of Mount Tabor, yet they “went down” to engage Sisera’s army. That might suggest an unexpected advance—the Canaanites would have expected the Israelites to hold that higher position. It also ties to details given later in the book of Judges (Judges 5:21), suggesting that a sudden flood of the River Kishon may have ensnared the Canaanite army. It’s possible Deborah is commanding Barak to send his troops at a supernaturally revealed moment which catches the enemy at their most vulnerable.

The prophetess also assures Barak that God has guaranteed his victory. She asks Barak, “Doesn’t the Lord go before you?” The implied answer is that, of course, the Lord goes before them. This is the Lord’s battle. Barak and his army must simply obey and engage.

And so, they do. Barak’s troops follow him down from Mount Tabor to do battle with the Canaanites on the plain. The results are dramatic (Judges 4:15).

Verse 15. And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot.

The buildup to this major battle for Israel’s independence from Canaan (Judges 4:1–3) is resolved in just two verses. Barak and his troops descend from Mount Tabor to do battle with Sisera’s army, including his 900 iron chariots. The Lord goes before Barak’s army, and the Canaanites and their chariots are quickly defeated. God’s influence is already clear in the victory (Judges 4:7), but there might have been an overtly miraculous aspect to the battle.

Combining details from different verses suggests that Barak’s army pulled off a surprise attack on an enemy unexpectedly disabled by a natural disaster. The high ground on Mount Tabor (Judges 4:14) would have been a tactical advantage, yet Barak’s men engage Sisera’s army on the plain. Further, the Israeli army charges forward on the command of Deborah, the prophetess (Judges 4:4–8). The following chapter suggests a storm or flood swelled the Kishon River, sweeping some of the enemy away. That may also have soaked the field into a muddy mess (Judges 5:19–21). This would have turned iron chariots from a battle advantage into immobile ornaments. In such a situation, Barak’s army could have quickly moved through the Canaanites and struck them down. The chariots’ only option would be attempting a return to dry ground, effectively retreating, and losing their advantage.

Sisera, realizing the battle would be lost and that his own chariot was useless, got down and ran away on foot. Though it’s not likely he traveled completely alone, no other Canaanites are mentioned. He ran northeast from the battle while his remaining soldiers fled back west, the way they had come (Judges 4:16).

Verse 16. And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

The Lord has given Barak and his men a decisive battle over Sisera and the Canaanite army (Judges 4:12–13). Apparently, sudden flooding of the Kishon River (Judges 5:21) and Deborah’s well-timed command to attack (Judges 4:14) made Sisera’s chariots ineffective and turned the battle dramatically in Israel’s favor.

Sisera, seeing he would lose this battle, escaped to the northeast on foot (Judges 4:17). Whether this was cowardly, or sensible, is subject to different views. Most readers assume Sisera went entirely alone, but this seems unlikely. If he did go with any other soldiers, they are not mentioned. At the very least, Sisera is alone when he meets his fate, as decided in the following verses.

Any of Sisera’s men not yet struck down by Barak’s army attempted to flee back the way they had come, toward Harosheth-hagoyim to the west. Barak and his men chased down every one of them and killed them. Most battles, in most eras of history, rarely ended with more than a small percentage of the enemy dead. To defeat an enemy so thoroughly as to kill every soldier is a colossal event.

Verse 17. But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

The feared general of Canaan’s army has run away from his battle with Barak and the Israelites. Recognizing that the battle was lost, Sisera abandoned his iron chariot and fled on foot to avoid being captured and killed. Given that he flees in one direction, while his army is pursued and defeated in another, suggests he left as soon as the Israelites attacked (Judges 4:12–16).

Sisera now arrives at the tent of a woman called Jael. She is the wife of Heber the Kenite, the man introduced in a sidenote earlier in this passage (Judges 4:11). The Kenite people, who had been allies of the Israelites, had settled in southern Israel. Heber, though, had broken away from his people and settled in the north. His location was not far from Kedesh and Mount Tabor.

Heber had struck some peace agreement with King Jabin of Hazor: the Canaanite king oppressing Israel (Judges 4:1–3). This implies some formalized alliance between Heber’s clan and the Canaanites. This means Heber was technically allied against Israel. This may be why Sisera, desperate to find a place to hide from Barak and his soldiers, comes to Heber’s tents looking for refuge.

Context Summary
Judges 4:17–24 reveals the fulfillment of Deborah’s prophecy. As Israel routs and destroys an army, the enemy commander flees on foot. Sisera runs to the home of a man allied with his king, Jabin. Heber’s wife, Jael, reassures Sisera and hides him under a rug inside a tent. However, when Sisera falls asleep, she kills him by driving a tent peg through his skull and into the ground. She then tells Barak, the Israeli judge in pursuit of Sisera, what has happened. The people of Israel follow through on this victory until Jabin is also defeated.

Verse 18. And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

Sisera, the once-feared commander of the army of Canaan, is on the run. His forces have been thoroughly defeated by the Lord through Barak and his army (Judges 4:12–15). Sisera likely does not know that every single one of his soldiers has been killed and all their vaunted iron chariots have been defeated (Judges 4:16).

Scripture indicates that Barak’s Israeli forces pursued the Canaanite army in one direction, while Sisera fled in another. He likely recognized the impending defeat as soon as the battle started and ran for his life on foot. He bolted toward the dwelling place of a man called Heber (Judges 4:11), who had some formal alliance with the Canaanite king, Jabin. As Sisera approaches, Heber’s wife Jael sees the general and comes out to meet him. She urges him to “turn aside” into her tent and not to be afraid. She wants him to trust her to hide him from the Israelites.

Barak’s forces may have been close behind. Once Sisera enters Jael’s tent, she immediately covers him with a rug to hide him from anyone else who might approach. As far as Sisera knows, he’s found a safe place to stay until the Israeli army has passed by. Instead, he’s about to be tricked and brutally killed by this otherwise-hospitable woman.

Verse 19. And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.

The commander of the defeated Canaanite army, Sisera, is running for his life (Judges 4:15–16). He comes to the tents of a supposed ally in the region: Heber the Kenite (Judges 4:11). Heber has a peace agreement with Sisera’s Canaanite king, Jabin of Hazor. Perhaps that’s why Sisera so readily agrees to hide in the tent of Heber’s wife when she urges him to do so. She has told him not to be afraid and has covered him with a rug to conceal his presence (Judges 4:17–18).

Here, Sisera makes a polite request for water to drink. He is likely exhausted. He has come a long way from the battle. It’s not surprising he would be thirsty. At the same time, Sisera’s request is a clever means of demanding protection. Ancient middle eastern hospitality included protection for guests—which was implied when the host shared food or drink. According to social customs, offering a guest food was a solemn vow not to harm them.

This makes Jael’s response—and what happens shortly after—more surprising. She offers milk, which is heartier than water, and hides Sisera from prying eyes. From the standpoint of that culture, this was practically a sworn oath that she would seek Sisera’s good. As it happens, Jael’s motives are not helpful. She is certainly offering hospitality in an attempt to deceive, and possibly milk to make Sisera sleepier. By the time her true motives are revealed, it will be too late for the Canaanite general (Judges 4:20–21).

Verse 20. And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’”

Sisera has run, on foot, quite some distance to arrive at the encampment of a man named Heber (Judges 4:11, 15–17). Sisera expected to find shelter, since Heber shared a peace treaty with Jabin, king of Hazor and leader of the Canaanites who were oppressing Israel (Judges 4:1–3).

Heber does not appear in the story, however. Instead, Heber’s wife Jael sees the feared commander of the Canaanite army approaching. She goes out to meet him. She convinces him to hide in a tent, anticipating the inevitable soldiers who will come from Israel’s army. She covers him with a rug, likely a thick sheepskin or goatskin, and obliges his request for a drink by giving him milk (Judges 4:18–19). This act implies that she intends to extend full middle eastern hospitality—protecting a guest, affirmed as such when they are given food.

Perhaps Sisera recognizes that fatigue from his escape is catching up with him. He knows he will sleep soon. Before he does, he gives specific instructions to Jael. He tells her to stand guard and lie if anyone asks if someone is inside. Satisfied that he is somewhat safe with Jael’s protection, Sisera soon falls asleep inside the tent. As the next verse shows, he won’t stand up again (Judges 4:21).

Verse 21. But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.

Within the flow of this story, this verse is sudden and shocking. We simply do not see it coming. Ehud’s assassination of Eglon (Judges 3:21–22) was gory and brutal, but clearly foreshadowed by mentions of Ehud’s hidden weapon (Judges 3:16). This violence comes out of nowhere; Jael instantly pivots from gracious hostess to brutal killer.

The unexpected executioner asked Sisera, the fleeing commander of Jabin’s Canaanite army (Judges 4:15–17), to come into a tent to hide from the pursuing Israelites. Her husband Heber (Judges 4:11) had a peace agreement with Jabin (Judges 4:18–19). Sisera had multiple reasons to assume he would be safe from harm with Jael standing guard.

Jael’s family group is nomadic, and women were responsible for setting up and taking down tents. She would have been very comfortable with handling a hammer and spikes. Tents were a combination of coverings and posts, anchored to the ground using “pegs.” In this context, a tent peg was a sharp wooden spike about 12 inches, or 30 centimeters, in length and about 1 inch, or 25 millimeters, in diameter.

As soon as the general has fallen asleep, Jael sneaks up to him with a tent peg and a mallet—probably a wooden hammer. She selects the soft spot on the side of the skull, in the area between the eye, ear, and forehead. She then hammers the spike through the general’s skull and into the ground below. It’s not likely she delivered a single impact: the spike is driven entirely through Sisera’s head and into the dirt. Brutal as it sounds, Sisera’s death was probably quick; it’s possible he never knew what happened.

The verse ends with a phrase so obvious that it’s likely included only for the sake of poetry and irony: “so he died.”

Verse 22. And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, was the only remaining Canaanite survivor from a battle with the Israelites (Judges 4:15–16). The Lord selected a man named Barak to deliver Israel from her oppressors, leading fighting men to victory over Sisera and his forces (Judges 4:4–7). When the battle turned against him, Sisera ran away from his army to the tents of a supposed ally: Heber the Kenite (Judges 4:11, 17). There, Heber’s wife, Jael, fed him and covered him to hide from the Israeli troops.

Then, in an unexpected moment, she snuck up on Sisera while he slept and hammered a wooden stake through his skull, killing him (Judges 4:21). Her exact motives are unknown. Her ancestors were friendly to Israel (Judges 1:16). Sisera had a poor reputation for his treatment of women (Judges 5:30). She might have suddenly feared what would happen to her family if Sisera was discovered. For one or all those reasons, she brutally and efficiently slays the Canaanite general.

Now the Israelites arrive, looking for Sisera. They are led by Barak, who likely hopes to capture or kill the enemy commander to seal a glorious victory. Instead of hiding her action, Jael goes out to meet Barak and invites him to see the man he is looking for. Barak enters her tent to find Sisera dead, with his head nailed to the ground.

This exactly fulfills the words of Deborah the prophetess from earlier in the chapter (Judges 4:8–9). Barak would not obey the Lord’s command to recruit and lead fighting men against Sisera unless Deborah came along. She agreed but told Barak he would not get the glory for defeating Sisera. Instead, the Lord would make Sisera fall at the hands of a woman.

When the prediction was first given, most readers would assume it meant Deborah, not Barak, would get the glory for defeating Sisera. That is still true, at least in part. Barak wouldn’t go without her (Judges 4:8) and she gave the crucial attack order (Judges 4:14). But “glory” for killing the Canaanite general isn’t Deborah’s, nor Barak’s. It now becomes clear that God, speaking through the prophetess Deborah, predicted Jael’s slaughter of the general as he slept.

Verse 23. So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.

Jabin was the king of Canaan—a distinct kingdom among a broader group with the same name. He had oppressed the Israelites for twenty years (Judges 4:1–3). He was able to do so because of his powerful army, led by the much-feared general Sisera and the 900 iron chariots at his disposal (Judges 5:6).

In response to cries for help from His people, the Lord subdued Jabin. He has spoken through his prophetess Deborah and has raised up a deliverer named Barak. Barak has followed the Lord by recruiting and leading an army against Sisera. That resulted in an overwhelming victory in which every Canaanite soldier was killed (Judges 4:15–16). In addition, the Lord used an otherwise unknown woman to kill Sisera, who ran from the battle and was executed in his sleep (Judges 4:21–22).

The battle against the Canaanites and Sisera’s death have taken place, most likely, in a single day. Jabin himself is not yet defeated, but he soon will be. For most of human history, it has been rare for many, let alone most, soldiers to die in a battle. For Canaan to lose the entire army is devastating, and the defeat of the kingdom is not far behind. These two verses repeat Jabin’s name and title three times (Judges 4:24), emphasizing the relentless, thorough defeat of Israel’s enemy.

Verse 24. And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Jabin, king of Canaan, had cruelly oppressed Israel for twenty years through the overwhelming force of his army and their 900 iron chariots. Now, though, the Lord has given victory to Israel over that army and that army’s feared general Sisera. This has all happened in just one day (Judges 4:1–3, 15–16, 23).

The chapter ends noting that the Israelites pushed back against Jabin’s Canaanite forces until they destroyed him. With his major army and Sisera entirely wiped out, Jabin would have had little hope of resisting the Israelites. Defeat would have only been a matter of time.

Still, the text has been clear that Jabin’s defeat came at the hand of God, first and foremost. He made use of Deborah (Judges 4:4–7), Barak (Judges 4:8–10), and Jael (Judges 4:21–22) to accomplish His will. Judges reveals over and again that God is ultimately responsible for Israel’s repeated punishment for their wickedness, and their repeated rescue from oppression when they cry to Him for help (Judges 2:14–18).

That pattern will repeat several more times. Before the next cycle begins—through the story of Gideon (Judges 6:11)—Scripture will make use of poetry to tell the story of Deborah and Barak from a different perspective.

End of Judges 4

Please Note:

The material use in this post, video is from BibleRef.com which is from Got Questions Ministries and is posted here to be read by Immersive reader in the Edge Browser. If you copy this material please follow these rules:

•Content from BibleRef.com may not be used for any commercial purposes, or as part of any commercial work, without explicit prior written consent from Got Questions ministries.

•Any use of our material should be properly credited; please make it clear the content is from BibleRef.com.

•BibleRef.com content may not be altered, modified, or otherwise changed unless such changes are specifically noted.