Judges 5:30

Jdg 5:30 Have they not sped? have they [not] divided the prey; to every man a damsel [or] two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, [meet] for the necks of [them that take] the spoil?

Ver. 30. Have they not sped?] Yes, they are sped, they have their passport, and your hopes hop headless.

To every man a damsel or two.] The Hebrew word signifieth, vulvam vel uterum; so they call the Israelitish damsels by way of contempt, as Lavater observeth.

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.

Because he was chief of the army.

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

to every man a damsel or two--Young maidens formed always a valued part of Oriental conquerors' war-spoils. But Sisera's mother wished other booty for him; namely, the gold-threaded, richly embroidered, and scarlet-colored cloaks which were held in such high esteem. The ode concludes with a wish in keeping with the pious and patriotic character of the prophetess.

Next: Judges Chapter 6

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(30) Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey?—Literally, Are they not finding? are they not dividing the spoil? Is not the wealth of their booty the cause of their delay? (Comp. Exo_15:9 : “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil.”)

To every man.—Literally, as in the margin, to the head of a man. (Comp. Exo_16:16; Num_1:2; 1Ch_12:23.)

A damsel or two.—Literally, a maiden, two maidens; only that the word used is strongly contemptuous, as though a captive Hebrew girl could only be described by a term of scorn. In these internecine wars the men were killed and the women reserved as slaves (Num_31:17-18). Commentators quote a remarkable parallel from Gibbon (2, ch. 11), where he says that two or three Gothic female captives fell to the share of each of the soldiers of Claudius II. (“Tantum mulierum cepimus,ut binas et ternasmulieres victor sibi miles possit adjungere.”—Trebellius Pollio, 8) The reading of the Peshito is, “a heap, two heaps,” as in Jdg_15:16.

Of divers colours.—Literally, of dyed robes.

Of divers colours of needlework.—Of dyed robes of embroidered webs.

Of divers colours of needlework on both sides.—A dyed robe, two embroidered webs.

Meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?—Literally, as in the margin, for the necks of the spoil. As this gives no good sense, our version follows those which here understand “spoil” as equivalent to “spoiler.” The old versions take “spoil” in apposition to the rest of the sentence: e.g., the LXX. have, “dyed robes of embroidered webs for his neck, as spoils,” and a similar meaning is involved in the loose paraphrase of the Vulgate. Others explain it to mean that the dyed robes are to be carried on the necks of the female slaves and the captive cattle. Ewald reads shegal (“queen “) for shellal (“prey “)—a brilliant and probable conjecture; for if the booty of the soldiers and the general is mentioned, the royal ladies would be hardly likely to forget themselves. In any case, the mother of Sisera is characteristically described (as Bishop Lowth has pointed out) as talking neither of the slaughter of the enemy nor the prowess of the warriors, but only of the gay and feminine booty. (Comp. “Faemineo praedae et spoliorum arderet amore,” Æn. xi. 728.) Nothing can exceed the power and skill with which in a few words the vanity, levity, and arrogance of these “wise princesses” are described, as they idly talk of colours and embroidery, and, as it were, gloat over the description; while, at the same time, an unwomanly coarseness (racham, for “maiden”) mingles with their womanly frivolity. Only we must bear in mind that they too, like Deborah and Jael, though in an ignobler way, are the creatures of their age and circumstances.

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

30. The verse has suffered from corrupt repetitions: spoil four times, divers colours three times. Omitting the superfluous words we may restore the text as follows:

Are they not finding, dividing the spoil?

a wench or two for each man;

a spoil of dyed garments for Sisera;

a broidered cloth or two for my neck (?).

A wench or two: the word (only here in this sense in the O.T.) is used by Mesha in his inscription of the women captured from the Israelites (Moab. St. l. 17). Spoil of dyed garments lit. ‘booty of dyes,’ i.e. dyed stuffs. A broidered cloth or two, the construction is the same as in line 2; for the word cf. Eze_16:10; Eze_16:13; Eze_16:18; Psa_45:14; strictly it means variegated work, either woven or embroidered, see Exo_38:23; spoils of this kind were much valued, cf. 2Sa_1:24. The end of the last line is obscure: the text runs for the necks of the spoil, as though these rich stuffs would be used to caparison the animals led in the triumph of the captors! The parallelism suggests a personal reference corresponding to Sisera; so LXX ‘for his neck as a spoil.’ Ewald ingeniously proposed for the last word queen (Psa_44:9; Neh_2:6), changing only one letter. On the whole it seems preferable to omit the word, and read for my neck or for his neck; but there can be no certainty about the restoration.

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.

Have they not sped?.... Or "found" (u) the enemy, Barak and his army, or the spoil of them? no doubt they have:

have they not divided the prey? doubtless they have, which being large, and the captives many, has taken up much of their time to look over, and make an equal and proper division of, and that most certainly is the cause of the delay:

to every man a damsel or two? or "a womb or two (w)", using both unchaste and contemptuous language (x), and pleasing themselves with the virgins of Israel being abused by the common soldiers, which was too frequently the case with the Heathens at gaining a victory:

to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides; suits of clothes of different colours, such as were the works of the women of Sidon (y), and those curiously interwoven or wrought with a needle, and that on both sides of the silk or material of which they were made; and so such as were of great worth and esteem, and such it was expected, and with confidence and assurance of it, Sisera would bring with him, and make presents of to his mother and her ladies, or which he would have for his own wear and use, or both:

meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? the general of the army, and the chief men to whom the spoil was brought, and then divided suitably to the rank and quality of every soldier. Pliny (z) says, the Phrygians first invented the art of needlework; hence the garments wrought, and those that made them, were called after their name; but it is certain it was known by the ancient Hebrews and Canaanites, see Exo 26:36.

(u) "nonne invenient", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Vatablus (w) "vulvam vulvas duas", Piscator. (x) Vid. R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 59. 1. (y) Julian. Opera, par. 1. crat. 2. p. 94. Vid. Homer. Iliad. 6. ver. 289, 290. (z) Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48.

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

Render the latter part of the verse “a booty of dyed garments for Sisera, a booty of dyed garments and of party-colored cloth, a dyed garment and two party-colored clothes for the necks of the booty,” the spoil or booty being either captive damsels, or captive cattle on whose necks these clothes are to be placed (either as ornament or as a burden; compare Jdg 8:21, Jdg 8:26). But possibly “the necks of the booty” may mean the backs or shoulders (of men or beasts) laden with booty.

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

Necks. Hebrew, "the spoils of various colours, the embroidery of divers colours, on both sides, for the necks (of the captors) of the spoil." (Haydock) --- Or more simply, "for the neck (general) of the army;" (Vatable) or "the necks of the soldiers," who will be laden with the abundance of spoils. (Calmet) --- The ladies dwell with great delight on the thought of possessing rich embroidery or needle work. How dreadfully would their hopes be blasted, when a few hours after they saw Barac at their gates, and their city in flames! (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).

Have they not divided the prey? i.e. it is certain they have got the prey, only they tarry to view it and distribute it, according to every man’s quality and merit.

Of them that take the spoil, Heb. of the prey; the prey put for the men of prey, those, or who take the prey; as kindred is put for a man of kindred, or a kinsman, Rth 3:2; and Belial, for a man of Belial, 2Sa 16:7; and days, for a man of days, or an old man, Job 32:7.

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

30. The spoil — The spoil, or booty, as the context shows, was supposed to consist of captive girls and rich garments. None but oriental females would speculate in the manner here portrayed. Their joy would be, not that the enemy was defeated, and great deeds of arms had brought glory to their country, and to their fathers, husbands, and sons, but that much spoil had been taken, and especially of that kind in which females delighted.

Two maidens, to the head of a hero — That is, one or two captive females assigned to each warrior, a common custom of the ancient times.

Dyed garments for Sisera — “The wise lady of the harem was not desirous that Sisera himself should acquire any damsels. She wished only for variegated garments and showy trappings for the triumphal procession of her lord.” — Herder.

Of double embroidery — Embroidered on both sides.

At the necks of the spoil — To be hung and carried in the triumphal procession, on the necks of the captive maidens, who were so important a part of the spoil. These ladies of the harem doubtless expected to share largely in these rich garments, but they looked to see them brought on the necks of the captive damsels. Others explain, for the neck of the spoiler, that is, Sisera; or, as English version, for the necks of them that take the spoil. Bertheau and Keil read שׁגל, queen, instead of שׁלל, spoil. But for this latter there is no authority, and the former is unnecessary, and far less simple and natural than the explanation we have given.

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

Sped, i.e. come across some booty. For the necks of them that take the spoil. Literally, for the necks of spoil. It is a difficult and obscure expression. The spoil may mean the camels, horses, or mules taken from the enemy, and the articles described may mean the housings and trappings for their necks. Or the necks of spoil might mean the necks of the beasts of burden laden with spoil.

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

Have they not, &e. - That is, it is certain they have got the prey, only they tarry to distribute it, according to every man's quality and merit.

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

Are they not finding and dividing the pillage? That is the cause of the delay.

Or two [wombs] for each man. They are ravishing the attractive Yisroelite women, and each of them has, in his bed, two or three women.

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.

They found, they divided the spoil: They found much spoil in the Land of Israel, since they defeated them. So they must be dividing the spoil there among themselves. And that is why they are delaying in coming.

A wombed one: A maiden or two maidens.

Per head of a man: For each and every man, there was one maiden or two maidens from the spoil. But Yonatan translated [it] (in the Targum), "they gave a man and his household to each and every one."

Spoil of dyes: Clothes made of colorful materials.

Doubly embroidered: For they did embroidery work on both of the sides equally. And embroidery is needlework on a garment in differently colored shapes.

For the necks of the spoil: It is like, "for the heads of the spoil." Meaning, they give the clothes to the head of the spoil, to give them to the general of the army. And Yonatan [also] translated like this, "The spoil of the colored shapes, etc."

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.