Judges 4:10

Here, I. Barak beats up for volunteers, and soon has his quota of men ready, Jdg 4:10. Deborah had appointed him to raise an army of 10,000 men (Jdg 4:6), and so many he has presently at his feet, following him, and subject to his command. God is said to call us to his feet (Isa 41:2), that is, into obedience to him. Some think it intimates that they were all footmen, and so the armies of the Jews generally were, which made the disproportion of strength between them and the enemy (who had horses and chariots) very great, and the victory the more illustrious; but the presence of God and his prophetess was abundantly sufficient to balance that disproportion. Barak had his men at his feet, which intimates their cheerfulness and readiness to attend him whithersoever he went, Rev 14:4. Though the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were chiefly depended on, yet it appears by Deborah's song that some had come in to him from other tribes (Manasseh and Issachar), and more were expected that came not, from Reuben, Dan, and Asher, Jdg 5:14-17. But these are overlooked here; and we are only told that to make his 10,000 men effective indeed Deborah went up with him. The Jdg 4:11, concerning the removal of Heber, one of the families of the Kenites, out of the wilderness of Judah, in the south, where those families had fixed themselves (Jdg 1:16), into the northern country, comes in for the sake of what was to follow concerning the exploit of Jael, a wife of that family.

II. Sisera, upon notice of Barak's motions, takes the field with a very numerous and powerful army (Jdg 4:12, Jdg 4:13): They showed Sisera, that is, it was shown to him. Yet some think it refers to the Kenites, mentioned immediately before, Jdg 4:11. They gave Sisera notice of Barak's rendezvous, there being peace at this time between Jabin and that family, Jdg 4:17. Whether they intended it as a kindness to him or no, it served to accomplish what God had said by Deborah (Jdg 4:7): I will draw unto thee Sisera. Sisera's confidence was chiefly in his chariots; therefore particular notice is taken of them, 900 chariots of iron, which, with the scythes fastened to their axle-trees, when they were driven into an army of footmen, did terrible execution. So ingenious have men been in inventing methods of destroying one another, to gratify those lusts from which come wars and fightings.

III. Deborah gives orders to engage the enemy, Jdg 4:14. Josephus says that when Barak saw Sisera's army drawn up, and attempting to surround the mountain on the top of which he and his forces lay encamped, his heart quite failed him, and he determined to retire to a place of greater safety; but Deborah animated him to make a descent upon Sisera, assuring him that this was the day marked out in the divine counsels for his defeat. "Now they appear most threatening they are ripe for ruin. The thing is as sure to be done as if it were done already: The Lord hath delivered Sisera into thy hand." See how the work and honour of this great action are divided between Deborah and Barak; she, as the head, gives the word, he, as the hand, does the work. Thus does God dispense his gifts variously, Co1 12:4, etc. But, though ordinarily the head of the woman is the man (Co1 11:3), he that has the residue of the Spirit was pleased to cross hands, and to put the head upon the woman's shoulders, choosing the weak things of the world to shame the mighty, that no flesh might glory in his presence. It was well for Barak that he had Deborah with him; for she made up what was defective, 1. In his conduct, by telling him, This is the day. 2. In his courage, by assuring him of God's presence: "Has not the Lord gone out before thee? Darest not thou follow when thou hast God himself for thy leader?" Note, (1.) In every undertaking it is good to be satisfied that God goes before us, that we are in the way of our duty and under his direction. (2.) If we have ground to hope that God goes before us, we ought to go on with courage and cheerfulness. Be not dismayed at the difficulties thou meetest with in resisting Satan, in serving God, or suffering for him; for has not the Lord gone out before thee? Follow him fully then.

IV. God himself routs the enemy's army, Jdg 4:15. Barak, in obedience to Deborah's orders, went down into the valley, though there upon the plain the iron chariots would have so much the more advantage against him, quitting his fastnesses upon the mountain in dependence upon the divine power; for in vain is salvation hoped for from hills and mountains; in the Lord alone is the salvation of his people, Jer 3:23. And he was not deceived in his confidence: The Lord discomfited Sisera. It was not so much the bold and surprising alarm which Barak gave their camp that dispirited and dispersed them, but God's terror seized their spirits and put them into an unaccountable confusion. The stars, it seems, fought against them, Jdg 5:20. Josephus says that a violent storm of hail which beat in their faces gave them this rout, disabled them, and drove them back; so that they became a very easy prey to the army of Israel, and Deborah's words were made good: "The Lord has delivered them into thy hand; it is now in thy power to do what thou wilt with them."

V. Barak bravely improves his advantage, follows the blow with undaunted resolution and unwearied diligence, prosecutes the victory, pursues the scattered forces, even to their general's head-quarters at Harosheth (Jdg 4:16), and spares none whom God had delivered into his hand to be destroyed: There was not a man left. When God goes before us in our spiritual conflicts we must bestir ourselves; and, when by grace he gives us some success against the enemies of our souls, we must improve it by watchfulness and resolution, and carry on the holy war with vigour.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jdg 4:10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

Ver. 10. And he went up with ten thousand men at his feet.] They followed him κατα παδας, in due order, and, as it were, treading in his steps. {See Trapp on "Jdg 4:6"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 4:10. With ten thousand men at his feet — That is, following him as their leader. Possibly it also intimates that they were all footmen, there being no horses in Judea but what were brought out of other countries. This made the victory the more glorious, by the overthrow of a vast number of chariots and horses in the opposite army.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, he led after him 10,000 men.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 10. Ten thousand men at his feet] Ten thousand footmen. He had no chariots; his army was all composed of infantry.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(10) Called.—The word used is the technical word for summoning an army (2Sa_20:4-5). Naturally Zebulun and Naphtali would be more difficult to arouse than the central tribes, because, though they felt the oppression most, they would have to bear the brunt of the vengeance in case of defeat. Ephraim and Benjamin (Jdg_5:14), being more strong and secure, could raise their contingents without the personal help of Deborah, especially if that view of the chronology be admissible which avoids other difficulties by the difficult supposition that this event took place before the death of Joshua.

Zebulun and Naphtali.—(See Jdg_5:18.) Of course it is only meant that in the first instance the leaders of those tribes were invited to a conference, like those of the Swiss on the Rütli in 1307.

At his feet.—That is simply “after him,” as it is rendered in Jdg_4:14. (Comp. Jdg_5:15; Jdg_8:5; Exo_11:8; 1Ki_20:10.)

Deborah went up with him.—A trace of this fact may yet be preserved in the name Debarieh, given to a village at the foot of Tabor.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. See notes on Jdg_4:6.

and Deboṛah went up with him] i.e. to mount Tabor, Jdg_4:12; the clause seems to belong to the story of Sisera. at his feet means following him, cf. Jdg_8:5, 1Sa_25:27, 1Ki_20:10.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh,.... This he did either by the sound of a trumpet, as Ehud did, or by sending messengers to them to collect ten thousand men from among them, which they accordingly did, and came to him in Kedesh:

and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet; they following him up to Mount Tabor cheerfully and readily, being all footmen; for the Israelites had no cavalry, and yet got the victory over Sisera's army, which, according to Josephus (g), had ten thousand horses in it:

and Deborah went up with him; and his ten thousand footmen, to the top of Mount Tabor, to encourage him and them with her presence, and give her best advice when to descend and engage the enemy.

(g) Antiqu. l. 5. c. 5. sect. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Rather, “and ten thousand men went up (to Tabor) at his feet;” i. e. as his followers (“after him,” Jdg 4:14).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

At his feet, i.e. who followed him or his footsteps; possibly he intimates that they were all footmen, the Israelites neither now having, nor otherwise allowed to have, a multitude of horses; and so this is emphatically added, to signify by what contemptible means God overthrew Sisera’s great host, wherein there were ten thousand horses, as Josephus reports.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. Ten thousand men at his feet — That is, following after him as their leader. Compare Exo_11:8. Barak’s soldiers were all footmen; he had no chariots.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Called, or rather gathered together, as the same word is rendered in ver. 13. Went up, viz., to Mount Tabor, as in vers. 6 and 12. Translate the verse. There went up ten thousand men at his feet, i.e. following him.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ten thousand at his feet - That is, who followed him; possibly he intimates that they were all foot-men; and so this is emphatically added, to signify by what contemptible means God overthrew Sisera's great host.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The Defeat of Sisera

v. 10. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, as Deborah had suggested; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet, on foot, infantry only, for they had neither chariots nor cavalry; and Deborah went up with him. With their number constantly growing, as new bands from the hills join them, they reach the designated place.

v. 11. Now Heber, the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, or brother-in-law, for the Hebrew word means simply a male relative by marriage, had severed himself from the Kenites, who had settled in the extreme southern part of Canaan, Jdg 1:16, and pitched his tent, taken up a homestead, unto the Plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh, in the territory of Naphtali.

v. 12. And they showed Sisera, some one brought him the tidings, that Barak, the son of Abinoam, was gone up to Mount Tabor, that the Israelites were preparing to throw off the yoke of Jabin.

v. 13. And Sisera gathered together, assembled by sending out criers, all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon, for the Plain of Esdraelon, or Jezreel, at the headwaters of the Kishon was a ground on which his army could properly deploy.

v. 14. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up! For this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? This was a prophetic and most vivid assurance of victory. So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him, apparently in a sudden attack, before the terrible chariot-force had well arranged itself.

v. 15. And the Lord discomfited Sisera, terrified him, threw him into confusion, and all his chariots and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak, for nothing could withstand the charge of the army of Israel, fired as it was with divine enthusiasm by Deborah, so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, in a panic of terror, and fled away on his feet, seeking only to save his life in the general destruction.

v. 16. But Barak pursued after the chariots, as their drivers turned in headlong flight, and after the host, the infantry of the enemy’s army, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the very gates of their stronghold; and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword, in the terrible conflict in which the sword mowed them down on every hand; and there was not a man left.

v. 17. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite, seeking refuge at the first place that seemed to promise him security; for there was peace between Jabin, the king of Razor, and the house of Heber, the Kenite. Thus the mighty enemies were overthrown by the power of the Lord, for it is a small matter for Him to deliver His people with a handful of men from the hands of the mightiest tyrant.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ten thousand men

"10,000 men" (See: Numbers)

translationWords

Zebulun

Naphtali

Kedesh

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

At his heels. With him.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

And he elevated behind him: He brought up.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.