Judges 5:1-9 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 5:1-5

The former chapter let us know what great things God had done for Israel; in this we have the thankful returns they made to God, that all ages of the church might learn that work of heaven to praise God. I. God is praised by a song, which is, 1. A very natural expression of rejoicing. Isa. any merry? Let him sing; and holy joy is the very soul and root of praise and thanksgiving. God is pleased to reckon himself glorified by our joy in him, and in his wondrous works. His servants? joy is his... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 5:6-11

Here, I. Deborah describes the distressed state of Israel under the tyranny of Jabin, that the greatness of their trouble might make their salvation appear the more illustrious and the more gracious (Jdg. 5:6): From the days of Shamgar, who did some thing towards the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines, to the days of Jael, the present day, in which Jael has so signalized herself, the country has been in a manner desolate. 1. No trade. For want of soldiers to protect men of business in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:1

Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam ,.... Deborah is first mentioned, because she was, as Kimchi says, the root or foundation of the work, the chief person in it, both in the direction of the war, and in the composition of this song; and indeed, as Ben Gersom observes, she alone composed it, see Judges 5:7 ; and the verb is singular: "then sang Deborah"; and after her, and in her words, sung also Barak; he joined with her, not in making the song, but in singing it; and so... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:2

Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel ,.... The injuries done to Israel by any of their enemies, and particularly what wrongs had been done them by Jabin, king of Canaan, for twenty years past; though some understand it of the vengeance God took on Israel for their sins; and though praise is not given directly for that, yet inasmuch as, when that was the case, there were some whose spirits were stirred up to engage voluntarily in the deliverance of them from the oppression of their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:3

Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes ,.... Not only the neighbouring ones, but all the kings and princes of the earth, far and near, then and in succeeding ages; Deborah desires and wishes that all potentates might hear of the wonderful works of God done for his people, that they might learn to know there is one that is higher than they, to whom all the amazing things done in the world are to be ascribed; and be cautious how they oppressed the people of God, since sooner or later he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:4

Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the fields of Edom ,.... Here properly begins the song, what goes before being but a preface to it; and it begins with an apostrophe to the Lord, taking notice of some ancient appearances of God for his people, which were always matter of praise and thankfulness; and the rather are they taken notice of here, because of some likeness between them and what God had now wrought; and this passage refers either to the giving of the... read more

John Gill

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

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 5:1-5

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 5:6-11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:1

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 5:4

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

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

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

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

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