Judges 5
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 1220 BC – 1125 BC · Conquest & the judges · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
31 verses · 676 words · ~3 min read · ~5 min listen
The Song of Deborah and Barak
1On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2“When the princes take the lead in Israel,
when the people volunteer,
bless the Lord.
3Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I will sing to the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord,
the God of Israel.
4O 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.
5The mountains quaked before the Lord,
the One of Sinai,
before the Lord,
the God of Israel.
in the days of Jael,
the highways were deserted
and the travelers took the byways.
7Life in the villages ceased;
it ended in Israel,
until I, Deborah, arose,
a mother in Israel.
8When they chose new gods,
then war came to their gates.
Not a shield or spear was found
among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with the princes of Israel,
with the volunteers among the people.
Bless the Lord!
10You who ride white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and you who travel the road,
ponder 11the 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:
12‘Awake, awake, O Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, O Barak,
and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
13Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The commanders came down from Machir,
the bearers of the marshalʼs staff from Zebulun.
rushing into the valley at his heels.
In the clans of Reuben
there was great indecision.
16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the clans of Reuben
there was great indecision.
Dan, why did you linger by the ships?
Asher stayed at the coast
and remained in his harbors.
18Zebulun was a people who risked their lives;
Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
19Kings came and fought;
by the waters of Megiddo,
but they took no plunder of silver.
20From the heavens the stars fought;
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21The River Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the River Kishon.
March on, O my soul, in strength!
22Then the hooves of horses thundered—
the mad galloping of his stallions.
23‘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.’
24Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25He asked for water, and she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26She reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workmanʼs hammer.
She struck Sisera and crushed his skull;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27At her feet he collapsed, he fell,
there he lay still;
at her feet he collapsed, he fell;
where he collapsed, there he fell dead.
28Siseraʼs 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?’
29Her wisest ladies answer;
indeed she keeps telling herself,
30‘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?’
31So 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.
Footnotes (3)
- a v11 Or archers or those who divide the sheep
- b v11 Or warriors
- c v15 Or much searching of heart; also in verse 16
Study notes on this chapter · 1
Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated
Armageddon
At the sixth bowl the kings of the whole world are gathered to the place called in Hebrew 'Armageddon' for the battle of the great day of God. The name probably means 'Mountain of Megiddo', though no such mountain exists. Megiddo was a site of decisive battles in Israel's history.
When: Revelation, c. AD 90s.
Original passageRevelation 16:12–16
Ways people read this (4)
- A literal end-time battle in the valley of Jezreel near Megiddo (many futurist readings).
- A symbolic picture of the final defeat of evil, drawing on Megiddo's history and on Ezekiel 38–39, and not tied to a place.
- 'Har-Magedon' may come from Hebrew 'mo'ed' (assembly) or 'Megiddo' and may refer to Jerusalem or a mountain of assembly.
- The battle has been fulfilled in the victory of Christ at the cross (some idealist readings).
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.