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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Judges 4:1 - 4:9
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The Prophetess Deborah Calls Barak
v. 1. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, literally, "they added, or continued to do, wickedness," when Ehud was dead; for he had kept down the spirit of idolatry and maintained a successful defensive position against all enemies.
v. 2. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, evidently a very important city-state; for its king had stood at the head of a strong league of northern tribes in the time of Joshua, Jos_11:1 to Jos_10:11, and the city had been rebuilt after its destruction by Israel; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles, undoubtedly located in one of the valleys of Galilee, as Northern Canaan was later called. Jabin's scheme of keeping Israel in subjection by exerting pressure from two different points was apparently very successful, and the outlook seemed to favor his plan of regaining possession of the entire territory taken from his ancestors by Joshua.
v. 3. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel, making them feel the full weight and power of his might.
v. 4. And Deborah, a prophetess, one possessing the prophetic gift from the Spirit of Jehovah, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time, exercising the functions of the supreme court in deciding difficult cases and thus being an acknowledged leader in the nation.
v. 5. And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah, which received its name from that fact, between Ramah and Bethel, in the territory of Benjamin, in Mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. Deborah was a woman of fiery spirit, as the exact translation shows; she was like a torch for Israel, kindling their languid hearts, a capable and energetic woman, but no fanatic.
v. 6. And she sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, out of Kedeshnaphtali, a city in the extreme north of the later Galilee, and not far from Razor, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward Mount Tabor, southwest of the Sea of Galilee and north of the Plain of Esdraelon, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? The plan of assembling, as suggested by the Lord through the mouth of the prophetess, was that of drawing the men from the two tribes down to Tabor gradually, in small squads, the movement thus escaping the notice of the oppressors.
v. 7. And I, the Lord further says, will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. It was a clear command, with a definite promise.
v. 8. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. Although Barak had no doubt concerning the truth of Deborah's words, he did not yet feel the divine enthusiasm for the battle, being conscious of his own inability to carry out the command of the Lord alone.
v. 9. And she said, I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the journey that thou takest, the expedition upon which he was now entering, shall not be for thine honor, Barak would not be hailed as the conqueror of Jabin and Sisera; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman, namely, Jael, as the continuation of the story shows; for Deborah was speaking as a prophetess. And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. It makes no difference to the Lord whether the men and the instruments at hand are strong or weak, He is able to carry out His will as He chooses.