The inhabitants. Why not supply the Figure of speech Ellipsis ( App-6 ) by the words "the women", considering the objects of Jabin's oppression? see notes on Judges 4:4 , Judges 4:17 ; Judges 5:7 , Judges 5:11 , Judges 5:24 , Judges 5:30 . ceased = ceased [to be]. Same word as "unoccupied" in Judges 5:6 . I arose. Figure of speech Epizeuxis. read more
"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. And the travelers walked through byways. The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased. Until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel.""In the days of Shamgar" (Judges 5:6). The mention of this character was for the purpose of showing that the same conditions existed in the days of Jael that had previously existed in the days of Shamgar. This is a far cry from saying that Jael and Shamgar were... read more
Judges 5:6-7. In the days of Shamgar— The prophetess in these verses gives us a description of the wretched state of Israel during the time of that captivity, from which she, by the assistance of God, delivered them. It is very easy, says the author of the Observations, (p. 216.) to turn out of the roads in the east, and go to a place by winding about over the lands, when that is thought safer. Dr. Shaw takes notice of this circumstance, observing, that in Barbary they found no hedges, mounds,... read more
6-8. The song proceeds in these verses to describe the sad condition of the country, the oppression of the people, and the origin of all the national distress in the people's apostasy from God. Idolatry was the cause of foreign invasion and internal inability to resist it. read more
2. Deborah’s song of victory ch. 5One writer called this song "the finest masterpiece of Hebrew poetry" that "deserves a place among the best songs of victory ever written." [Note: Robert H. Pfeiffer, Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 326.] It is the equivalent of a victory celebration when the troops come home (cf. Exodus 15; Psalms 68)."Observe that each of the three major sections centers around a basic contrast: in Judges 5:2-11 c, the explosive God and humiliated people; in Judges 5:11... read more
Background of God’s recent deliverance 5:6-8During the days of Shamgar and Jael the Canaanites were so strong that the people with the birthright to the land feared to go out on the main highways. Instead they traveled the back roads to avoid molestation. Peasant farmers could not raise or sell crops because of the Canaanite threat. They stopped working because of the Canaanite oppression. The Israelites chose new gods in the sense that they turned to idols as a result of God not delivering... read more
Deborah’s Triumph SongThis song celebrates the victory of Judges 4 but from the point of view, not of a later annalist, but of a contemporary poet—very possibly (though see Judges 5:12) the prophetess herself. The lyric outburst is one of the finest in any language; its style (though many of the words are now very obscure) is typical of the best Hebrew poetry. Its independence of Judges 4 may be inferred from the variations it exhibits. Sisera is represented as king: the majority of the tribes,... read more
(6) In the days of Shamgar.—In this and the two next verses is described the misery and dejection of Israel; and the names of Shamgar and Jael are mentioned to enhance the glory of Deborah, by showing that even the presence among the Israelites of two such heroic souls as Shamgar and Jael was unavailing to deliver them until Deborah arose. That Shamgar is thus (apparently) alluded to as a contemporary of Jael has an important bearing on the chronology; for it at least shows that simultaneous... read more
(7) The inhabitants of the villages ceased.—The one Hebrew word for “the inhabitants of the villages” is perâzôn. The rendering of our version is supported by the Chaldee, and by the meaning of the analogous words in Deuteronomy 3:5.1 Samuel 6:18, &c. But this cannot be the meaning in Judges 5:11; and it is far more probable that the LXX. (Cod. B) is right in rendering it “princes” (dunatoi; Vulgate, fortes), though the difficulty of the word is shown by its being simply transliterated... read more
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 5:6
Shamgar. Compare Judges 3:31 . the highways, &c. = the highways were closed. read more