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Jdg_5:9-11
Who devoted themselves among the people,—Praise God!
10 Ye who ride on beautifully-saddled asses,
Who sit on mats,
And walk through ways,—Sing!
11 Instead of the cry of the contending at the cisterns,
They praise there the benefaction of God,
The benefaction of his freedom in Israel,—
When the People of God hastened down to the gates.
Jdg_5:10. Praise God. The Song of Deborah is a hymn of praise to God: praise forms the keynote to all its variations. The refrain of Jdg_5:2 is here repeated, because the thought of Jdg_5:2 has come up in a new form. The arrangement of the poem is delicate and beautiful. Jdg_5:2 called on all to praise God. Thereupon she herself began to sing, Jdg_5:3 : “I will praise;” her own personality comes to view in her song of God, and again in the saving power through which she became a mother of Israel. From Jdg_5:9 she transfers the work of praise to others. The self-devotion of “her heart” had communicated itself to the people. “Praise God,” she resumes; but now they are to sing who have been delivered, and enjoy the fruits of victory. The whole Song is a hymn of freedom. How extreme and miserable was the recent oppression! The country was full of danger, intercourse interrupted, life enslaved. But now everything is free again. Every kind of movement is practicable. The highways are secure Therefore, praise is to employ all who enjoy this return of rest. Whoever now is able to travel, without being hindered, robbed, or put in peril of his life, is to thank God who restored him this privilege. They who can ride, rest, or walk in peace again—for now animals are not stolen, tents are not plundered, foot-travellers are not murdered,—are to know and proclaim the preciousness of this new blessing. It is the habit of Biblical writers to comprehend the various movements of persons under the terms “walking, standing, and sitting” (cf. Psa_1:1). Here, where the freedom of the open country is spoken of, riding is naturally mentioned in the place of standing, which was included in the other expressions. The riders are represented as riding on àúֹðåֹú öçֹøåֹú . To ride on asses, was certainly a well-known custom (cf. Jdg_10:4; Jdg_12:14); but the mention of “white,” or as it is commonly rendered, “white-dappled” asses, would not be very suitable. Even though the connection of the word öְçֹøåֹú with those roots which signify “to glisten,” should be finally established, still it will always seem more appropriate to refer it to the beautiful, ornamented coverings that served for saddles. But there seems to be also a philological affinity between tsachar and what the Greeks and Romans called óÜãìá , óÜãç , sagma, and the Germans saumsattel (pack-saddle). Asses, we know, carried burdens: provisions, corn, wine, etc. (Gen_42:25; Gen_45:23; 1Sa_25:18; cf. Bochart, Hieroz. i. 184). They are to this day the important beast of burden in Palestine; and to leave the ass unladen, even on steep mountain paths, is considered injurious (Ritter, xvii. 295). The Targum (Jonathan), in its rendering of Lev_15:9, uses the word óÜãç ; for æָâָà , and not æåֹðָà , is to be read in its text at that place (a fact overlooked by Sachs, Beiträge zur Sprachf., note 2, 196). The thought suggests itself naturally that restored freedom and security must have been of special value to those who transported important and costly articles. The passage becomes peculiarly significant, if brought in to connection with the safety of traffic and intercourse, consequent upon the enemy’s destruction.—And sit on mats. Since here also the blessings of freedom are the subject of discourse, those only can be meant who were accustomed to sojourn in tents and tent-villages. “To spread the covering,” and “to pitch the tent,” are to this day equivalent expressions. “To sit on cloths,” was the poetic phrase for dwelling in the open country, in hamlets, oases, and on highways, without needing the protection of walls and fortifications. îִãִּéï (mats) is undoubtedly a plural of îַã , garment. It is in keeping with the make of ancient, especially of oriental dress, that the various terms for garment, covering, cloth, are more indefinite and interchangeable than in modern times. Such, for instance, is the case with áֶּâֶã , garment (Num_4:6-13); compare also ëְּñåּú , covering (Deu_22:12). For the establishment of this general signification of îִãִּéï , Teller has rendered meritorious service. In a manuscript note in a copy of his “Notœ Criticœ,” now in my possession, he directs attention to ἱìÜôéïí as a cognate word. At all events, that also has the double sense of garment and covering, or cloth. The same, as is well known, is the case with ἐóèÞò and vestis. The word, mats (Latin, matta), in the translation above, is used merely for the sake of assonance; a philological connection between it and the Hebrew word is not discoverable.— äֹìְëֵé òַìÎãֶּãִּ , foot-travellers, on the proper public roads. They too are no longer driven to seek winding paths. All, whether they ride, sit, or walk, have become free. Therefore, sing praise to God! ùִׂéçåּ , to celebrate in song, as the Psalmist uses it (Psa_145:5): “Words of thy wonders will I sing” ( àָùִׂéçָä ).
Jdg_5:11. The prophetess continues to depict the wonderful change from servitude to freedom While the enemy had the upper hand, there was security only within the gates; up to the threshold of these, the inhabitants were hunted and pursued. A lively conception of such a condition of society, may be obtained from the history of Germany from the 13th to the 16th century, when it often happened that large cities were at war with their neighbors. In Palestine, cities being built on hilltops, water must be procured outside of the gates. It was at a well, at the time of water-drawing (Gen_24:11), that Eliezer met Rebecca, coming out of the city. In time of war, this water-drawing was a dangerous occupation. The crowd was great, and every one wished to be the first to get away. Consequently, there was no lack of contention and vociferation. How all that is changed! Now the maidens draw leisurely and merrily, praising God the while, who has restored quiet and security. The philological explanation agrees perfectly with this exposition, verse 11 does not depend on Jdg_5:10; it introduces a new thought. îְçַöְöִéí is to be taken or read as îְäַöְöִéí , i.e. as participle of the piel äִöָּä , to strive, quarrel, rixari (cf. Num_26:9; Psa_60:2; etc.), connected with the niphal ðִöָּä , often used of persons who strive and contend with each other (Deu_25:11; Exo_2:13; etc.). The “voice” of those who thus contend is wont to attract attention; and a voice is now also heard: ùָׁí éְúַðּåּ , there they sing aloud, there resounds the song of those who praise the mercy of God. ( éְçַðּåּ from úָּðָä , piel, imperfect, 3d person, plural, to sound, to sing; Sanskrit, tâna, ôüíïò , German tönen.) The harsh voice of contention is replaced by the sounds of praise. The burden of this praise? The benefits of God—the benefits which his all-disposing arm has bestowed on Israel, in that, after their self-surrender and return to Him, He has made them free again from the enemy. The consequence of his interposition is ôְּøָæåֹï , freedom: Israel is free again, and no longer depends on walls for safety. ôְּøָæåֹï is derived from ôָּøַæ , just as çִôָּæåֹï from çָôַæ . It contains the notion of that which is free, of freedom, as it is expressed by the prophet Zechariah, quite in the spirit of our Song, when he says (chapter Jdg_2:8-9 (4, 5)): “Jerusalem shall dwell open ( ôְּøָæåֹú , i.e. without walls); and I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about.” When Israel devotes itself to God, it is at rest; accordingly, after the deeds of the several Judges are related, it is constantly added, “and the land had rest.” Then enemies are powerless; exposed hamlets are secure; God is their protection. There, at the cisterns, they praise the goodness of God which manifests itself in this newly recovered freedom.
When the people of God hastened down to the gates. Here also the beauty of the internal arrangement of the Song comes prominently to view. Verse 8 says, they chose themselves new gods, àָæ ìָçֶí ùְׁòָøִéí ; verse 9—interrupted by the praise of God, but resumed in the last line of Jdg_5:11,—when they devoted themselves to God, ìַùְּׁòָøִéí àָæéָøְãåּ . When the people apostatized, they were pressed up to their very gates, and fled; when, by self-surrender, they became a people of God, they rushed boldly down to the gates and through them. The consequence of the first was flight; that of the second, impetuous attack. In the former case, among forty thousand there was not a man capable of making resistance; in the latter—and herewith the Song enters on the delineation of the conflict,—it was a small band who threw themselves upon the mighty. In Jdg_5:9-11 the prophetess, by praising God for freedom, interrupted the progress of her Song’s narrative, just as she does in Jdg_5:3-5 and in Jdg_5:12, to which and the following verses we now pass on.
Footnotes:
[In this sentence our author seems to combine two different explanations of ìִáִּé , etc., namely: 1. I imparted my spirit to the “Orderers” of Israel, by virtue of which they became such; and, 2. My heart loves those who proved themselves “Orderers,” etc. The latter explanation, merely hinted at by Dr. Cassel, is that commonly adopted by expositors. Bachmann remarks that if the first idea had been intended, it would have been more clearly expressed Tr.]
For further philological comparisons, see Benfey, i. 433, and Dieffenbach, Celtica, i. 85.
The same may be said of the use of the articles themselves. The popular custom of spreading out garments, like carpets or cloths, for persons to ride or walk over, is sufficiently familiar from the history of our Lord and the usages of both Greeks and Romans.
[It does not appear how a piel äִöָּä can possibly be obtained from a niphal ðִöָּä . The form îְçַöְöִéí , in the text, can only be derived from çָöַò , either directly or indirectly. In the latter case if would be a denominative from äֵõ , an arrow, and would mean “archers;” so Bertheau, Keil, and many other interpreters, both ancient and modern. Many, perhaps most expositors, however, prefer the direct derivation from äָöַõ , to divide, but with various modifications of the radical idea. For a full discussion of the word and the interpretations it has received, see Bachmann, 1. pp. 351–359; it must suffice here to say that he translates it, Beutetheilenden, “those who divide the spoil” They (he explains) who frequent the places of drawing water are to praise the righteous acts of Jehovah, with the joyful voice of those who divide the spoil, cf. Isa_9:2 (3).—Tr.]
[Keil and others connect the last clause of Jdg_5:11, not with Jdg_5:9; but with the immediately preceding praise for victory. “After this victory,” says Keil, “the people descended again to its gates, from the mountains and hiding-places whither it had betaken itself for safety from the enemy (Jdg_5:6 f.)—entered again into the plains of the land, into the cities now relieved of enemies.” Similarly, Bachmann. Dr. Cassel’s translation of àָæ by “when” is against the usage of the word.—Tr.]