Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 4:8
And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.
8. If thou wilt go with me ] By having the prophetess with him, Barak could count upon divine guidance, cf. Jdg 4:14. The LXX. cod. B and Luc. brings this out by adding ‘for I know not the day whereon the angel of the Lord may prosper me,’ which looks like the rendering of a Hebr. sentence, but is of questionable originality, and may be based on Jdg 5:23.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Barak, like Gideon Jdg 6:15, Jdg 6:36, Jdg 6:40, and Abraham Gen 15:2-3; Gen 17:18, and Moses Exo 4:10, Exo 4:13, and Peter Mat 14:30-31, exhibited some weakness of faith at first. But this only makes his example more profitable for our encouragement, though he himself suffered some lost by his weakness Jdg 4:9.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
His offer to go with her shows the truth of his faith, for which he is praised, Heb 11:32; but his refusal to go without her shows the weakness of his faith, that he could not trust Gods bare word, as he ought to have done, without the pledge of the presence of his prophetess, whom he thought God would preserve and deliver, and himself for her sake.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. Barak said unto her, If thou wiltgo with me, then I will goHis somewhat singular request to beaccompanied by Deborah was not altogether the result of weakness. TheOrientals always take what is dearest to the battlefield along withthem; they think it makes them fight better. The policy of Barak,then, to have the presence of the prophetess is perfectlyintelligible as it would no less stimulate the valor of the troops,than sanction, in the eyes of Israel, the uprising against anoppressor so powerful as Jabin.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Barak said unto her,…. To Deborah, after she had delivered the words of the Lord unto him:
if thou wilt go with me, then I will go; which showed faith hi the word of the Lord, for which he is commended, and a readiness to do the will of God, and courage to engage in such a work with a powerful adversary, and is therefore reckoned among the heroes for faith, Heb 11:32;
but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go; which though it might discover some weakness in him, yet showed the high opinion he had of Deborah as a judge of Israel, and prophetess of the Lord; being desirous that he might have her with him to pray to God for him, to give him advice and counsel on any emergency, she being as the oracle God; and whereby he testified his regard to the Lord, and to his presence, which he concluded he should have, the prophetess being with him; and more especially his reason for insisting on her going with him might be to prevail upon the inhabitants of Naphtali and Zebulun to go with him, who he might fear would not believe him, or pay any regard to his words, and be in dread of engaging with the enemy, unless she was present; which he supposed would satisfy them as to the mind of God in it, and animate them, and give them heart and spirit.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Barak replied that he would not go unless she would go with him – certainly not for the reason suggested by Bertheau, viz., that he distrusted the divine promise given to him by Deborah, but because his mistrust of his own strength was such that he felt too weak to carry out the command of God. He wanted divine enthusiasm for the conflict, and this the presence of the prophetess was to infuse into both Barak and the army that was to be gathered round him. Deborah promised to accompany him, but announced to him as the punishment for this want of confidence in the success of his undertaking, that the prize of victory – namely, the defeat of the hostile general – should be taken out of his hand; for Jehovah would sell (i.e., deliver up) Sisera into the hand of a woman, viz., according to Jdg 4:17., into the hand of Jael. She then went with him to Kedesh, where Barak summoned together Zebulun and Naphtali, i.e., the fighting men of those tribes, and went up with 10,000 men in his train (“at his feet,” i.e., after him, Jdg 4:14; cf. Exo 11:8 and Deu 11:6) to Tabor (“went up:” the expression is used here to denote the advance of an army against a place). Kedesh, where the army assembled, was higher than Tabor. , Hiphil with acc., to call together (cf. 2Sa 20:4-5). Before the engagement with the foe is described, there follows in Jdg 4:11 a statement that Heber the Kenite had separated himself from his tribe, the children of Hobab, who led a nomad life in the desert of Judah (Jdg 1:16), and had pitched his tents as far as the oak forest at Zaanannim (see at Jos 19:33) near Kedesh. This is introduced because of its importance in relation to the issue of the conflict which ensued (Jdg 4:17 ff). with Kametz is a participle, which is used in the place of the perfect, to indicate that the separation was a permanent one.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(8) If thou wilt go with me.The enterprise seemed so daring and so hopeless, that if not for his own sake, yet for the sake of his army, Barak felt how much would be gained by the presence of the inspired prophetess. The LXX. has the remarkable addition, Because I know not the day in which the Lord prospers the angel with me. This is a sort of excuse for his want of perfect faith. He depends on Deborah to give him the immediate augury of victory. In the Messenian war the soldiers fought bravely because their seers were present (Pausan. iv. 16Cassel).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. If thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go The great general at once recognizes that Jehovah speaks in Deborah, and that as messenger of God she is not only his own superior, but her presence the pledge of his success. Pausanias says, that in the Messinian war “The soldiers fought bravely because their seers were present.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.’
Barak was a warleader, not a prophet. He considered the ten units he would have with him on Mount Tabor and he considered the nine units of chariots, and the further large army of fighting men, a standing army trained for war, and he did not like the odds. So, yes, he was willing to trust Yahweh’s plan, but only if Deborah confirmed her faith in it by going with him. Furthermore he felt that this would aid the fulfilment of the plan, for he had every confidence that Yahweh would fight for Deborah. And the men of Naphtali (with Issachar) and Zebulun would be far more likely to come if she was among them, so great was the common belief that Yahweh was with her. He had faith but he also wanted some kind of confirmation and guarantee.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 4:8. And Barak said unto her Does not Barak shew here some degree of incredulity, ill agreeing with that eulogy given of him by St. Paul, Heb 11:32? Certainly not: his is not the language of incredulity, but of prudence and precaution. He doubts not that Deborah speaks to him in the name of the Lord; he refuses not to undertake what she enjoins; but he is solicitous that she should attend him, both to assist him with her advice, and to inspire his soldiers with the courage necessary for so hazardous an undertaking. See Calmet. Deborah tells him, Jdg 4:9. (according to Mr. Saurin’s exposition,) that if she was in his army, it was to her that they would attribute the victory, and that it would be a kind of dishonour for him, that a woman should carry away that glory which ought to be the ambition of the general; but I should rather think that the words of Deborah allude to Jael’s exploit.
REFLECTIONS.Twenty years the iron yoke of Jabin lay heavy upon Israel; when now at last God hears his people’s cry, and comes to deliver them. Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, at that time judged Israel. She was raised up by the spirit of God, endued with wisdom, and favoured with prophetic foresight. All these gifts, as her name implies, she industriously employed for the public; sweet to her friends, but armed with a sting to smite her enemies. To her the people resorted for judgment in their controversies, and for direction in their religious concerns. Her abode, or rather her seat of justice, was under a palm-tree in mount Ephraim. Grieved at the sufferings of the people, she here, under a divine impulse, forms plans for their rescue; but being, as a woman, unfit to head the armies in the field, she calls Barak to her assistance. Him she directs what forces to levy, points out the encampment, and assures him from God, that, strong as the hosts of Jabin were, yet they and their captain should both fall into his hand. Barak hesitates; yet, if she will go with him, consents to undertake the expedition; her presence, as a prophetess, being more his dependence than the sword of his soldiers: Note; (1.) When we go to war against our spiritual enemies, it is a great encouragement to have the advice and prayers of those upon whose experience and piety we can depend. (2.) When God will destroy his enemies, their resistance is in vain; and their gathering to battle, is only rushing into the snare.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I do not think that Barak, by this answer, manifested fear; but rather, it arose from the confidence he had, that by her accompanying him, the people would be the more convinced that the thing was of the Lord.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 4:8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.
Ver. 8. If thou wilt go with me. ] He is famous for his faith, Heb 11:32-33 and yet here he showeth some unbelief. Let us be faithful in weakness, though but weak in faith, and pray, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” Albeit in some respects it was not amiss for Barak to desire Deborah’s company, viz., to advise him and pray for him, as being a prophetess. Neither fearful nor rash. Neque timide, neque temere, should be the soldier’s motto.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 4:10-14, Mat 14:30, Mat 14:31
Reciprocal: Jdg 4:14 – for this Jdg 7:10 – General 2Ki 6:3 – go with thy
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 4:8. If thou wilt go with me, then I will go No doubt he thought he had great reason for making this resolution, because he might want her advice in doubtful matters, and her authority also, both to raise men and to keep them together in good order, and likewise to inspire them with courage. His offer to go with her shows the truth of his faith, for which he is praised, Heb 11:32; but his refusal to go without her shows the weakness of his faith, that he could not trust Gods bare word, as he ought to have done, without the pledge of the presence of his prophetess.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4:8 And Barak said unto her, {e} If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.
(e) Fearing his own weakness and his enemies power, he desires the prophetess to go with him to assure him of God’s will from time to time.