Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 5:27

At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

27. The effect of the blow, vividly depicted in short, abrupt words; from a standing position his body collapsed; lit. ‘he dropped on his knees, fell headlong, and lay a broken wreck upon the ground.’ For he bowed cf. Jdg 7:5-6, Isa 46:1; he fell cf. 1Sa 28:20; he lay cf. Lam 2:21; dead lit. ‘destroyed,’ ‘spoiled,’ cf. Jer 4:30, Isa 33:1.

The second line, at her feet he bowed, he fell is probably an erroneous repetition from the first.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 27. At her feet he bowed] bein ragleyha, “between her feet.” After having stunned him she probably sat down, for the greater convenience of driving the nail through his temples.

He bowed – he fell] He probably made some struggles after he received the blow on the head, but could not recover his feet.

AEschylus represents Agamemnon rising, staggering, and finally falling, under the blows of Clytemnestra. – Agam. v. 1384.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

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 his head into the ground, as is said, Jdg 4:21.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

Ver. 27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down,…. Perhaps at her first approach to him, and attempt to drive the nail, or at the blow she gave, he rose up, but she had done the business so effectually at the first stroke, that he dropped at once, and laid down his head again:

at her feet he bowed, he fell; when she redoubled her blow:

where he bowed, there he fell down dead; and struggled and stirred no more; thus ingloriously did this general of a vast army die. This action is not otherwise to be justified, but by its being done through an impulse of the Spirit of God upon her, to take away the life of an implacable enemy of God’s people; otherwise it might seem to be a breach of hospitality towards her guest she had invited in, and of the peace which subsisted between this general’s prince and her husband; and therefore is not to be drawn into an example where there is no appearance of a divine warrant.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(27) At her feet.Literally, between her feet, as though the dauntless woman had stridden over him as he lay in the dead sleep of weariness.

He bowed.The word means that he suddenly curled up his knees in one contortion of agony.

He fell.Rolling, perhaps, off the divan on which he was resting.

He lay down.Motionless in death, after that one convulsive movement.

Dead.Rather, slaughtered, or murdered. With this one terrific word the scene ends, as with a blow.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

27. He sunk down, he fell The reference is doubtless to the supposed convulsion in which he rolled off from the low divan and fell to the floor. See note on Jdg 4:21.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jdg 5:27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

Ver. 27. At her feet he bowed, he fell. ] He was soon despatched, and could never tell who hurt him. There now lies the greatness of Sisera: he that had vaunted of his iron chariots, is slain by a woman with one nail of iron.

There he fell down dead. ] Heb., Destroyed; dead as a door nail, as we say, , miserable, as the Septuagint renders it. Thrice he essayed to rise, but bowed down thrice, and fell again. So did a better man than he, Huldericus Zuinglius, when slain in battle; but he could say what Sisera could not, Age, corpus quidem occidere possunt, animum non possunt. Well, the enemies may kill my body, but cannot come at my soul. a

a Scultet, Annal., p. 348.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

At her feet. Note the Figure of speech Asyndeton. App-6.

he bowed, he fell. Figure of speech Epibole.

dead = destroyed.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

At: Heb. Between

where: Psa 52:7, Mat 7:2, Jam 2:13

dead: Heb. destroyed

Reciprocal: Jdg 4:21 – he died

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jdg 5:27. At her feet he bowed, &c. This verse is considered by many as a description of the struggles of Sisera after he was wounded; but perhaps it may only be a relation of his lying down to sleep quite spent with fatigue, from which he never rose again. For it is expressly said, (Jdg 4:21,) that Jael smote the nail quite through his temples, so as to fasten him to the ground; from whence there is great reason to conclude that the blow was instantaneously fatal, and that he never struggled nor stirred. This verse is thus translated by Dr. Kennicott:

At her feet he bowed, he fell! At her feet he bowed, he fell!

Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

And he supposes, naturally enough, the first line to be sung by Deborah, the second by Barak, and that they both joined in singing the third. The whole verse is greatly expressive of the joy of Deborah on this occasion, and shows, in a strong light, her love for her country and people. She dwells on every circumstance with seeming pleasure; she repeats them, as it were, to enjoy the idea and contemplation of them the longer. And one would think all the enemies of Israel had perished in this one man.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments