Judges 4:7

Jdg 4:7 And I 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.

Ver. 7. And I will draw unto thee … Sisera.] Verbis pelliciam, I will persuade, I will incline his heart.

“ Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt. ”

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 4:7. Draw to thee — By my secret and powerful providence, ordering and overruling his inclinations. In fixing the very place, she gave him a sign which might confirm his faith when he came to engage.

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

Or, valley.

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

(7) To the river Kishon.—This word rendered “river” is nachal, which means rather “a torrent-bed” or “water-course,” the Arabic wady, the Italian fiumara—such as the bed of the Kedron and the Rhinocolura. (LXX. cheimarrous, Vulg. torrens.) The river is always prominently mentioned in connection with this great victory (Psa_83:9), because the overwhelming defeat of Canaan was due in great measure to the providential swelling of the torrent-waters, which turned its banks into a morass and rendered the iron chariots worse than useless. It contributed in the same way to the defeat of the Turks in the battle of Mount Tabor, April, 1799. The river is now called the Mukatta, i.e., “the river of slaughter.” It rises partly in Mount Tabor and flows into the Bay of Acre, under Mount Carmel. (Comp. 1Ki_18:40.) The plain of Jezreel (Esdraelon), through which it flows, has been in all ages the battle-field of Palestine.

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

7. The overthrow of the enemy is predicted with prophetic authority; cf. Exo_14:4.

the river Kishon] Jdg_4:13, Jdg_5:21, now called Nahr el-Muḳaṭṭa‘, rises from the hills near Jenin (En-gannim), and flows “in a muddy trench, unseen five yards away” (G. A. Smith, Hist. Geogr., p. 382), parallel to the Carmel range, draining the Great Plain, and empties itself into the sea near Ḥaifa. A northern branch rises to the W. of Tabor.

the captain of Jabin’s army] See on Jdg_4:1.

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 I will draw unto thee,.... Which are the words of the Lord by Deborah, as are the preceding, signifying, that by the secret and powerful influence of his providence he would so order things, and the circumstances of them; and so powerfully operate on the mind and heart of the Canaanitish general as to engage him to come

to the river Kishon, Sisera the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots, and his multitude; called the ancient river, the river Kishon, Jdg 5:21. According to Mr. Maundrell (c), the fountain of it was near the valley, at the bottom of Mount Tabor, where Barak was to have his army in readiness to attack Sisera; and which river, according to the same traveller (d) cuts his way down the middle of the plain of and then continuing his course close by the side of Mount Carmel, falls into the sea at a place called with which agrees the account of Mr. Sandys (e), says it flows from the mountains of Tabor and Hermon, and, gliding by the north skirts of Carmel, discharges itself into the sea. This river is supposed to be the Chorsaeus of Ptolemy (f): hither the Lord in his providence would incline the mind of Sisera to come with his large army and chariots, and give Barak an opportunity to fall upon him:

and I will deliver him into thine hand; not his person only, but his numerous hosts, and his nine hundred chariots.

(c) Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 115. (d) Ib. p. 57. (e) Travels, l. 3. p. 158. Ed. 5. (f) Geograph. l. 5. c. 15.

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

The brook or stream Kishon (Nahr Mukutta), so called from its winding course, caused by the dead level of the plain of Esdraelon through which it flows, rises, in respect to one of its sources or feeders, in Mount Tabor, and flows nearly due west through the plain, under Mount Carmel, and into the Bay of Acre. In the early or eastern part of its course, before it is recruited by the springs on Carmel, it is nothing but a torrent, often dry, but liable to swell very suddenly and dangerously, and to overflow its banks in early spring, after rain or the melting of snow. The ground on the banks of the Kishon near Megiddo (Mujedd’a, see Jos 12:21 note) becomes an impassable morass under the same circumstances, and would be particularly dangerous to a large number of chariots.

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

Hand. Cison flows through a luxuriant vale or champaign country, on the south of Mount Thabor, whence Barac came rushing down the rocks and precipices upon the army of Sisara, chap. v. 15. (Calmet) --- This general was delivered into the hand of Barac, to be routed, though he was afterwards slain by the hand of Jahel, ver. 9., and 21. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

I will draw unto thee, by my secret and powerful providence, ordering and overruling his inclinations that way.

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

7. I will draw unto thee… Sisera — She speaks in the name of Jehovah, who has power to influence human hearts, and turn them whithersoever he will.

River Kishon — See on Jdg_5:21.

With his chariots — Rather, and his chariots. Jehovah disposed the events and controlled the issues of this war so as to bring victory to his people. In drawing Sisera’s hosts and chariots towards Barak, and along the Kishon, Jehovah prepared the way for their utter ruin by means of the driving tempest and the swelling flood. Compare Jdg_5:4-5; Jdg_5:20-22.

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

Draw to Thee - By my secret and powerful providence, ordering and over-ruling his inclinations that way. In fixing the very place, she gave him a sign, which might confirm his faith, when he came to engage.

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

And I will draw: He said that Sisera's astrologists saw that he would not leave that war, as he would be defeated if he came out [to it]; but the Holy One, blessed be He, drew his heart to go out. And this is [the meaning of] what He said, "And I will draw." But Yonatan translated it as...

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.