Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 4:6
And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
6. And she sent and called Barak ] continues Jdg 4:4. Barak = ‘lightning’; the name is found in Phoenician, e.g. Barcas the father of Hannibal, and in Palmyrene and Sabaean ( NSI. , p. 299).
out of Kedesh-naphtali ] also called K. in Galilee (Jos 20:7) to distinguish it from other places of the same name; it is mentioned in the Amarna letters and in Egypt, documents; the modern ades 4 m. N.W. of the lake of leh represents the ancient site. But the presence of Kedesh in this chapter raises serious difficulties; the town was too near Hazor, and too far from the scene of the conflict with Sisera, for the muster of Barak’s troops. Probably, therefore, Kedesh is an element in the Jabin-tradition, though how much of the present narrative belongs to that tradition cannot be exactly determined.
mount Tabor ] Now Jebel e-r, 1843 ft., a prominent feature in the landscape of S.E. Galilee, remarkable for its dome-like shape and apparent isolation. It was the natural rallying-place for Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, whose settlements were in the neighbourhood (cf. Jos 19:12; Jos 19:22; Jos 19:34, which, however, describes the boundaries of a later age); while the position of the mountain, commanding the N.E. quarter of the Great Plain and one of the main outlets to the Jordan, afforded obvious advantages for a descent upon an enemy advancing from the W. across the Plain. A further reason for Barak’s muster on Tabor has been suggested; apparently Issachar and Zebulun had a religious centre there, Deu 33:19 ( the mountain is prob. Tabor); the holy war would begin with a sacrifice at the tribal sanctuary (cf. 1Sa 13:9-12). This is possible.
Naphtali Zebulun ] The restriction of the combatants to these two tribes seems to agree better with the Jabin- than with the Sisera-story; in ch. 5 not two, but six tribes take part in the battle.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The name Barak signifies lightning, an appropriate name for a warrior. It is found also as Barca or Barcas, among Punic proper names. Compare Mar 3:17. On Kedesh-Naphtali see the marginal reference.
Deborah speaks of God as Yahweh the God of Israel, because she speaks, as it were, in the presence of the pagan enemies of Israel, and to remind the Israelites, in the day of their distress, that He was ready to perform the mercy promised to their fathers, and to remember His holy covenant. This title, too, would recall to their memories in an instant all His past acts in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the wilderness, and in the conquest of Canaan.
The object of drawing (toward Mount Tabor rather, spreading out, compare Jdg 20:37) was to effect a junction of the northern tribes with the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin, who were separated from them by the plain of Esdraelon, where Siseras chariots would naturally congregate and be most effective. Mount Tabor rises from the plain of Esdraelon, about 1,865 ft. above the sea, and its broad top of nearly a mile in circumference afforded a strong position, out of reach of Siseras chariots. If El Harathiyeh be Harosheth, Sisera must have marched from the west. Harathiyeh is a height in the range which separates Esdraelon from the plains of Acre, under which the Kishon breaks through in its course to the sea.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. She sent and called Barak] She appointed him to be general of the armies on this occasion; which shows that she possessed the supreme power in the state.
Mount Tabor] “Mount Tabor,” says Maundrell, “stands by itself, about two or three furlongs within the plains of Esdraelon. It has a plain area at the top, both fertile and delicious of an oval figure, extending about one furlong in breadth, and two in length. The prospect from the top is beautiful: on the N.W. is the Mediterranean; and all around you have the spacious plains of Esdraelon and Galilee, which present you with a view of many places famous for the resort and miracles of the Son of God. At the bottom of Tabor, westward, stands Daberah, a small village, supposed to have taken its name from Deborah. Near this valley is the brook Kishon. During the rainy season, all the water that falls on the eastern side of the mountain, or upon the rising ground to the southward, empties itself into it, in a number of torrents: at which conjuncture it overflows its banks, acquires a wonderful rapidity, and carries all before it. It might be at such a time as this when the stars are said to fight against Sisera, Jdg 5:20-21, by bringing an abundance of rain, whereby the Kishon became so high and rapid as to sweep away the host of Sisera, in attempting to ford it.” See Maundrell and Shaw. This mountain is very difficult of ascent; it took Mr. Maundrell nearly an hour to reach the top; this, with its grand area on the summit, made a very proper place for the rendezvous of Barak’s army. Antiochus used it for the same purpose in his wars; and Josephus appears to have fortified it; and Placidus, one of Vespasian’s generals, was sent to reduce it. See more in Calmet.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
She sent and called Barak, by virtue of that power which God had given her, and the people owned in her.
Kedesh-naphtali; so called, to distinguish it from other places of that name, one in Judah, Jos 15:23, and another in Issachar, 1Ch 6:72.
Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded? i.e. assuredly God hath commanded thee: this is not the fancy of a weak woman, which peradventure thou mayst despise, but the command of the great God by my mouth. Which command of God, and the following assurance of success, she might either gather from the general rules of Scripture, and the common course of Gods gracious providence, which was always ready to succour them when they cried to God; or receive by instinct or direction from God.
Go and draw, or, go; for so this word is oft used, as Gen 37:28; Jdg 20:37; Job 21:33; Hob. draw, to wit, thyself, or thy feet. Mount Tabor; a place most fit for his purpose, as being in the borders of divers tribes, and having a large plain at the top of it, where he might conveniently marshal and discipline his army. She names
Naphtali and Zebulun partly, because they were nearest and best known to Barak, and therefore soonest brought together; partly, because they were nearest to the enemy, and therefore must speedily be assembled, er else they were likely to be hindered in their design, whilst the other tribes, being at more distance, had better opportunity of gathering forces for their succour, and partly, because these had most smarted under their oppressor, who was in the heart of their country, and therefore were most forward in the present service: but these are not named exclusively, as appears by the concurrence of some other tribes, as is related, Jdg 5.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. she sent and called Barakbyvirtue of her official authority as judge.
Kedesh-naphtalisituatedon an eminence, little north of the Sea of Galilee, and so called todistinguish it from another Kedesh in Issachar.
Hath not the Lord God ofIsrael commanded?a Hebrew form of making an emphaticcommunication.
Go and draw toward mountTaboran isolated mountain of Galilee, northeast corner of theplain of Esdraelon. It was a convenient place of rendezvous, and theenlistment is not to be considered as limited to ten thousand, thougha smaller force would have been inadequate.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali,…. So called to distinguish it from other places of the same name, this being in the tribe of Naphtali, and a city of refuge, Jos 20:7; of which tribe and place Barak was, but who he and his father Abinoam were we have no other account; it seems clear from hence that he was not the husband of Deborah, as the Jews say, or they would have lived together; though, according to Ben Gersom, she lived separate from him, because of the spirit of prophecy that was upon her; however, in this mission and message to Barak she acted not as a private person, but as a judge in Israel, and as having and exercising public power and authority:
and said unto him; when come to her upon her summons:
hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded: can any doubt be made of it? can Barak in the least question it, as if she should say? the interrogation carries in it a strong affirmation, that the Lord had commanded, and that he had commanded by her mouth:
[saying], go and draw toward Mount Tabor; a mountain on the border of Zebulun, and between the tribes of Issachar and Naphtali, and so lay very convenient for the inhabitants of these tribes to meet here; of which [See comments on Jos 19:22]; here Balak is directed to steer his course, and betake himself, and draw others with him by persuasive motives and arguments, urging the command of God by Deborah the prophetess, and the assurance given from the Lord by her of victory over their enemies, and deliverance from them; for otherwise the children of Israel were in great fear of Jabin, because of his large army, and iron chariots:
and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun? which were near at hand, and were the tribes which perhaps were most oppressed, and therefore more easily to be persuaded to engage in this expedition; and the number of them is fixed, as being sufficient for this service, and whose hearts the Lord would engage in it, so that Barak would have little to do but to move it to them, and enforce it with proper arguments; and as they would willingly offer themselves, as it appears afterwards they did, he was at once to take them with him to Mount Tabor, on the top of which was a plain of twenty six furlongs or about three miles, as Josephus b says, surrounded by a wall; though modern travellers make it much less, on which, however, he might draw up his army of ten thousand men, and muster and exercise them.
b De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 1. sect. 8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But in order to secure the rights of her people against their outward foes also, she summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh, in the tribe of Naphtali, on the west of the Huleh lake (see at Jos 12:22), and made known to him the commands of the Lord: “ Up and draw to Mount Tabor, and take with thee 10,000 men of the children of Naphtali and Zebulun; and I will draw to thee into the brook-valley of Kishon, Sisera the captain of Jabin’s army, and his chariots, and his multitude (his men of war ), and give him into thy hand. ” has been explained in different ways. Seb. Schmidt, Clericus, and others supply or , draw with the trumpet (cf. Exo 19:13; Jos 6:5), i.e., blow the trumpet in long-drawn tones, upon Mount Tabor, and regard this as the signal for convening people; whilst Hengstenberg (Diss. ii. pp. 76, 77) refers to Num 10:9, and understands the blowing of the horn as the signal by which the congregation of the Lord made known its need to Him, and appealed to Him to come to its help. It cannot indeed be proved that the blowing of the trumpet was merely the means adopted for convening the people together; in fact, the use of the following , in the sense of draw, is to be explained on the supposition that is used in a double sense. “The long-drawn notes were to draw the Lord to them, and then the Lord would draw to them Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army. Barak first calls the helper from heaven, and then the Lord calls the enemy upon earth.” Nevertheless we cannot subscribe to this explanation, first of all because the supposed ellipsis cannot be sustained in this connection, when nothing is said about the blowing of a trumpet either in what precedes or in what follows; and secondly, because Num 10:9 cannot be appealed to in explanation, for the simple reason that it treats of the blowing of the silver trumpets on the part of the priests, and they must not be confounded with the shopharoth. And the use made of the trumpets at Jericho cannot be transferred to the passage before us without some further ground. We are disposed therefore to take the word in the sense of draw (intransitive), i.e., proceed one after another in a long-drawn train (as in Jdg 20:37 and Exo 12:21), referring to the captain and the warriors drawing after him; whilst in Jdg 4:7 it is to be translated in the same way, though with a transitive signification. Mount Tabor, called by the Greeks (see lxx Hos 5:1), the mountain of Christ’s transfiguration according to an early tradition of the church, the present Jebel et Tur, is a large truncated cone of limestone, which is almost perfectly insulated, and rises to the height of about a thousand feet, on the north-eastern border of the plain of Jezreel. The sides of the mountain are covered with a forest of oaks and wild pistachios, and upon its flat summit, which is about half an hour in circumference, there are the remains of ancient fortifications (see Robinson, Pal. iii. pp. 211ff., and v. Raumer, Pal. pp. 37, 38). The words “and take with thee 10,000 men” are not to be understood as signifying that Barak was to summon the people together upon the top of Mount Tabor, but the assembling of the people is presupposed; and all that is commanded is, that he was to proceed to Mount Tabor with the assembled army, and make his attack upon the enemy, who were encamped in the valley of Kishon, from that point. According to Jdg 4:10, the army was collected at Kedesh in Naphtali. Nachal Kishon is not only the brook Kishon, which is formed by streams that take their rise from springs upon Tabor and the mountains of Gilboa, flows in a north-westerly direction through the plain of Jezreel to the Mediterranean, and empties itself into the bay of Acca, and which is called Mukatta by the natives (see Rob. iii. pp. 472ff., and v. Raumer, pp. 39, 50), but the valley on both sides of the brook, i.e., the plain of Jezreel (see at Jos 17:16), where the greatest battles have been fought for the possession of Palestine from time immemorial down to the most recent times (see v. Raumer, pp. 40ff.).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(6) Barak.The name means lightning (Jos., Antt.), as does Barca, the family name of Hannibal and Hasdrubal. So in Virgil, the Scipios are called two lightnings of war. (Comp. Boanerges, Mar. 3:17.)
Kedesh-naphtali.The name Kedesh means a holy city. There were, therefore, many towns of the name, as Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 20:1; Jos. 15:23), and Kedesh in Issachar (Jos. 12:22). Jerusalem is called the holy, the noble (El kuds, es shereef). This sanctuary of Naphtali was a Levitical refuge city in Galilee (Jos. 19:35; Jos. 20:7; Jos. 21:32). Josephus says that it was not far from Phnicia (Jos., Antt. xiii. 5, 6). The site of it is probably at Kades, four miles north-west of Lake Merom. The reading of the Syriac and Arabic versions hereRakamis inexplicable. The fact that the fame of Barak had penetrated from the northern city to the southern limits of Ephraim shows that he must have been a man of great mark.
Draw.The meaning of the word is uncertain. The Rabbis understand the people, others understand thy steps, referring to Gen. 37:21; Exo. 12:21 (Heb.). The LXX. has thou shalt depart; the Vulgate, lead; the Chaldee, spread out, as in Jdg. 20:37. There, however, our version gives in the margin the alternative made a long sound with the trumpet, and the verb is used in that sense in Exo. 19:13; Jos. 6:5, but there the substantive is added. The word probably implies that Barak is to draw his troops together in small contingents to prevent suspicion.
Mount Tabor.The broad flat top of this strong, beautiful, and easily fortified mountain (which is nearly a mile in circumference) would serve the double purpose of a watch-post and a stronghold. It was in the district of Issachar, about six miles from Nazareth, and its peculiarities attracted notice in very early days (see Jos. 19:22; Psa. 89:12; Jer. 46:18). Josephus calls it Itaburion; he held it for some time successfully against Placidus and the Romans (Jos., B. J. iv. 1, 8). Its huge truncated cone of limestone rises isolated from the plain to the height of nearly nineteen hundred feet, and its sides are clothed with oaks and terebinths. It is now called Jebel et Tur. It was long regarded as the scene of the Transfiguration, but it must yield this glory to Mount Hermon. But the sacred character of the hill seems to be distinctly intimated in Deu. 33:19 : They (Zebulon and Issachar) shall call the people unto the mountains; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; Jer. 46:18 : As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of Hosts, surely as Tabor is among the mountains . . . so shall he come.
Of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun.The northern tribes would feel most painfully the tyranny of Jabin, and these were the two most energetic of them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. She sent and called Barak The prophetess has a higher divine calling and authority than the commander of the army, and, like Elisha in the war with Mesha, a later king of Moab, gives directions which the officers of the army must obey. The name Barak means lightning appropriate name for the hero of the flashing sword.
Kedesh-naphtali So called from being in the tribe territory of Naphtali. Jos 19:37. It was a city of refuge, and the sacred city of the northern tribes. Jos 20:7.
Hath not the Lord commanded The interrogative form of expressing a most emphatic affirmation.
Draw toward Proceed in small companies, one after another, so as not to attract notice, or excite too sudden alarm. Mount Tabor is in several respects the most remarkable mountain of Palestine. It rises from the northeastern part of the great Plain of Esdraelon, and, according to Newman, its graceful form varies with the standpoint of the beholder. Viewed from the heights of Carmel, it resembles a truncated cone; as seen from the northern hills of Galilee, it reminds one of the pyramids of Egypt; from the mountains of Samaria it appears like the segment of a great circle; and from the hills just south, it is not unlike a terraced mound or woodland park. Its summit commands a magnificent view of the great Plain of Jezreel below, which from the time of Deborah and Barak has been the battlefield of the nations. The occupation of Tabor gave Barak an advantage over Sisera’s forces, which were at Harosheth, near the mouth of the Kishon valley, and must approach to meet him in the plain below.
Ten thousand men An even number, to indicate approximately the force required. It was not to be too large, so as to be unwieldy; nor too small, so as to lack the force and enthusiasm of a considerable host. Of
Naphtali and Zebulun
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And she sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, out of Kedesh-naphtali. And said to him, “Has not Yahweh, the God of Israel commanded? Go, and draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with you ten eleph men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun.” ’
The Spirit of Yahweh was at work for Deborah had foreseen short term coming events. She was thus completely in charge. We must assume that Barak was a recognised battle leader whose influence was such that she knew men would follow him. The power of her influence is seen in that he came. His name means ‘lightning’, a worthy opponent for Baal, the god of lightning who was worshipped in Hazor. He was to be Yahweh’s lightning. He lived in Naphtali territory, of which Hazor was one of the cities allotted to them. Perhaps both were in her mind when she chose him.
“And said to him, “Has not Yahweh, the God of Israel commanded?”” Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, was in charge of operations here. He was their commander (compare Jos 5:14). And He was doing it through Deborah.
“Go, and draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with you ten eleph men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun.” Mount Tabor was a mountain rising from the plain of Jezreel to a height of 588 metres (1900 feet). It was steep-sloped and on the Zebulun-Issachar border. There they would be safe from chariots, which would encourage the Israelite fighting men. ‘Go and draw’ refers to the plan to draw Sisera’s chariots towards Mount Tabor. He was to take ten largish units of men. Military units were split into ‘elephs’, ‘hundreds’ and ‘tens’ (Jdg 20:10), but as often with military units the number was theoretical. The actual group would be far smaller.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 4:6-7. And she sent and called Barak, &c. In virtue of her supreme authority, which was uncontested by the whole nation, she sent for Barak; concerning whom we know no more than that he was born or dwelt in the city of Kedesh, in the tribe of Naphtali. Tabor, towards which Barak was ordered to draw his forces, was a famous mountain not far from Kedesh, in the tribe of Zebulun, and upon the confines of Issachar and Manasseh; which had a large plain at the top of it, where an army might be drawn up and exercised commodiously. Modern travellers confirm this. “Mount Tabor,” says Maundrell, “stands by itself, about two or three furlongs within the plain of Esdraelon: after a very laborious ascent, which took up near an hour, we reached the highest part of the mountain: it has a plain area at the top, most fertile and delicious, of an oval figure, extending about one furlong in breadth, and two in length. This area is inclosed with trees on all parts, except towards the south. It was anciently environed with walls and trenches, and other fortifications, of which it exhibits many remains at this day.From the top of Tabor you have a prospect which well rewards the labour of ascending it. It is impossible for man’s eye to behold a higher gratification of this nature. On the north-west you discern at a distance the Mediterranean; and all around you have the spacious and beautiful plains of Esdraelon and Galilee, which present you with the view of many places memorable for the resort and miracles of the Son of God. At the bottom of Tabor westward, stands Daberah, a small village, supposed to take its name from Deborah. Near this valley is the fountain of Kishon.” See Journey from Aleppo, p. 114. Concerning Kishon, Dr. Shaw tells us, “In travelling under a south-east brow of Carmel, I had an opportunity of seeing the sources of the river Kishon, three or four of which lie within less than a furlong of each other, and are called Rasel-Kishon, or the head of Kishon. These alone, without the lesser contributions, nearer the sea, discharge water enough to form a river half as big as the Isis. During the rainy season, all the water which falls on the eastern side of the mountain, or upon the rising ground to the southward, empties itself into it in a number of torrents, at which conjunctures it overflows its banks, acquires a wonderful rapidity, and carries all before it. It might be at such a conjuncture as this when the stars are said to fight against Sisera, (ch. Jdg 5:21.) by bringing an abundance of rain, whereby the Kishon was occasionally so high and rapid, as to sweep away the host of Sisera in attempting to ford it. But these inundations are extemporaneous only, without any duration; for the course of the Kishon, which is but about seven miles in length, runs very briskly, till within half a league of the sea, where it loses itself.” See Travels, p. 274.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Under the impression of the Holy Spirit of the Lord, Deborah evidently sent this message to Barak. And it should seem that in it, by the manner of her expression, in which she asketh, as it were, the question of Barak, both Barak and the children of Israel understood it to be of the Lord. Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded? Reader! do observe, I pray you, the antiquity of that most precious doctrine, of the divine drawings. Yes! blessed God! it is thy drawings which alone inclines the heart to Jesus, and by which the souls of thy people are kept near thyself. Son 1:4 ; Joh 6:44 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Ver. 6. And she sent and called Barak. ] She sent; not went: for, (1.) She was a judge in Israel, and of great authority; (2.) It is not fit for women to wander up and down. Ambrose saith Barak was her son, others her husband, but neither is likely.
Ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali.
a Mashac, est occulto impetu aliquem impellere quo velis.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Hath not. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
river Kishon. Compare Psa 83:9, Psa 83:10.
hand. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Septuagint, and Syriac, read “hands”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Barak: Jdg 5:1, Heb 11:32
Kedeshnaphtali: Jos 19:32, Jos 19:37, Jos 21:32
Hath: Jos 1:9, Psa 7:6, Isa 13:2-5, Act 13:47
Tabor: Jdg 8:18, 1Sa 10:3, Psa 89:12, Jer 46:18, Hos 5:1
ten thousand: Jdg 4:10, Jdg 5:14-18
Reciprocal: Gen 49:21 – General Deu 11:29 – General Jos 8:8 – I have Jos 19:12 – Chislothtabor Jos 19:22 – Tabor Jdg 4:11 – Kedesh Jdg 4:12 – mount Tabor Jdg 5:15 – Barak Jdg 5:18 – in the high Jdg 5:23 – the angel Jdg 6:14 – Go in 1Ki 8:44 – whithersoever 1Ch 6:76 – Kedesh 1Ch 6:77 – Tabor 1Ch 14:10 – Go up Psa 68:11 – Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 4:6. Called Barak By virtue of that power which God had given her, and the people owned in her. Out of Kedesh-naphtali So called, to distinguish it from other places of that name, one in Judah, and another in Issachar. Hath not the Lord, &c. That is, assuredly God hath commanded thee; this is not the fancy of a weak woman, which peradventure thou mightest despise; but the command of the great God by my mouth, Mount Tabor A place most fit for his purpose, as being in the borders of divers tribes, and having a large plain at the top of it, where he might conveniently marshal and discipline his army. Naphtali and Zebulun These she names, because they were nearest, and best known to Barak, and therefore would soonest be brought together; because they were nearest, to the enemy, and therefore must speedily be assembled, or else they were likely to be hindered in their design; while the other tribes, being at a distance, had better opportunity of gathering forces for their succour; and because these had most smarted under this oppressor, who was in the heart of their country; but these are not named exclusively, as appears by the concurrence of some other tribes.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel {d} commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
(d) And revealed to me by the spirit of prophecy.