JUDGES CHAPTER 5 Deborah exhorts to praise; she begins; recounts the former wonders and mercies of God to his people, JUDGES 5:1. From the miseries of former times glories in their present state, JUDGES 5:6. Excites the governors, &c. to praise the Lord, JUDGES 5:10. Commends the chief of the tribes... [ Continue Reading ]
PRAISE YE THE LORD; give him the praise who hath done the work. FOR THE AVENGING OF ISRAEL; or, _for taking vengeance_, to wit, upon his and their enemies, _by Israel_, or _for Israel_, for Israel's benefit, or for the injuries and violences offered by them to Israel. _The people_; chiefly Zebulun a... [ Continue Reading ]
You especially that live near to Israel, and have evil minds and designs against Israel, know this for your instruction, and caution, and terror too, if you shall presume to molest them. TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, who, as you see by this plain instance, is both able and resolved to defend them from... [ Continue Reading ]
SEIR and EDOM are the same place; and these two expressions note the same thing, even God's marching in the head of his people from Seir or Edom towards the land of Canaan. Whilst the Israelites were encompassing Mount Seir, there were none of the following effects; but when once they had done that,... [ Continue Reading ]
MELTED, or _flowed_, with floods of water poured out of the clouds upon them, and from them flowing down in a mighty stream upon the lower grounds, and carrying down some part of the mountain with it, as is usual in excessive showers. She slides into the mention of another and a more ancient appeara... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE DAYS OF SHAMGAR; whilst Shamgar lived, who was, if not a judge, yet an eminent person for strength and valour, JUDGES 3:31. IN THE DAYS OF JAEL: Jael, though an illustrious woman, and of great authority and influence upon the people, did effect nothing for the deliverance of God's people till... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VILLAGES CEASED; the people forsook all their unfortified towns, as not being able to protect them from military insolence. A MOTHER, i.e. to be to them as a mother, to instruct, and rule, and protect them, which duties a mother oweth to her children as far as she is able.... [ Continue Reading ]
They did not only submit to idolatry when they were forced to it by tyrants, but they freely chose _new gods_; new to them, and unknown to their fathers, and _new_ in comparison of the true and everlasting God of Israel, being but upstarts, and of yesterday. IN THE GATES, i.e. in their walled cities... [ Continue Reading ]
I greatly honour and love those, who being the chief of the people in wealth and dignity, did not withdraw themselves from the work, as such usually do; but did expose themselves to the same hazards, and joined with their meaner brethren in this noble but dangerous attempt, and by their examples and... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAK; celebrate the praises of our mighty God, whose hand hath done this. YE THAT RIDE ON WHITE ASSES, i.e. magistrates and nobles, who used to do so, JUDGES 10:4, JUDGES 12:14; horses being in a manner forbidden there, DEUTERONOMY 17:16. YE THAT WALK BY THE WAY, i.e. you that now can safely travel... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM THE NOISE OF ARCHERS; either, 1. From the noise or sound, and consequently the force of those arrows which are shot at them; but she names the _noise_, because this epithet is frequently given to bows and arrows in poetical writings. Or, 2. From the triumphant noise and shout of archers rejoic... [ Continue Reading ]
AWAKE, AWAKE; stir up thyself and all that is within thee to admire and praise the Lord. LEAD THY CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE: how could this be done when there was none of them left? JUDGES 4:16. _Answ_. 1. None were left to make head against them. 2. _None_ is oft put for few, and those few might be taken... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus God did not only preserve the poor and despised remnant of his people from the fury of the oppressor before this war, and from the destruction which Sisera designed and promised himself to bring upon them by this war; but also gave them the victory, and thereby the dominion over the princes and... [ Continue Reading ]
Now she relates the carriage and miscarriage of the several tribes in this expedition; and she begins with EPHRAIM. WAS THERE A ROOT OF THEM; either, first, Of the Ephraimites; or, secondly, Of them that came forth to this expedition. By ROOT she seems to mean a BRANCH, as that word is sometimes use... [ Continue Reading ]
WERE WITH DEBORAH, i.e. ready to assist her. EVEN ISSACHAR. Heb. _and Issachar_, i.e. the tribe or people of Issachar, following the counsel and example of their princes, and being now at their commandments, as they were afterwards upon another occasion, 1 CHRONICLES 12:32. AND ALSO BARAK, or, _even... [ Continue Reading ]
Why wast thou so unworthy and cowardly, so void of all zeal for God, and compassion towards thy brethren, and care for the recovery of thy own liberties and privileges, that thou wouldst not engage thyself in so just, so necessary, and so noble a cause, but didst prefer the care of thy sheep, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
GILEAD is sometimes taken more largely, for all the land of the Israelites beyond Jordan, as NUMBERS 32:1,26,29. So it is not here taken, because Gilead is here distinguished from Reuben and his land. Sometimes it is taken more strictly for that part of the land beyond Jordan which fell to the half... [ Continue Reading ]
JEOPARDED, Heb. _despised_, or _reproached_, or _contemned_, comparatively; they chose rather to venture upon a generous and honourable death, than to enjoy a shameful and servile life. IN THE HIGH PLACES OF THE FIELD, i.e. upon that large and eminent plain in the top of Mount Tabor, where they put... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGS; either confederate with him, or subject to him: for it is known that there were divers petty kings in those parts; which also ofttimes were subject to one greater and more potent king; and particularly this Hazor, where this Jabin now reigned, JUDGES 4:2, was _beforetime the head_ of dive... [ Continue Reading ]
Or, _they from heaven_, or _the heavenly host fought_, by thunder, and lightning, and hailstones, possibly mingled with fire. Compare JOSHUA 10:11 1 SAMUEL 7:10. THE STARS; which raised those storms by their influences, which they do naturally and ordinarily, but now far more, when God sharpened the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RIVER OF KISHON, though not great in itself, and therefore fordable, was now much swelled and increased by the foregoing storm and rain, as Josephus affirms; and therefore drowned those who being pursued by the hand of God, and by the Israelites, were forced into it, and thought to pass over it,... [ Continue Reading ]
Their horses, in which they put most confidence, had their hoofs, which is their support and strength, broken, either by dreadful hailstones, or rather, by their swift and violent running over the stony grounds, when they fled away with all possible speed from God and from Israel. BY THE MEANS OF TH... [ Continue Reading ]
MEROZ; a place then, no doubt, eminent and considerable, though now there be no remembrance of it left, which possibly might be the effect of this bitter curse; as God curseth Amalek in this manner, that he would utterly _blot out their remembrance_, &c., EXODUS 17:14 DEUTERONOMY 25:19. And this pla... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED ABOVE WOMEN; celebrated, and praised, and endowed with all sorts of blessings more than they. But of this fact of Jael s, SEE POOLE ON "JUDGES 4:21". IN THE TENT; in her tent or habitation, in her house and family, and all her affairs; for she and hers dwelt in tents. The tent is here mentio... [ Continue Reading ]
BUTTER, or, _cream_, i.e. the choicest of her milk; so the same thing is repeated in differing words. IN A LORDLY DISH; which you are not to understand of such a stately and costly dish as the luxury of after-ages brought in, which is not agreeable to the simplicity, either of this family, or of tho... [ Continue Reading ]
HER HAND, i.e. her left hand, as appears from the nature of the thing; and from the RIGHT HAND, which is opposed to it. _Smote off_, or, _struck through_, as the LXX. and Syriac render it; or _brake_, as the Chaldee hath it. WHEN SHE HAD PIERCED, Heb. _and she pierced_; or, _and the nail pierced_.... [ Continue Reading ]
Here is a lively representation of the thing done. At the first blow or wound he was awakened, and made some attempt to rise; but being astonished and very weak, she also following her first blow with others, he found himself impotent, and fell down dead; and then she struck the nail quite through h... [ Continue Reading ]
LOOKED OUT AT A WINDOW, expecting to see him returning; for she concluded that he went forth not so much to fight as to take the spoil.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
SO, i.e. so suddenly, so surely, so effectually and irrecoverably. WHEN HE GOETH FORTH IN HIS MIGHT; when he first riseth, and so goeth on in his course, which he doth with great might, even _as a strong man that runneth a race_, PSALMS 19:5, and so as no creature can stop or hinder him; even so irr... [ Continue Reading ]