New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Judges 5
1
On that day Deborah and Barak sang a song. Barak was the son of Abinoam. Here is what Deborah and Barak sang.
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2
"The princes in Israel lead the way. The people follow them just because they want to. Praise the Lord!
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3
"Kings, hear this! Rulers, listen! I will sing to the Lord. I will sing. I will make music to the Lord. He is the God of Israel.
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4
"Lord, you went out from Mount Seir. You marched out from the land of Edom. The earth shook. The heavens poured. The clouds poured down their water.
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5
The mountains shook because of the Lord. He was at Mount Sinai. They shook because of the Lord. He is the God of Israel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Nahum 1:5
Hebrews 12:18
Habakkuk 3:10
References Lord
Psalm 97:5
Sin
Exodus 19:18
Psalm 68:8
6
"The roads were deserted. So travelers used the winding paths. That happened in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath. It happened in the days of Jael.
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7
Life in the villages of Israel stopped. It stopped until I, Deborah, came. I came as a mother in Israel.
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8
The people chose new gods. Then war came to the city gates. But no shields or spears were seen anywhere. There weren't any among 40,000 men in Israel.
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9
My heart is with the princes in Israel. It's with the people who follow them just because they want to. Praise the Lord!
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 8:12
2 Corinthians 9:5
2 Corinthians 8:17
References Lord
Judges 5:2
1 Chronicles 29:9
10
"Some of you ride on white donkeys. Some of you sit on your saddle blankets. Some of you walk along the road. Think about
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11
the voices of the singers at the watering places. They sing about the right things the Lord does. They sing about the right things his warriors in Israel do. "The people of the Lord went down to the city gates.
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12
'Wake up, Deborah! Wake up!' they said. 'Wake up! Wake up! Begin to sing! Barak, get up! Son of Abinoam, capture your prisoners!'
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 68:18
Ephesians 4:8
Psalm 57:8
Jeremiah 31:26
1 Corinthians 15:34
2 Timothy 2:26
Resurrection
Ephesians 5:14
13
"Then the people who were left came down to the nobles. The people of the Lord came to me against the powerful enemy.
14
Some came from the part of Ephraim where some Amalekites lived. Benjamin was with the people who followed Ephraim. Captains came down from Makir. Those who rule like commanders came down from Zebulun.
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15
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. The men of Issachar were with Barak. They rushed behind him into the valley. In the territories of Reuben, men looked deeply into their hearts.
Reference
Parallel theme
Judges 4:14
16
Why did they stay among the campfires? Why did they stay to hear shepherds whistling for the flocks? In the territories of Reuben, men looked deeply into their hearts.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:24
17
Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River. Why did Dan stay near the ships? The men of Asher remained on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They stayed in their safe harbors.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 13:25
18
The people of Zebulun put their very lives in danger. So did Naphtali on the hills in the open country.
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19
"Kings came and fought. The kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the streams of Megiddo. But they didn't carry any silver away. They didn't take anything at all.
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21
The Kishon River swept them away. The Kishon is a very old river. My spirit, march on! Be strong!
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22
The hoofs of the horses pounded like thunder. The powerful horses of our enemies galloped away.
23
'Let Meroz be cursed,' said the angel of the Lord. 'Let bitter curses fall on its people. They did not come to help the Lord. They did not come to help him against our powerful enemies.'
📍 Meroz
24
"May Jael be the most blessed woman of all. May the wife of the Kenite Heber be blessed. May she be the most blessed woman of all those who live in tents.
Reference
25
Sisera asked for water. She gave him milk. In a bowl that was fit for nobles she brought him buttermilk.
26
Her hand reached out for a tent stake. Her right hand reached for a hammer. She hit Sisera. She crushed his head. She drove the stake right through his head.
27
He sank down. He fell at her feet. He was lying there. At her feet he sank down. He fell. He fell where he sank down. That's where he died.
28
"Sisera's mother looked out through the window. From behind the wooden screen she cried out. 'Why is his chariot taking so long to get here?' she said. 'Why can't I hear the noise of his chariots yet?'
29
Her wisest ladies answer her. And here's what she keeps saying to herself.
30
She says, 'They must be finding riches to bring back. They must be dividing them up. Each man is getting a woman or two. They are giving colorful clothes to Sisera. The clothes are very beautiful. He will bring some for me to wear. The men must be finding many things to bring home.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 15:9
Summary of Judges 5
Judges chapter 5 contains the Song of Deborah (or Barak) which praises the Lord for leading Israel to victory over Jabin, king of Canaan, and Sisera his army commander-in-chief. The song recounts the battle, which was described in chapter 4, but provides additional information about the participants, the situation Israel was in prior to the battle, and the manner by which God led them to victory. It was sung in celebration of the defeat of the Canaanite army, and praises and thanks the Lord for delivering Israel.
The chapter begins with Deborah and Barak singing; they praise the Lord because Israel’s leaders had volunteered their service and the people had followed them. The first verses make clear that the battle was successful and that the people were eager to fight when the time came.
Deborah then calls upon the kings and rulers to listen. She wants all the nations to hear what the Lord had done for Israel; God had come from Seir and Edom, shaken the earth and the heavens, and made the mountains quake (v. 4). She speaks of God as if the battle was won because of His might.
The poem then recounts the troubles Israel was under before Deborah raised her voice. The highways were empty, and people traveled on secluded roads (v. 8). The villages were desolate; there was no one to work the land, or to stop the enemy.
Israel was defenseless; there were no shields or spears to be seen in all of Israel (v. 6). This could be taken literally or figuratively, but either way, it shows the extent to which the enemy had overwhelmed Israel.
Deborah describes how she had awoken Israel, calling herself a mother in Israel. She was able to rally the people and lead them into battle.
She also recalls the spiritual state of Israel: they had turned to other gods, and battle had come to their own land; the enemy had gathered together and Israel suffered under their cruel oppression.
After this, Deborah praises the many Israelite leaders who had answered the call to battle. She names Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, Reuben, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. They all responded, but none as fully as Deborah wished. Ephraim and Benjamin fought alongside her, and Machir (of Manasseh) rallied the people. Zebulun and Issachar also answered the call, but Naphtali was commended for risking their lives on the battlefield.
The tribes also fought with different levels of enthusiasm. Deborah does not criticize Reuben, saying only that they had great thoughts and searched their hearts, but that they had remained in their sheepfolds. Gilead (the East) also held back, remaining east of Jordan. Dan stayed with their ships, and Asher with the sea and its shores.
There is a contrast between the tribes who responded eagerly to the call and those who remained behind. Deborah praises those who answered and those who did not. She calls special attention to Zebulun and Naphtali, who fought despite the danger, and speaks of them exposing themselves to the battle on the high places of the field.
The song then returns to the battle. The kings of Canaan came together with their armies, gathering near Taanach by the waters of Megiddo (v. 19). Thinking themselves safe and victorious, they gathered their riches and treasure, but it was all in vain.
The heavens fought Sisera; the stars fought from their courses (v. 20). The river Kishon swept away his mighty and iron-charioteers. God had used the elements to turn the battle, and the strength of Israel had been too great for Sisera to withstand.
The song praises Jael, Heber the Kenite’s wife, for killing Sisera with a peg from the ground. Sisera had arrived at her tent and asked for water, and she had given him milk. He had fallen asleep, thinking himself safe, unaware that she had placed a sharp tent peg in his temple and killed him. The enemy’s strength and might had been rendered useless against Israel, and Sisera was the first of them to fall.
The song turns to describe Sisera’s mother, waiting for him to return from battle. She peers out the window; the women around her ask if his chariot is not the fastest, and if his men have not divided the spoil. All the while, Sisera is dead in the tent, and the enemy’s army has been routed and destroyed.
The chapter ends with Deborah praying regarding the enemies of the Lord and those who loved Him. She asks that the enemies of God be destroyed as those who opposed Him were, and asks that those who loved Him be as the sun rising in its strength.
After this victory, Israel was at peace for forty years.
Judges 5 is more than a mere victory song; it is a description of the power of God, as demonstrated by the battle against Sisera. The people of Israel may have fought the battle, but the song makes clear, throughout the poem, that the victory was the Lord’s. Israel may have been victorious, but the enemies had fought with greater strength and Israel had only survived because God had delivered them.
The song also demonstrates the importance of unity. The Israelites who had fought unitedly had triumphed, whereas those who had remained behind were described as having done so with hesitation. Israel was not united under a permanent ruler, and so their enemy was able to overcome them easily. Deborah rose up as a leader and encouraged the people to come together in battle; those who did were commended, and those who did not, condemned.
The Song of Deborah also honors women. Deborah herself is praised, and Jael is honored even more highly as she was the one who delivered Israel from Sisera. The poem describes the power of God, not only in the might of the elements, but also in the strength of the women when Sisera had fled and was at Jael’s mercy.
There is a marked contrast between the strength of Sisera and the might of the Lord. Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots, but God defeated him with the power of the storm and the river. The people of Israel had been defenseless against such might, but God delivered them. Sisera thought himself safe in Jael’s tent, but the Lord killed him with an instrument of peace.
Judges chapter 5 also describes the twenty years of oppression Israel had suffered at the hands of Jabin and Sisera that are mentioned in chapter 4. The highways had been deserted and the villages empty; people had lived in fear. The people of Israel were suffering, and the land was wasted. The battle cry of Barak and Deborah had changed things, and life had returned to normal.
The statement that the land had rest for forty years also concludes the story of Deborah and Barak, but it is a fitting end for the entire book. Israel had sinned and fallen afoul of the Lord. They had cried out for His help, and He had sent deliverers to rescue them, but when Israel refused to listen to Him, they fell again. The Song of Deborah serves as a reminder to later chapters of the faithfulness of God, and the courage and conviction of His servants. The Israelites had fought the battles of their lives, and the Lord had fought for them, too. The chapter ends with the peace of victory, but the events of the book would repeat themselves again and again.
The chapter begins with Deborah and Barak singing; they praise the Lord because Israel’s leaders had volunteered their service and the people had followed them. The first verses make clear that the battle was successful and that the people were eager to fight when the time came.
Deborah then calls upon the kings and rulers to listen. She wants all the nations to hear what the Lord had done for Israel; God had come from Seir and Edom, shaken the earth and the heavens, and made the mountains quake (v. 4). She speaks of God as if the battle was won because of His might.
The poem then recounts the troubles Israel was under before Deborah raised her voice. The highways were empty, and people traveled on secluded roads (v. 8). The villages were desolate; there was no one to work the land, or to stop the enemy.
Israel was defenseless; there were no shields or spears to be seen in all of Israel (v. 6). This could be taken literally or figuratively, but either way, it shows the extent to which the enemy had overwhelmed Israel.
Deborah describes how she had awoken Israel, calling herself a mother in Israel. She was able to rally the people and lead them into battle.
She also recalls the spiritual state of Israel: they had turned to other gods, and battle had come to their own land; the enemy had gathered together and Israel suffered under their cruel oppression.
After this, Deborah praises the many Israelite leaders who had answered the call to battle. She names Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, Reuben, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. They all responded, but none as fully as Deborah wished. Ephraim and Benjamin fought alongside her, and Machir (of Manasseh) rallied the people. Zebulun and Issachar also answered the call, but Naphtali was commended for risking their lives on the battlefield.
The tribes also fought with different levels of enthusiasm. Deborah does not criticize Reuben, saying only that they had great thoughts and searched their hearts, but that they had remained in their sheepfolds. Gilead (the East) also held back, remaining east of Jordan. Dan stayed with their ships, and Asher with the sea and its shores.
There is a contrast between the tribes who responded eagerly to the call and those who remained behind. Deborah praises those who answered and those who did not. She calls special attention to Zebulun and Naphtali, who fought despite the danger, and speaks of them exposing themselves to the battle on the high places of the field.
The song then returns to the battle. The kings of Canaan came together with their armies, gathering near Taanach by the waters of Megiddo (v. 19). Thinking themselves safe and victorious, they gathered their riches and treasure, but it was all in vain.
The heavens fought Sisera; the stars fought from their courses (v. 20). The river Kishon swept away his mighty and iron-charioteers. God had used the elements to turn the battle, and the strength of Israel had been too great for Sisera to withstand.
The song praises Jael, Heber the Kenite’s wife, for killing Sisera with a peg from the ground. Sisera had arrived at her tent and asked for water, and she had given him milk. He had fallen asleep, thinking himself safe, unaware that she had placed a sharp tent peg in his temple and killed him. The enemy’s strength and might had been rendered useless against Israel, and Sisera was the first of them to fall.
The song turns to describe Sisera’s mother, waiting for him to return from battle. She peers out the window; the women around her ask if his chariot is not the fastest, and if his men have not divided the spoil. All the while, Sisera is dead in the tent, and the enemy’s army has been routed and destroyed.
The chapter ends with Deborah praying regarding the enemies of the Lord and those who loved Him. She asks that the enemies of God be destroyed as those who opposed Him were, and asks that those who loved Him be as the sun rising in its strength.
After this victory, Israel was at peace for forty years.
Judges 5 is more than a mere victory song; it is a description of the power of God, as demonstrated by the battle against Sisera. The people of Israel may have fought the battle, but the song makes clear, throughout the poem, that the victory was the Lord’s. Israel may have been victorious, but the enemies had fought with greater strength and Israel had only survived because God had delivered them.
The song also demonstrates the importance of unity. The Israelites who had fought unitedly had triumphed, whereas those who had remained behind were described as having done so with hesitation. Israel was not united under a permanent ruler, and so their enemy was able to overcome them easily. Deborah rose up as a leader and encouraged the people to come together in battle; those who did were commended, and those who did not, condemned.
The Song of Deborah also honors women. Deborah herself is praised, and Jael is honored even more highly as she was the one who delivered Israel from Sisera. The poem describes the power of God, not only in the might of the elements, but also in the strength of the women when Sisera had fled and was at Jael’s mercy.
There is a marked contrast between the strength of Sisera and the might of the Lord. Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots, but God defeated him with the power of the storm and the river. The people of Israel had been defenseless against such might, but God delivered them. Sisera thought himself safe in Jael’s tent, but the Lord killed him with an instrument of peace.
Judges chapter 5 also describes the twenty years of oppression Israel had suffered at the hands of Jabin and Sisera that are mentioned in chapter 4. The highways had been deserted and the villages empty; people had lived in fear. The people of Israel were suffering, and the land was wasted. The battle cry of Barak and Deborah had changed things, and life had returned to normal.
The statement that the land had rest for forty years also concludes the story of Deborah and Barak, but it is a fitting end for the entire book. Israel had sinned and fallen afoul of the Lord. They had cried out for His help, and He had sent deliverers to rescue them, but when Israel refused to listen to Him, they fell again. The Song of Deborah serves as a reminder to later chapters of the faithfulness of God, and the courage and conviction of His servants. The Israelites had fought the battles of their lives, and the Lord had fought for them, too. The chapter ends with the peace of victory, but the events of the book would repeat themselves again and again.