erermined Cauſes ard Controverſies ariſing among the 1ra-ltes, as is Implied, v 5. And this Jabin might ſuffer ro be done, eſpecially | by a Woman ; and the frequent diſcharge of this part ofrhe Judges Othice, whereby ſhe gained great power and Autliority with the peo. ple, did notably ( though not obſerved by the Tyrant) prepare the way for her {liding into the other part of her Office, which was to defend and reſcue the people from their Enemies.
5 Andſhe dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah, be- tween Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of I{rael came up to her for Judgment h.
> To have their Suits and Cauſes determined by her Sentence. ;
6 And ſheſent ant called ; * Barak the ſon of Abi- noam out of Kedeſh Naphtalz &, and ſaid unto bim, F gy Hath not the Lord GOD of Mael commanded 1, (ay- *'** gs Go, and draw toward mount Tabor », and take with thee ten thouſand men of the children of Naph- tali, and of the children of Zebulun 0,
z; By vertue of that power which . God had given her, and the people owned in her. & So called, to diſtinguiſh it from other pla- ces of that name, one in Judah, Joſe 15. 23. and another in 1ſachar,
1 Chron. 6. 72. I (7, e.) Afſuredly God hath commanded thee ; this is not the fancy of a weak Woman, which peradventure thou maiſt deſpiſe ; bur che Command of the great God by my mouth: Which Command of God, and the following aſſurance of Succeſs, ſhe might either gather from the genera] rules of Scripture, and the common courte of Gods gracious Providence, which was always ready to ſuccour them when they cryed to God ; or receive by inſtin& or direction from Ged. »2 Or, zo; for ſo this word is oft uſed, as Gen. 37- 28. Juag. 20, 37. Job 21.33. Heb. draw, to wit, thy ſelf, or thy feet. » A place moſt fit for his purpoſe, as being in the borders of divers Tribes, and having alarge Plain at the top of it, where he might conveniently marſhal and diſcipline his Army. 0 Theſe ſhe names, partly becauſe they were neareft and beſt known to Barak, and therefore ſooneſt brought together ; partly, becauſe they were neareit to the Enemy, and therefore muſt ſpeedily be afſembled, or e'ſe they were likely to be hindred in their Deſign, whilſt the other Fribes, being at more diſtance, had better opportunity of gathe- ring Forces for their ſuccour ; and partly, becauſe theſe had moſt imarted under this Opprefſor, who was 1n the heart of their Coun- trey, and therefore were moſt forward in the preſent Service ; but - theſe are not named excluſively, as appears by the councurrence of ſome other Tribes, as is related, Jud. 5.
7 And Iwill draw unto thee p to the * river Kiſhon, Siſera the captain of Jabins army, with his chariots, and his multitude, and 1 will deliver him into thine hand.
þ By my ſecret and powerful providence, ordering and over-ru- ling his inclivations that way.
8s And Barak ſaid untoher, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go : but ifthou wilt not go with me, 7her I will not £0 g.
q His cffer ro go with her, ſhews the truth of his Faith, for which he is praiſed, Heb. 31. 32. bur his refuſal to go withour her, {rews the weakneſs of his Faith, thar he could not truſt Gods bare word, as he cughtro have done, without the Pledge of the preſence of his Propheteſi, whom he thought God would preſerve and deli- ver, and 6imiclf for her ſake.
9 And the ſaid, I will fureiy go with thee : notwith- ſtanding the journey r that thou takeſt ſhall not be for thine honour : for the LORD fhall ſell Siſera into the hand of awoman/ And Deborah aroſe and went with Barak to Kedeth. /
r Heb. the way, ( 7. e. ) the courſe or prattice; as the way is taken, Numb, 22. 32. { Eicher 1. Jael, or rather 2. Deborah, who being, as It were, the Judge and chief Commandreſs of the Army, the Honour cf the Viftory would be aſcribed ro her : But for Jael, her Fatt would have veen the ſame, though Barak had gone into the
T Pal. 8;
9, I&
; Field withour Deborah.
io CE And Barak called Zebulun and N aphtali to Kedeſh, and he went up with ten thouſand men at his feet 7 : and Deborah went up with him.
t (7. e.) Who followed him or his Foot-ſteps ; poſſibly he inti- mates that rhey were all Foot-men, the 1ſ-aelites neither now ha- ving, nor otherwitc allowed to have a multitude of Horſes; and ſo thisjs emphatically added, to ſignify by what contemptible means (rod overthrew Siſcras great Hoſt, wherein there were ten Thouſand Horſe, as Joſephus reports.
11 Now Heber « the Kenite x, which was of the chil- dren of Hobab y thefatherin law of Moſes, had ſevered himſelf from the Kenites z, and pitched his tent « unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedeſh.
# The Hustand of Zael, v. 17. x Of whom ſee Numb. 24. 27, 22. Judges I. 16. y Called alfo Jethro, ſee Numb. 10. 29, z From the reſt cf his Brethren, who lived in the Wilderneſs of Judah, Judges 1. 16. which remoyal is here mentioned, left any ſhuuld wonder to find the Kenites in this place. a (7.e. ) His dwelling, which probably was 1g Tents, as Shepherds uſed.
12 And they fhewed b Sjſzra that Barak the ſon of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
b They ( i.e.) his people dwelling there, or his Spies; or, he was told, this being an imperſonal Speech.
13 And Siſera + gathered together all his chariots, + Heb.g4 even nine hundred Chariots of iron, and all the people thered #)
that 0) 7
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*Pſa]
+ He!
6179 0
Chap. 1V- tat ere with him, from Haroſheth of the Gentiles, | unto the river of Kiſhon. ”
14 And Deborah ſaid unto Barak, Up c, for this zs
the day in which the LORD hath delivered Siſera into
thine hand : Is not the LORD gone out before thee d:
' & Barak went down from mount Tabor e, and ten thouſand men after him. _
© Heb. aviſe, delay not, fall to thy work. d To wit, as General of thine Army. to fight for thee ; ſee Judg. 5. 20. and 2 5am. 5» 24. e He doth not make uſe of the advantage which he had of the il, where he might have been our of the reach of his Iron Chariots, Jeſb. 17+ 16. but boldly marcheth down into the Valley, to give Siſcra the opportunity ofuling all his Horſes and Chariots. that ſo the V:&tory might be more glorious and wenderful. |
15 And * the LORD diſcomfited f Siſera and all his chariots, and all his hoſt with the edge of the ſword g, ' before Barak ; ſo that Siſera lighted down off his cha-
riot. and fled away on his feet þ. 5