Juízes 4
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Juízes 4
NJB (MT versing) Deborah and Barak Deliver From Canaanites Deborah Deborah (4:1-5:31) Deborah and Barak Israel Oppressed by Canaanites 4:1-3 4:1-3 4:1-3 4:1-3 4:1-3 Deborah 4:4-10 4:4-10 4:4-10 4:4-7 4:4-10 4:8 4:9-10 Heber the Kenite 4:11 4:11-16 4:11 4:11 4:11 Defeat of Sisera 4:12-16 4:12-16 4:12-13 4:12-16 4:14-16 Death of Sisera 4:17-22 4:17-22 4:17-22 4:17-20 4:17-22 4:21-22 Israel Delivered 4:23-24 4:23-24 4:23-24 4:23-24 4:23-24 Etc. BRIEF INTRODUCTION Judges 3 primarily deals with problems in southern Canaan. Judges 4 primarily deals with problems in northern Canaan. Judges 4 is a prose account of Deborah's judging ministry, while Judges 5 is a poetic account of the same incident. We learn from Egyptian documents that this was a quite common literary technique during this period and is one more evidence of the historicity of the book of Judges.
Juízes 4:1-3
4:1 "the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord" This is a recurrent phrase throughout the period of the Judges. The evil spoken of here is that they worshiped the fertility gods of Canaan. SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 4:2 "the Lord sold them into the hand of" Again, this is the opposite of the term "redeemed" (see note at Jdgs. 2:14 and 3:8). ▣ "Jabin king of Canaan" There is another Jabin (BDB 108) mentioned in Joshua 11 who was killed by Joshua and was also the king of Hazor. Many have tried to say that these two accounts are a jumbled account of that one event. However, the term "Jabin" may be a family name or a title for the kings of Hazor, as "pharaoh" is for Egypt, "Hadad" is for Syria, and later "Caesar" is for Rome. The title "king of Canaan" is unique and unusual. NET Bible changes it to "King Jabin of Canaan"; TEV has "Jabin, a Canaanite King" he may have led a confederacy of Canaanite city-states (note Jos. 11:10) it may have been an honorific title for the leader of the largest, most powerful Canaanite city of its day Surprisingly, he is not mentioned in the poetic account of Judges 5. ▣ "who reigned in Hazor" Hazor is a site about eight and a half miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It is a huge archaeological site. Megiddo, another city in the north, is about 40 acres, but Hazor is 240 acres. This was the chief Canaanite stronghold of the north. It was destroyed by Joshua in Joshua 11. There were not enough Israelis to occupy all the cities and possibly it was reoccupied by Canaanites. ▣ "and the commander of his army was Sisera" Sisera (BDB 696) is not a Hebrew or Canaanite name and we do not know his origin (may be Philistine, AB, p. 94), but he was the military commander for the Canaanite city-state of Hazor. ▣ "who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim" The location is uncertain but the name means "forest of the nations" or "international forest" (BDB 361 II). 4:3 "for he had 900 iron chariots" Iron is something that the Hebrews did not possess early at this period of their history. At the time, only the Philistines had iron weapons (cf. 1 Sam. 13:19-21). This does not mean the entire chariots were iron but just their ornaments (i.e., breast plates for horses and chariots; the chariots allowed the indigenous Canaanites to control the valleys but not the foothills their wheels Nine hundred chariots is far too many for one Canaanite city, so this must mean that a coalition of Canaanite city-states joined together to repel the invading Israelites.
Juízes 4:4-10
4:4 "Now Deborah, a prophetess" Deborah means "bee" (BDB 184). There are many women in places of leadership in the OT. Miriam in Exod. 15:20; Huldah in 2 Kgs. 24:14, were called prophetesses. Noadiah in Neh. 6:14 was a false prophetess. Anna in Luke 2:36; Phoebe in Rom. 16:1; Philip's daughters in Acts 21:9; and the widow's list of 1 Tim. 3:11 also had positions of leadership in the NT. It is true that the norm (i.e., patriarchal culture) is God using a man to lead His people, but the fact that we have these notable exceptions shows that any dogmatic statement about women's leadership is inappropriate! One must balance Paul's strong statements in this matter to the culture of his day. The issue is far from easy to solve but must be thought through clearly, biblically, not emotionally, culturally, or denominationally! SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN MINISTRY SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN KEEP SILENT ▣ "the wife of Lappidoth" His name means "torches" (BDB 542). Many have believed that because Barak, Deborah's general's name means "lightening" (BDB 140), that maybe she was married to her general, but this seems to be reading too much into the similarities of these two names. Some commentators have asserted that this man's name is a FEMININE form but in truth it is not FEMININE but an ABSTRACT CONSTRUCT. 4:5 "the palm tree" Trees often had special cultic association, as the oaks of Moreh (cf. Gen. 12:6) in the life of Abraham. See also Jdgs. 6:11, 19; 9:6, 37; 1 Sam. 10:3; 18:9, 10; 1 Kgs. 13:14; 1 Chr. 10:12. ▣ "the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment" This shows that she was more than just a local judge for she seems to have judged in the south and delivered the north. 4:6 "Barak the son of Abinoam from Kadesh-naphtali" Barak (BDB 140) means "lightening." This location must be differentiated from Kadesh-barnea in the south. Barak was from the area affected by the control of the Canaannite city of Hazor. In a sense Deborah is not a typical "judge." She actually, and uniquely in Judges, functions as a person who settles legal and religious disputes (cf. Jdgs. 4:5). It is Barak who is the typical military leader/judge, common in Judges. He is listed with other judges in Hebrew 11:32, but Deborah is not mentioned. Deborah is a prophetess, not a judge in the military sense. ▣ "Mount Tabor" Mount Tabor is an isolated hill northeast of the plains of Megiddo or the Valley of Esdraelon (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 1246). Because it was a hill, the chariots of Sisera were not effective against it. ▣ "ten thousand" The OT uses (1) hyperbolic numbers or (2) idioms to express groups (cf. Jdgs. 4:10,14). Modern westerners misunderstand this imagery (see D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic. SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph) SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE ▣ "the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun" These are two of the tribes in the tribal allocation affected by the Canaanite city of Hazor. In Judges 5 we learn that many more of the tribes were involved, probably the two primary groups came from these two northern tribes. 4:7 NASB, NKJV, TEV "river" NRSV, JPSOA, REB, LXX "wadi" "torrent" This term (BDB 636) refers to a ravine where water rushes through during the months of snow melt and rain storms (Jdgs. 5:21; Ps. 83:10), but is dry the rest of the year. These dry wadis were often used as roads. 4:9 "She said, I will surely go with you" This is an intensified grammar feature (an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root, BDB 229, KB 246). Barak wanted Deborah close by in case he needed to consult YHWH. ▣ "the honor shall not be yours" This has two possible references. Deborah accompanying Barak Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite, killing the army commander Sisera, Jdgs. 4:17-22
Juízes 4:11
4:11 "Now Heber the Kenite" This short verse is inserted to explain the presence of Jael in Jdgs. 4:17 and her significant role in the death of Sisera. The Kenites are a Midianite tribe (cf. Jdgs. 1:13,16; Num. 10:29). Moses' father-in-law was a member of this people group, as was Caleb.
Juízes 4:12-16
4:14 "the Lord has gone out before you" This is "holy war" terminology (cf. Deut. 1:30; 3:22; 2 Sam. 5:24). Victory came only because of YHWH's presence not the power, skill, or numbers of the Israeli army. Note Jdgs. 4:15, "the Lord routed Sisera" and Jdgs. 4:23, "So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan." YHWH uses human instrumentality. Moses ‒ Exod. 3:8-10 here Deborah Barak (cf. Heb. 11:32) Jael 4:15 "The Lord routed Sisera. . .alighted from his chariot" We learn from Jdgs. 5:4, 5, and 21 that apparently the Lord had caused a huge thunderstorm to soften the ground so that the iron chariots bogged down in the Valley of Esdeaelon. They had to abandon their chariots, which were their only means of superiority. This VERB (BDB 243, KB 251, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) means "to confuse" or "vex," and is used of YHWH confusing the Egyptian honor guard at the Red Sea with the Shekinah cloud of glory separating the Israelites (cf. Exod. 14:24; also note Jos. 10:10). 4:16 "not even one was left" This is also "holy war" terminology (cf. Exod. 14:28; Ps. 83:9). This is what YHWH had commanded of Israel.
Juízes 4:17-22
4:17 "Jael" Her name (BDB418) means "mountain-goat" (cf. Job 39:1; Ps. 104:18). ▣ "for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite" Some scholars have suggested that "the Kenites" (related to Cain) were metal workers (cf. Gen. 4:22) and that Heber helped build the iron chariots and other weaponry for Hazor. This is just interesting speculation. 4:18 "And he turned aside to her into the tent" Apparently from Bedouin examples, the women had separate tents and Jael must have had a tent to herself (note Gen. 31:33). She tricked him into thinking he was safe under her cloak, but then she drove a tent peg through his temple (cf. Jdgs. 4:21). Remember, the women were the ones who set up the tents and she would have had these tools and the ability to use them. ▣ "with a rug" This word (BDB 970) occurs only here. It is similar to "mantle" (BDB 971), which refers to an outer garment (cf. Gen. 35:2; Ruth 3:3). See NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1255. 4:21 "temple" Most English translations have "temple," but the word (BDB 956) occurs only in Jdgs. 4:21; 5:26 Song of Songs 4:3; 6:7 Since it seems difficult to drive a stake through one's skull, it may refer to the upper neck behind the ear. ▣ "he was sound asleep" This PARTICIPLE (BDB 922, KB 1191, Niphal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) may denote something even stronger than "deep sleep," possibly "stunned." It is even possible that Jael put something in the milk that drugged him (cf. Jdgs. 5:25; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1057).
Juízes 4:23-24
4:24 These summary verses show that the Promised Land was taken in stages, not in one swift movement.