Judges 5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:5

The mountains melted from before the Lord ,.... The inhabitants of them, through fear, the Lord going before Israel in a pillar of cloud and fire, and delivering mighty kings and their kingdoms into their hand: even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel ; or, "as that Sinai", the note of similitude being wanting; and the sense is, the mountains melted, just as the famous mountain Sinai in a literal sense did, when it trembled and quaked at the presence of God on it; the tokens... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:6

In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath ,.... Of whom see Judges 3:31 ; who succeeded Ehud as a judge, but lived not long, and did not much; at least wrought not a perfect deliverance of the children of Israel; but during his time till now, quite through the twenty years of Jabin's oppression, things were as they are after described: in the days of Jael ; the wife of Heber the Kenite, spoken of in the preceding chapter, Judges 4:17 , who appears to be a woman of masculine spirit,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:7

The inhabitants of the villages ceased ,.... Not only did those Canaanitish robbers go upon the highway, and robbed all they met with, which made travelling difficult and dangerous; but entered into the villages and unwalled towns, and broke into houses and plundered them; so that the inhabitants of them were obliged to quit their dwellings, and go into the fortified cities for security; by which means the villages were left empty, and in time fell to ruin, and ceased: they ceased in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:8

They chose new gods ,.... That is, Israel, as most of the Jewish commentators interpret it; for the verb is singular, and Israel agrees well with it: this they did after the death of Joshua; it refers to their first idolatry, begun by Micah, Judges 17:1 they chose other gods than the true God; Baalim and Ashtaroth they are said to serve, Judges 2:11 , and besides the gods of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, they sought after and introduced new ones from other places, or the same may be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:9

My heart is towards the governors of Israel ,.... Most of the Jewish commentators interpret this of their wise men and Scribes, who were willing to teach the people the law and the commandments, even in times of trouble, and did not cease from doing it on that account, and therefore Deborah praises them for it; so the Targum; but Kimchi and Ben Melech understand by them the great men of the nation, their nobles and rulers, who enacted good laws and statutes; or at least took care to see that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:10

Speak, ye that ride on white asses ,.... Though in some countries, as in ours, it is reckoned disgraceful to ride on asses; so Leo Africanus F2 Descriptio Africae, l. 5. p. 574. makes mention of a preacher in Africa, who was called the ass rider; because he was continually, sitting on an ass; yet in Judea, where there were no horses, or very few, it was accounted honourable; so it was in the time of our Lord; for his riding on an ass to Jerusalem was not mean and disgraceful, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:11

They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the place of drawing water ,.... Meaning either the army of the Israelites, delivered from the archers of Sisera's host at the river Kishon; or such persons, as maidens and others, that went out of the cities to fountains and wells of water, to fetch water from thence for their necessities, but were frightened by the noise of archers that shot at them; or shepherds who led their flocks to water them there, but were repulsed or slain by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:12

Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song , &c.; Either perceiving some languor and remissness in her spirits, while she was delivering this song, and therefore arouses herself to attend to this service with more ardour and zeal; or rather finding herself more impressed with a sense of the great and good things the Lord had done for Israel, calls upon her soul to exert all its powers in celebrating the praises of the Lord, and therefore repeats the word awake so often as she... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:13

Then he made him that remaineth ,.... The people of Israel that remained, who had been under the yoke of Jabin king of Canaan, under which many of the Israelites very probably died; but now the few mean and miserable that remained were raised to an high estate, and made to have dominion over the nobles among the people ; that is, over the Canaanitish nobility, that were among the people under Jabin; but he being conquered by the Israelites, his people and even his nobles became subject... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:14

Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek ,.... In this and some following verses, Deborah makes mention of the tribes that were siding and assisting in this war, and of those that were not; and begins with Ephraim, where she herself dwelt, Judges 4:5 who was the root, foundation, and source of this expedition, that under a divine influence directed, animated, and encouraged to it; and by whom, and from whence, a detachment was sent against the Amalekites, who upon all... read more

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