Judges 5 is the fifth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel,[1] [2] but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy through Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in the 7th century BCE.[2] This chapter records the activities of judge Deborah, belonging to a section comprising to 5:31.
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 31 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B;
ak{G}
ak{G}
A linguistic study by Chisholm reveals that the central part in the Book of Judges (Judges 3:7–16:31) can be divided into two panels based on the six refrains that state that the Israelites did evil in Yahweh's eyes:
Panel One
A 3:7 Hebrew: ויעשו בני ישראל את הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the (KJV)[3]
B 3:12 Hebrew: ויספו בני ישראל לעשות הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
B 4:1 Hebrew: ויספו בני ישראל לעשות הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
Panel Two
A 6:1 Hebrew: ויעשו בני ישראל הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
B 10:6 Hebrew: ויספו בני ישראל לעשות הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
B 13:1 Hebrew: ויספו בני ישראל לעשות הרע בעיני יהוה
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
Furthermore from the linguistic evidence, the verbs used to describe the Lord's response to Israel's sin have chiastic patterns and can be grouped to fit the division above:
Panel One
3:8 Hebrew: וימכרם, "and he sold them," from the root Hebrew: מָכַר,
3:12 Hebrew: ויחזק, "and he strengthened," from the root Hebrew: חָזַק,
4:2 Hebrew: וימכרם, "and he sold them," from the root Hebrew: מָכַר,
Panel Two
6:1 Hebrew: ויתנם, "and he gave them," from the root Hebrew: נָתַן,
10:7 Hebrew: וימכרם, "and he sold them," from the root Hebrew: מָכַר,
13:1 Hebrew: ויתנם, "and he gave them," from the root Hebrew: נָתַן,
The victory song attributed to Deborah in this chapter is one of the oldest extant Israelite literary compositions dating to around the 12th century BCE, roughly contemporaneous with the period of time it depicts. Comparable to earlier works of the Canaanites discovered at Ugarit, the composition is characterized by a 'parallelistic variety of repetition whereby imagery unfolds in a beautifully layered or impressionistic style' so that 'the parallel line adds colour, nuance, or contrast to its neighbouring description'. The lines (in bicola or tricola)are generally about parallel in length. The content itself draws upon traditional Israelite media of expression, also employed by others in the biblical tradition.
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,[4]
The structure of the Song of Deborah is as follows:
| Content | Verse(s) | Stanza | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Prelude to the song (1) Preliminary ascriptions of praise to Yahweh for what is about to be recounted | 2 | IA | |
| (2) A call to hear the song | 3 | ||
| B. The coming of Yahweh the divine warrior | 4–5 | ||
| C. Conditions prevailing before the battle | 6–8 | IB | |
| D. A call to participate in the battle | 9–13 | II | |
| E. The response of the tribes | 14–18 | III | |
| F. The battle itself | 19–23 | IV | |
| G. The death of Sisera | 24–27 | VA | |
| H. His mother waits in vain | 28–30 | VB | |
| I. Concluding invocation of Yahweh | 31a |
The call to hear this song contains parallel terms and syntax with the formulaic introduction 'hear/give ear' (cf Deuteronomy 32:1; Isaiah 1:2), to state that YHWH, both the muse and victor, is the ultimate source and receiver of the song.
Verses 24–27 present another version of the tale of Jael in wonderfully economic style, with the repetition that underscores the violent turn in the action as Jael is described as one who strikes, crushes, shatters, and pierces, as she at the same time seduced and slaughtered the enemy. In contrast to Jael as a tent-dwelling woman, the mother of Sisera is an noblewomen peering from a house with lattice-work windows (cf. 2 Kings 10:30), accompanied by ladies-in-waiting, but instead of expecting the coming of Sisera with the spoils of war, it was Sisera himself who has been despoiled at the hands of a warrior woman.
In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.[8]
"Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun When it comes out in full strength."
So the land had rest for forty years.[11] The abrupt burst by which the song ends depicts the completeness of the overthrow, causing it to be long remembered as an example of Israel's triumph over God's enemies (Psalm 83:9–10; Psalm 83:12–15).[10]