Deborah the prophetess judges Israel under her palm-tree; Barak routs Sisera's nine hundred chariots of iron at the brook Kishon, and Jael drives the tent-pin through the sleeping captain's temples.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem, when Ehud was dead.
verse value 2476
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "died" (מֵֽת, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·added" (וַיֹּסִ֙פוּ֙, 5 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּסִ֙פוּ֙ [and·they·added] (162) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת [to·do] (806) + הָרַ֖ע [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְאֵה֖וּד [and·Ehud] (22) + מֵֽת [died] (440) = 2476.
Radak
"And Ehud died." Why is the death of Ehud mentioned? He should have mentioned the death of Shamgar, who came after him. Rather, it appears that in the days of Shamgar, Israel was not saved with a complete salvation, nor did he restrain them from doing evil in the sight of the Lord, nor did the land rest during his days. Do you not see that it says only, "He too saved Israel"? And behold, it is written, "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, caravans ceased..."
Metzudat David
"And Ehud died." This means that from the day Ehud died, even in the days of Shamgar, they did evil, and therefore his deliverance was not great.
Malbim
"And they added to do evil." This occurred even during the lifetime of Ehud, as stated above. Ehud died; as long as he lived, his merit served as a shield for them. Therefore, it is not written here, as it was written above, "And Othniel died, and they added to do evil" (and similarly below in 8:33, 10:6, and 11:15), because here they did evil during his lifetime.
And Hashem gave them over into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth-goiim.
verse value 3853
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·Canaan" (מֶלֶךְ־כְּנַ֔עַן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·Hazor" (בְּחָצ֑וֹר), "and·captain·of·his·host" (וְשַׂר־צְבָאוֹ֙), "in·Harosheth" (בַּחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "in·hand·of" (root יד, 75x in Judges). First appearance of the root יבין ("Jabin") in Judges. First appearance of the root צבא ("and·captain·of·his·host") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Hazor', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּמְכְּרֵ֣ם [and·sold·them] (316) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּיַד֙ [in·hand·of] (16) + יָבִ֣ין [Jabin] (72) + מֶלֶךְ־כְּנַ֔עַן [king·Canaan] (280) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + מָלַ֖ךְ [he·reigned] (90) + בְּחָצ֑וֹר [in·Hazor] (306) + וְשַׂר־צְבָאוֹ֙ [and·captain·of·his·host] (605) + סִֽיסְרָ֔א [Sisera] (331) + וְה֥וּא [and·he] (18) + יוֹשֵׁ֖ב [dwelling] (318) + בַּחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת [in·Harosheth] (910) + הַגּוֹיִֽם [the·nations] (64) = 3853.
Rashi
"In Harosheth-goiim." It is the name of a city, named so because it was strong and dominant.
Radak
"Who reigned in Hazor." Before Joshua struck them and destroyed them, and burned Hazor with fire, and killed its king with the sword, Yabin was the king of Hazor at that time. And those who remained from that family went to Charashet HaGoyim and settled there, and the king was also called Yabin, like the first king. The meaning of Charashet HaGoyim: we translate it as "forest," for in that forest there were strong towers, and the remaining Canaanites dwelled in them. And Jonathan rendered it: "In the strong fortresses of the nations."
Ralbag
And he dwelt in a great and strong city; for this reason it is called Haroshet HaGoyim. Meaning, that it was built with the labor of many nations who built it, for they strove in its building that it should be strong because of Israel, and they called upon many nations and with the counsel of all of them the building was completed to the utmost strength. Or the meaning of 'the workshop of the nations' is that on account of the size of the city all the work of the various crafts that the nations perform was done there, as if you would say, weavers and embroiderers of all kinds of garments, and forgers of copper and iron, and so on for all kinds of crafts, for this would not be found in a city unless it were a very large city. And it is possible that 'Haroshet HaGoyim' is a wide region containing many cities, and that region was in a strong place. And it is possible that it was within a large forest, for the translation of ya'ar (forest) is chursha. And it seems that there were many kings there according to what appears from the song of Devorah: 'kings came, they fought,' etc., and we have not seen in the narrative that Sisera brought an army except from Haroshet HaGoyim.
Metzudat David
"Who reigned in Hazor." Before Joshua captured Hazor. And what is written in Joshua (11:10), "he struck it with the sword," refers back to Hazor and not to its king, for after they captured him, they let him go free, and he reigned in Harosheth-goiim, which is a place where all the craft of smith and artisan is found.
Malbim
"And He sold them." Initially, they were in the hands of Aram and Moab, who were not among the seven nations, and now He sold them into the hand of the king of Canaan, and that which was written was fulfilled: "And they shall be to you as adversaries [thorns in your sides]." He reigned first in Hazor, which Joshua conquered, and now he dwells in Harosheth-goiim, a fortified city, and he has harbored enmity against them from long ago.
And the children of Israel cried to Hashem; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
verse value 4933
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "a team·iron" (רֶֽכֶב־בַּרְזֶל֙), "squeezed" (לָחַ֞ץ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root צעק ("and·cried") in Judges. First appearance of the root עשרים ("twenty") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Rashi
He pressed the children of Israel strongly. Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded (Parashat Tsav, Chapter 2): Through blasphemies; and so it says (Malachi 3:13): "Your words have been harsh against Me."
Metzudat David
"For [he had] nine hundred..." etc. And for this reason their hearts were not emboldened to go forth to battle, and they cried out in prayer to the LORD.
"And he pressed them with great force" – He oppressed Israel with great strength.
Metzudat Zion
Of iron. Strong as iron:
Malbim
"And they cried out." In the earlier instances (Judges 3:9, 15), it is written "vayiz'aku" (with a zayin), and here it is written "vayitz'aku" (with a tzadi), for a "tze'akah" (cry) is greater than a "ze'akah" (cry). And this is due to three reasons: 1) For he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and they had no hope of defeating him by natural means; 2) And he oppressed them... harshly, and our Sages of blessed memory expounded this as [referring to] taunts and abuses; 3) That the duration of the bondage was twenty years.
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
verse value 3673
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "wife" (אִשָּׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·Deborah" (וּדְבוֹרָה֙), "prophetess" (נְבִיאָ֔ה), "Lappidoth" (לַפִּיד֑וֹת). The root אשה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "she" (root הוא, 71x in Judges); "wife" (root אשה, 59x in Judges); "judging" (root שפט, 20x in Judges). First appearance of the root דבורה ("and·Deborah") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lappidoth', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּדְבוֹרָה֙ [and·Deborah] (223) + אִשָּׁ֣ה [wife] (306) + נְבִיאָ֔ה [prophetess] (68) + אֵ֖שֶׁת [wife·of] (701) + לַפִּיד֑וֹת [Lappidoth] (530) + הִ֛יא [she] (16) + שֹׁפְטָ֥ה [judging] (394) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + בָּעֵ֥ת [time] (472) + הַהִֽיא [that] (21) = 3673.
Rashi
A woman of torches. She used to make wicks for the Temple.
Radak
"Lapidot." They said that it refers to Barak ben Avinoam, and Barak and Lapidot are related in their matter. And in the Midrash, the "woman of torches" is called so because she made wicks for the Sanctuary.
Shofta. A past-tense verb from the po'el binyan, similar to the quadriliteral [pattern]; or it is a participle from the kal, in the pattern of "okhelet kash" ["one eating straw"].
Ralbag
And indeed Devorah was judging Israel at that time. And I hold that when Israel returned to the Lord she was judging them, and she was the cause of their returning to the Lord, for it is remote that Israel would do evil in the sight of the Lord and Devorah would not rebuke them for this, and she was a prophetess. And indeed this indicates further what we said, the verse says 'she judged Israel at that time.' And she was called Ishet Lapidot, for her husband's name was Barak, and 'barak' (lightning) and 'lapid' (torch) are close in meaning. Or the meaning of 'Ishet Lapidot' is like 'Eshet Chayil' (woman of valor) or 'Eshet Medanim' (a contentious woman), and 'lapidim' and 'lapidot' are one thing, and the meaning is that her degree in prophecy had reached such intensity that torches appeared in the place where her prophecy reached her, as the Torah relates concerning Moses our teacher.
Metzudat David
"A woman of torches." This means a woman of valor, swift in her deeds like a torch of fire, and this is a matter of rhetoric, as people say:
This is the one who judged. Because she was a prophetess and swift in her deeds, this merit came to her to be a judge over Israel.
Malbim
And Deborah. He said that now four preparations had gathered together for their salvation: A) What was stated above that they cried out to the Lord; B) The merit of Deborah, who attained prophecy (which the previous saviors had not attained), and her natural preparation, that she was a woman of torches, meaning her deeds were performed with swiftness and fervor like torches; C) Her exertion to rectify the people, in that she judged them. (And the word "shofetah" [she judged] is a participle of the kal [simple] form, and some say it is a complete past-tense verb of the quadriliteral form.)
And she sat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
verse value 4996
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֧ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "under·the·palm-tree·of" (תַּחַת־תֹּ֜מֶר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: between, son. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "under·the·palm-tree·of" (תַּחַת־תֹּ֜מֶר), "the·Ramah" (הָרָמָ֛ה), "to·the·judgment" (לַמִּשְׁפָּֽט). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "to·her" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root משפט ("to·the·judgment") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Under the palm tree." She had palm trees in Jericho.
“Between Ramah and Bethel, in the mountains of Ephraim.” According to the translation of Jonathan, we learn that this verse is not to be understood literally, and these are not the landmarks of the place of her dwelling; rather, we learn that she was a wealthy woman, and her livelihood came from these places, while she dwelt in her city, whose name was Ataroth.
"Under the palm tree." She had palm trees in Jericho, vineyards in Ramah, and olive trees in the valley of Bethel, which is a place of oil, and white/chalky soil in the hill country of Ephraim. The Targum renders it: "on the royal mountain." I say that they sell it to potters. And there are those who interpret "white soil" as a field for sowing, like (Shevi'it 2:1): "the white field."
Radak
Tamar. Like [the word] "tamar" [palm tree]. And Jonathan rendered the verse thus: "and she was dwelling in a town," etc. And one may say, according to the plain sense, that she had a house under a single palm tree. And the fact that [the verse] says "Deborah" [again here] is for the sake of extra clarification, since she had already been mentioned, and it said "and she" — we know that this is said about her — and afterward "Deborah" is mentioned again for the sake of greater clarification, for such is the rule of the language, like "These are the generations of Noah: Noah," and others like it.
"And they went up." And the people of Israel would go up to her for judgment, for she was judging Israel in those days, and her prophecy was limited to her own time, for we do not find for her any prophecy concerning the future.
Metzudat David
“Under a date palm.” So that she would not be secluded with the men who came to her for judgment, she established her seat of judgment under a date palm tree, where there is no space for seclusion (Megillah 14a).
“Deborah between Ramah...” – This means that Deborah was always between Ramah and...
And they went up to her. To that place:
Malbim
And she: 4) The merit of Israel was that, whereas all the other judges had to go about among the people to judge them, as it says of Samuel, “and he went about Bethel,” etc., behold, she sat under the palm tree called after her, the palm of Deborah (and this palm was located between Ramah and Bethel), and the children of Israel came up to her of their own accord for judgment.
And on this basis our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Just as the date palm has but one heart, so too did Israel at that time have one heart toward their Father in Heaven.” And likewise they said: “Just as the shade of this date palm is scant, so too were the sages of Torah few in number at that time; for had they not been so, they would not have traveled from the ends of the land to a woman for judgment.”
And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him: ‘Has not Hashem, the God of Israel, commanded, saying: Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
verse value 9088
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 112 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֥א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·God·of·Israel" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: Naphtali, Naphtali. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Barak" (לְבָרָ֣ק), "from·Kedesh" (מִקֶּ֖דֶשׁ), "commanded" (צִוָּ֣ה). The root נפתלי appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root ברק ("to·Barak") in Judges. First appearance of the root קדש ("from·Kedesh") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Naphtali', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 19 words.
Rashi
"Did He not command?" Through Moses (Deuteronomy 20:17): "For you shall surely put them to the ban." Thus it is taught in the Mekhilta (Bo 12):
Radak
"And she sent." If she was his wife, she had been separated [from him] from the time she began prophesying, and she would sit there under the palm tree; and now she sent to summon him, to tell him the prophecy which the LORD had spoken:
"Had I not commanded you" – this is not the beginning of the discourse; rather, she said to him other things prior to this, and the Scripture grasped the ultimate point of the matter, namely that which was necessary from among them. Similarly, "Have you not heard, my daughter?" and similarly, "For the Lord has given into our hands all the land," which the two spies said, as we have explained. And this word also comes to strengthen, like one who admonishes his friend and warns him, saying, "Did I not tell you? Be careful and guard yourself, lest you be negligent in the matter." And similarly, "Did I not send you?" which is said to Gideon.
"And you shall lead." You shall draw Israel and entice them with words until you bring them to Mount Tavor, for they were afraid of Sisera's power; therefore, they needed enticement and many words.
Ralbag
If Barak was her husband, it seems that she had already separated from him on account of her prophecy, and therefore she had to send and summon him from the place where he was dwelling, and that is Kedesh Naftali. Or perhaps she too was dwelling in Kedesh Naftali, but according to law the sons of Israel would come to her at that place where the palm tree was, and therefore it is called the Palm of Devorah, for it was her custom to sit in judgment at that place. And indeed Devorah said to Barak in truth, 'the Lord God of Israel has commanded you to do this,' namely to assemble on Mount Tabor the men of Israel in such a way that you bring there ten thousand men from the sons of Naftali and from the sons of Zevulun. And this would indeed be by means of persuasion and enticement with words that you will say to them, on the basis that the Lord has already appointed for them in prophecy that they will defeat the army of Sisera, and they should trust in this in the Lord, for there is no restraint upon the Lord to save with many or with few. And the Lord will cause Sisera to be drawn to you at the brook Kishon, with his chariots and his host, and He will deliver him into your hand. And if someone asks, why did God send to command Barak to draw ten thousand men of Israel to Mount Tabor with words of enticement and persuasion, and how did the Lord not draw them there by Himself as He drew Sisera and his chariots and his host to the brook Kishon? We would say to him that the Lord does not strive to perform miracles except when necessary, and since it was possible that Israel would be drawn in this manner, it was not the desire of the Lord to renew for them a desire to come there by means of a miracle.
Metzudat David
“Has not the Lord commanded?” Indeed, the Lord commanded her, for it was said to her through prophecy, even though it is not explicitly mentioned.
“Go, and draw out.” Draw out the hearts of the children of Israel to entice them to come with you to Mount Tabor to fight against Sisera, for they greatly feared his large army.
Metzudat Zion
Of Kedesh, Naphtali. A place name in Naphtali's inheritance:
Malbim
"And she sent." After this preparation, which was a merit for the judge and the generation, she said to him: a) That he should know that her words were words of prophecy, as is indicated by the statement, "Has not the Lord commanded?" b) The commandment of the Lord was that he should draw men to him to Mount Tabor, and that their number should be ten thousand, and that they should be from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. And our Sages of blessed memory provided reasons for why these two tribes were chosen at that time.
And I will draw to you to the brook Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.
verse value 4881
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "in·your·hand" (בְּיָדֶֽךָ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·you" (אֵלֶ֜יךָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·murmur" (וְאֶת־הֲמוֹנ֑וֹ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·I·will·draw" (וּמָשַׁכְתִּ֨י), "captain·of·host·of" (שַׂר־צְבָ֣א), "and·his·chariots" (וְאֶת־רִכְבּ֖וֹ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·torrent" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "to·you" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "in·your·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges). First appearance of the root קישון ("Kishon") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·murmur', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמָשַׁכְתִּ֨י [and·I·will·draw] (776) + אֵלֶ֜יךָ [to·you] (61) + אֶל־נַ֣חַל [to·torrent] (119) + קִישׁ֗וֹן [Kishon] (466) + אֶת־סִֽיסְרָא֙ [Sisera] (732) + שַׂר־צְבָ֣א [captain·of·host·of] (593) + יָבִ֔ין [Jabin] (72) + וְאֶת־רִכְבּ֖וֹ [and·his·chariots] (635) + וְאֶת־הֲמוֹנ֑וֹ [and·murmur] (514) + וּנְתַתִּ֖יהוּ [and·I·will·give·him] (877) + בְּיָדֶֽךָ [in·your·hand] (36) = 4881.
Radak
"And I will draw him." It is said that Sisera's astrologers saw that he should not go out in that battle, for he would be defeated if he went out; but the Holy One, blessed be He, drew his heart to go out. This is what is meant by "And I will draw him." And Jonathan translated it "ve'aiteviv" ["and I will rouse him"]. And the Targum's "vehigeiram" [means] "by the sword," and "u'tavinun" [means] "by slaughter."
Metzudat David
"And I will draw..." This means: I will place in his heart [the desire] to go to the brook of Kishon.
Metzudat Zion
His multitude. It is a large crowd, named for the fact that the sound of their tumult is great:
Malbim
And then, "I will draw [him] to you" — by the providence of the Lord, He will draw all his camp to the brook Kishon; and there, "and I will deliver him into your hand" — by a miraculous way.
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.’
verse value 2437
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·you·will·go" (אִם־תֵּלְכִ֥י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: with·me, with·me. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·you·will·go" (אִם־תֵּלְכִ֥י), "you·will·go" (תֵֽלְכִ֛י). The root הלך appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·I·will·go" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "to·her" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root ילך ("if·you·will·go") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·will·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ [to·her] (46) + בָּרָ֔ק [lightning] (302) + אִם־תֵּלְכִ֥י [if·you·will·go] (501) + עִמִּ֖י [with·me] (120) + וְהָלָ֑כְתִּי [and·I·will·go] (471) + וְאִם־לֹ֥א [and·if·not] (78) + תֵֽלְכִ֛י [you·will·go] (460) + עִמִּ֖י [with·me] (120) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + אֵלֵֽךְ [these] (51) = 2437.
Ralbag
And indeed Barak's answer was that if Devorah would go with him into battle he would go, and if not he would not go, for he reasoned that by her merit the Divine providence would cling more to the army of Israel fighting with Sisera.
Metzudat David
"If you will go with me—to the war:"
Malbim
Questions (8): How could he [Barak] say, "If you will not go, I will not go," after she [Deborah] had spoken to him in the name of the Lord — and one who defies the word of a prophet is liable to death? And why does it say, "for your glory will not be..." etc.?
And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me.” This does not mean that he doubted her prophecy, nor that he defied her command, for one who defies the word of a prophet is liable to death. Rather, after the command had been given to him to muster ten thousand men, he said that if she would not go with him, the people would not believe in him; so why should he go for nothing? (b) After she had informed him that the victory would be achieved through a miracle, he reasoned that his own merit was insufficient for such a miracle, unless she would go with him, in which case the miracle would be brought about through her merit.
And this is what R. Yehuda and R. Nehemiah said in the Midrash: R. Yehuda says, "If you will go with me to Kedesh, I will go with you to Hazor" (and this is like the first reason, that she would go with him to gather the people from Kedesh). And R. Nehemiah says, "If you will go with me for the song, I will go with you to the battle" (this is like the second reason, that only through her merit would the song be sung over the miracle).
And she said: ‘I will surely go with you; notwithstanding the journey that you take shall not be for your honour; for Hashem will give Sisera over into the hand of a woman.’ And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
verse value 7323
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "Sisera" (אֶת־סִֽיסְרָ֑א, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "however" (אֶ֚פֶס), "it·will·be" (תִֽהְיֶ֜ה), "your·glory" (תִּֽפְאַרְתְּךָ֗). The root הלך appears 4 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root קדשה ("Kedesh") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Sisera', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Radak
"Ki be-yad isha" ("For by the hand of a woman"). Some say this refers to Jael, in whose hand Sisera was sold, and that she said this in accordance with the prophecy. But this is not fitting for the context of the verse, which states, "Only that your glory shall not be." Rather, the explanation is as follows: If I go, your glory shall not be, for the salvation will come about through me. And they will say, "For by the hand of Deborah the Lord will sell Sisera," and this salvation will not be called by your name.
Ralbag
And Devorah answered that indeed she would go with him, but he should not boast on the path on which he is going when he defeats Sisera, his host and his chariots, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Meaning, into the hand of Devorah, for this miracle is attributed to her, as will be seen in the song mentioned after this. And at the same time she prophesied that Sisera will fall into the hand of a woman, and she is Ya'el, as clarified in this narrative.
Metzudat David
"However," etc. For behold, the glory bestowed upon the commander of the army is due to one of two reasons: either by demonstrating the courage of his heart to go to war without fear, or by overpowering—whether he himself or one of his men—the greatest of the warriors of his enemy and killing him. Therefore she said, "Will not Sisera be killed by a woman?" namely Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, as will be stated in the matter. If so, everyone will know that this was from the hand of God, for a woman does not prevail by strength. And if so, even if you fear to go to war alone, then you will no longer have the glory fitting for you as commander of the army on the path you are taking, for there will be nothing with which to glorify you.
Metzudat Zion
Only. Merely:
Your glory. Your praise:
He shall sell. He shall deliver:
Malbim
And she said, "I will surely go with you." This means: whether to Kedesh, to gather the people, or to the battle.
"Only that your glory shall not be on the way." This means that if you were to go by yourself, this would be for your honor and glory—whether in that the people would listen to your voice, or in that Sisera would fall into your hands. Not so is it now, for "the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." This means that the entire matter will be attributed to a woman: whether the beginning of his downfall, in that the gathering of the people will be through Deborah, or the end of his downfall, through Jael. This is not the case if he were to heed her words and go by himself, for then he would fall into his hand.
And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet; and Deborah went up with him.
verse value 4985
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "lightning" (בָּרָ֜ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Naphtali" (וְאֶת־נַפְתָּלִי֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·went·up, with. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Zebulun" (אֶת־זְבוּלֻ֤ן), "and·Naphtali" (וְאֶת־נַפְתָּלִי֙). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּזְעֵ֨ק [and·summoned] (193) + בָּרָ֜ק [lightning] (302) + אֶת־זְבוּלֻ֤ן [Zebulun] (496) + וְאֶת־נַפְתָּלִי֙ [and·Naphtali] (977) + קֶ֔דְשָׁה [Kedesh] (409) + וַיַּ֣עַל [and·went·up] (116) + בְּרַגְלָ֔יו [in·his·feet] (251) + עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת [ten] (970) + אַלְפֵ֖י [thousands·of] (121) + אִ֑ישׁ [man] (311) + וַתַּ֥עַל [and·went·up] (506) + עִמּ֖וֹ [with] (116) + דְּבוֹרָֽה [Deborah] (217) = 4985.
Rashi
"And they went up at his heels." [Meaning] with him:
Radak
"And he brought [them] up in his train." He caused to ascend:
Metzudat David
"And he went up." He brought up to Mount Tabor ten thousand [men], etc., who walked after him, as [stated] below (8:5), "to the people who were at his feet."
Metzudat Zion
And he cried out. Its sense is a gathering that comes with the cry of the gatherer, so too (below 18:23) 'why do you cry out?':
Malbim
"And he went up on foot." On his own account (as in, "and the Lord has blessed you on my account" [Genesis 30:30]), not on Deborah's account. Or, according to the plain meaning, that he had no horse or chariot to face the nine hundred iron chariots.
"And she went up with him." Just as it said, "I will surely go" [הָלֹךְ אֵלֵךְ]. And this is why it first said, "and she arose and went to Kedesh," and here it says, "and she went up" [to Mount Tabor].
Now Heber the Kenite had severed himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as Elon-bezaanannim, which is by Kedesh.
verse value 3960
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 3960 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "refuge" (וֹן, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Zaanannim" (בְּצַעֲנַנִּ֖ים, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·Heber" (וְחֶ֤בֶר), "he·who·separates·himself" (נִפְרָ֣ד), "from·Kain" (מִקַּ֔יִן). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "from·sons·of" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "until·to" (root איל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root חבר ("and·Heber") in Judges. First appearance of the root נטה ("and·stretched·out") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moses', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Elon in Tzaananim." (The Targum renders it:) "Mishar Agnaya" — a level place of marshes, "marais" in the vernacular — and it is "Agnaya Gevim," like hollows where water gathers, as it says, "Agnei de-ar'a mikarei" (Kiddushin 61a).
Radak
"Nifrad." [Vocalized with] a kamatz. Meaning: he separated from the Wilderness of Judah, where the Kenites had dwelt, when they went up from the City of Palms.
"Elon Betza'anim." Thus it is written [Ketiv], but read [Qere] "Betza'ananim," and both are the same matter. It is the name of a place, called so for a reason known to them. And Jonathan translated it "the plain of the pools" — it seems they derived it from "the marshes of water," in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, [who said] that these are pits full of water in the fields, which are like basins full of water. And so our Sages, of blessed memory, referred to it in this language, as they said: "Those pits of the ground are called [basins]."
Ralbag
And indeed it is mentioned that Chever the Kenite separated from the Kenites, the sons of Chuvav father-in-law of Moses, of whom it was related above that they dwelt with Judah in the wilderness of Judah, and he pitched his tent as far as Allon Betzaananim which is near Kedesh. And the action of Ya'el indicates that the custom of Chever the Kenite was like the custom of the rest of the sons of Chuvav, to conduct themselves according to the religion of Israel, and therefore Ya'el strove to kill Sisera. But indeed there was peace between Chever the Kenite and Sisera, although there was war between Sisera and Israel, for perhaps Chever the Kenite had submitted his neck under the yoke of Yavin king of Canaan, or there was love between them for another cause.
Metzudat David
He separated himself from Cain. He distanced himself from the rest of Cain’s descendants, who dwelled in the wilderness of Judah, as it is stated at the beginning of the book (above 1:16):
"From the descendants of Hobab." It refers back to Cain.
"And he pitched his tent." And because it is about to say that Sisera fled to the tent of Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, it therefore first stated that Heber separated from Cain and pitched his tent here.
Malbim
"Now Heber the Kenite." This is a preface to what would later be fulfilled, that "the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." It was from the Lord that Heber the Kenite had at that time separated from the rest of his brothers who dwelt in the wilderness of Judah (as mentioned above, ch. 1), and pitched his tent near Kedesh, to be ready for the day of salvation.
And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
verse value 1865
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Abinoam" (בֶּן־אֲבִינֹ֖עַם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "hill·Tabor" (הַר־תָּבֽוֹר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "went·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges); "son·of·Abinoam" (root בין, 50x in Judges). First appearance of the root נגד ("and·they·told") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Sisera', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּגִּ֖דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + לְסִֽיסְרָ֑א [to·Sisera] (361) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + עָלָ֛ה [went·up] (105) + בָּרָ֥ק [lightning] (302) + בֶּן־אֲבִינֹ֖עַם [son·of·Abinoam] (225) + הַר־תָּבֽוֹר [hill·Tabor] (813) = 1865.
Ralbag
And indeed it was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Avinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, and Sisera summoned all his chariots and all the people who were with him from Haroshet HaGoyim to the brook Kishon. And indeed the statement that 'Barak went up' is an allusion that Devorah was Barak's wife, for if the matter were not so it would have been proper to say that Devorah and her army went up, for she was the one leading Israel. And this is because the leader is the one who should be mentioned here. But since Barak was her husband, the primacy was attributed to him.
Metzudat David
For he went up, etc. And by this he understood that he intended to wage war, and therefore he went up to gain mastery over the mountain.
And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth-goiim, to the brook Kishon.
verse value 5958
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 5958 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "nine" (תְּשַׁ֤ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·his·chariots" (אֶת־כׇּל־רִכְבּ֗וֹ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "all·his·chariots" (אֶת־כׇּל־רִכְבּ֗וֹ), "and·all·the·people" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם), "from·Harosheth" (מֵחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת). The root רכב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·torrent" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "hundred" (root מאה, 24x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּזְעֵ֨ק [and·mustered] (193) + סִֽיסְרָ֜א [Sisera] (331) + אֶת־כׇּל־רִכְבּ֗וֹ [all·his·chariots] (679) + תְּשַׁ֤ע [nine] (770) + מֵאוֹת֙ [hundred] (447) + רֶ֣כֶב [chariots·of] (222) + בַּרְזֶ֔ל [iron] (239) + וְאֶת־כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם [and·all·the·people] (572) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אִתּ֑וֹ [with·him] (407) + מֵחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת [from·Harosheth] (948) + הַגּוֹיִ֖ם [the·nations] (64) + אֶל־נַ֥חַל [to·torrent] (119) + קִישֽׁוֹן [Kishon] (466) = 5958.
Rashi
"From Harosheth-goiim to the Wadi Kishon." He summoned them to go to the Wadi Kishon from Harosheth-goiim, where he [Sisera] was dwelling.
Radak
"From Charashet HaGoyim." We explained it above:
Malbim
"And he mustered." To fulfill what was stated, "I will draw Sisera and his chariots to you, to the wadi Kishon," the Lord put it into his [Sisera's] heart: a) that he summoned all his chariots and his multitude, even though it would have been fitting for him to go out against these weak ones with a small force; b) that they were drawn to the wadi Kishon.
And Deborah said to Barak: ‘Up; for this is the day in which Hashem has delivered Sisera into your hand; is not Hashem gone out before you?’ So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
verse value 6636
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Sisera" (אֶת־סִֽיסְרָא֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: in·your·hand, not. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Deborah" (דְּבֹרָ֨ה), "to·Barak" (אֶל־בָּרָ֜ק). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 8 words.
Radak
"Is it not the Lord who goes before you?" – As its Targum [renders it]: "Is it not the angel of the Lord who goes forth to prosper before you?"
Ralbag
And Devorah commanded Barak to arise and fight with Sisera and his army, for the Lord was going before him to fight them. And indeed they all fell by the hand of Barak and his army, except Sisera, who thought to save his life in Ya'el's tent because there was already peace between them. And Ya'el showed herself willing to save him, and covered him with a blanket within her tent so that they would not see him there. And indeed 'samichah' (blanket) is 'cotte' in French. And he asked for water and she gave him milk to make him drowsy, in addition to what helped make him drowsy was his being tired and weary, so that she could kill him while he was sleeping. And indeed Ya'el took the tent peg which was made of iron, as I hold.
Metzudat David
"Arise." This means: Do not delay in standing here to strive on the mountain.
"Ki zeh hayom" – this means that the decree has been established that on this day you will defeat Sisera, and you will no longer be able to delay on the mountain.
“Is not the Lord?” – He need not fear to descend into the valley, for behold, the Lord, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Arise. It is a word of urging on:
Malbim
"Arise, for this is the day." Do not wait for another day, for the Lord has already gone before you, and He has already begun to strike down the slain among them.
And Hashem discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet.
verse value 4210
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֠הֹוָ֠ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "lightning" (בָרָ֑ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·camp" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֛ה, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·threw·into·panic" (וַיָּ֣הׇם), "and·all·the·chariots" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־הָרֶ֧כֶב), "chariot" (הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֖ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "from·upon" (root על, 87x in Judges); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 46x in Judges). First appearance of the root מחנה ("and·all·the·camp") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lightning', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֣הׇם [and·threw·into·panic] (61) + יְ֠הֹוָ֠ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־סִֽיסְרָ֨א [Sisera] (732) + וְאֶת־כׇּל־הָרֶ֧כֶב [and·all·the·chariots] (684) + וְאֶת־כׇּל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֛ה [and·all·the·camp] (565) + לְפִי־חֶ֖רֶב [with·the·edge·of·the·sword] (330) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + בָרָ֑ק [lightning] (302) + וַיֵּ֧רֶד [and·went·down] (220) + סִֽיסְרָ֛א [Sisera] (331) + מֵעַ֥ל [from·upon] (140) + הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֖ה [chariot] (272) + וַיָּ֥נׇס [and·fled] (126) + בְּרַגְלָֽיו [in·his·feet] (251) = 4210.
Metzudat David
"By the edge of the sword." To be executed by the edge of the sword.
“With his feet.” So that no one among the children of Israel would recognize him and seize him.
Metzudat Zion
And He confounded. From the word for tumult [mehumah]:
Malbim
"And the Lord confounded ... before Barak." Abarbanel explained that this means before Barak's arrival, He made him [Sisera] hear the sound of chariots and horses, and frightened him, and Sisera had already fled.
But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, to Harosheth-goiim; and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.
verse value 4026
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·encampment" (כׇּל־מַחֲנֵ֤ה, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "the·chariots" (הָרֶ֙כֶב֙), "and·after" (וְאַחֲרֵ֣י), "Harosheth" (חֲרֹ֣שֶׁת). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges); "after" (root אחר, 49x in Judges); "encampment" (root מחנה, 29x in Judges). First appearance of the root שאר ("remained") in Judges. First appearance of the root אחד ("even·one") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Metzudat David
"Even one." Even a single one:
Malbim
"And Barak pursued." This means that he did not [stop to] fight, but rather pursued those who were fleeing, and the entire camp fell as casualties.
However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
verse value 3760
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "fled" (נָ֣ס, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·Hazor" (מֶלֶךְ־חָצ֔וֹר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: Heber, Heber. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·Sisera" (וְסִֽיסְרָא֙), "fled" (נָ֣ס), "to·tent" (אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל). The root חבר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·tent" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges). First appearance of the root יעל ("Jael") in Judges. First appearance of the root שלום ("belonging·to") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kenite', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
And Sisera fled. He did not flee to the place where his camp had fled, for they had fled toward their own land, which is Harosheth-goiim. Barak and his men pursued them and struck them down with the sword. Sisera knew that he could not escape by fleeing, for they would catch up to him. So he fled to another place where they would not notice him and pursue him. He fled to another place, close to the battlefield, to escape to Jael's tent, for there was peace between them. He thought that he would escape there and that they would hide him until the battle was over.
Metzudat David
"Unto the Tent." Beside the Tent:
"For peace." And for this reason he planned to escape there.
Malbim
And Sisera. Behold, Abarbanel asked here: How could Jael do this evil thing, to kill Sisera, after there was peace between him and the house of her husband, and he had come into her house — and this is against the laws of nations?! And I say, following his approach: Behold, the peace that existed between Jabin and the house of Heber was a peace that included the sons of Kain [the Kenites] who dwelled in the wilderness of Judah; concerning this it is said, "and between the house of Heber the Kenite." Now that Heber had separated from his brethren and pitched his tent among the Israelites, he is not bound by the covenant obligation of the sons of Kain, for he had separated from them.
And the second reason, as Abarbanel stated: that he [Sisera] fled to Jael's tent, and a woman is exempt from matters of state, and she did this on her own, not her husband. However, we did not need all this, since the house of Heber was of the Israelites — how could they not have a quarrel with them and their gods?
And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him: ‘Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not.’ And he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
verse value 4895
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "Jael" (יָעֵל֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּירָ֑א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 497: and·went·out, and·she·covered·him. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "tent" (הָאֹ֔הֱלָה), "with·the·rug" (בַּשְּׂמִיכָֽה). The root אל appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·fear', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
"With a blanket." Targum Yonatan renders it: "with a goncha," and Rav Hai Gaon explained (Shabbat 51a): "goncha" means "glufkerin," [called] "cota" in the vernacular.
Radak
"Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me." Both words are accented on the final syllable, which is not the usual custom in most cases.
"With a blanket." Targum Yonatan translated it 'be-gunkha,' and Rabbeinu Hai [Gaon], of blessed memory, explained it as 'galufkara,' which is mentioned in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, as 'kota' in the vernacular [Old French], and in Arabic 'gu'abi' — corresponding to the language of the Targum. It is a thick covering from which wool fringes emerge over the entire surface of the covering. And it appears that for this reason it is called 'shemikhah,' for in their [the Sages'] language 'shemikhta' means a thick item. And in Vayikra Rabbah, on "and she covered him with a shemikhah": the Sages there say 'with a sudar' [a scarf], the Sages here say 'with a meshikhla' [a wash-tub cloth]. Reish Lakish said: We searched throughout Scripture and did not find a vessel called 'shemikhah.' Rather, what is 'shemikhah'? It is written with a shin — 'shemikhah,' meaning 'My Name is here,' testifying about Yael that Sisera did not touch her.
Metzudat David
“Turn aside.” She saw that he was hesitating, unsure whether to go to her tent or to flee further on, and she said to him, “Turn aside from your place of journeying and come to me, and do not fear.”
Metzudat Zion
Turning aside. The sense of deviation from the place:
With a blanket. It is a thick covering from which tzitzit [fringes] emerge, and as the Targum Yonatan translates: 'gunka'; so too (II Kings 8:15) 'and he took the cover,' Yonatan translates: 'gunka':
And he said to her: ‘Give me, I pray you, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.’ And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
verse value 4324
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "give·me·now·to·drink" (הַשְׁקִינִי־נָ֥א, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "give·me·now·to·drink" (הַשְׁקִינִי־נָ֥א), "a·little·water" (מְעַט־מַ֖יִם), "I·was·thirsty" (צָמֵ֑אתִי). The root שקה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·her" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges). First appearance of the root צמא ("I·was·thirsty") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·was·thirsty', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֧אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלֶ֛יהָ [to·her] (46) + הַשְׁקִינִי־נָ֥א [give·me·now·to·drink] (526) + מְעַט־מַ֖יִם [a·little·water] (209) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + צָמֵ֑אתִי [I·was·thirsty] (541) + וַתִּפְתַּ֞ח [and·it·opened] (894) + אֶת־נֹ֧אוד [skin] (462) + הֶחָלָ֛ב [the·milk] (45) + וַתַּשְׁקֵ֖הוּ [and·let·him·drink] (817) + וַתְּכַסֵּֽהוּ [and·she·covered·him] (497) = 4324.
Rashi
"The skin of milk." For the milk weighs down the body, causing it to become drowsy.
Radak
"And she gave him drink and covered him." She covered him again after she had given him drink, so that he would fall asleep and not feel it. And that which she gave him to drink was milk, to weigh him down, so that he would be asleep.
Metzudat David
"The skin of milk." She gave him milk to drink, for it induces sleep.
“And she covered him.” For at the time of his watering, his covering was exposed, and she returned to cover him.
Metzudat Zion
I am thirsty. From the word for thirst:
Skin. The name of a certain vessel:
And he said to her: ‘Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man does come and inquire of you, and say: Is there any man here? that you shall say: No.’
verse value 3360
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֩) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·stand" (עֲמֹ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·man" (אִם־אִ֨ישׁ), "and·asks·you" (וּשְׁאֵלֵ֗ךְ), "is·there·here" (הֲיֵֽשׁ־פֹּ֥ה). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "if·man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 120x in Judges). First appearance of the root יש ("is·there·here") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'tent', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלֶ֔יהָ [to·her] (46) + עֲמֹ֖ד [to·stand] (114) + פֶּ֣תַח [opening] (488) + הָאֹ֑הֶל [tent] (41) + וְהָיָה֩ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + אִם־אִ֨ישׁ [if·man] (352) + יָבֹ֜א [comes] (13) + וּשְׁאֵלֵ֗ךְ [and·asks·you] (357) + וְאָמַ֛ר [and·will·say] (247) + הֲיֵֽשׁ־פֹּ֥ה [is·there·here] (400) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + וְאָמַ֥רְתְּ [and·you·will·say] (647) + אָֽיִן [nothing] (61) = 3360.
Rashi
"Stand at the entrance of the tent." Hasten yourself in this matter. And some explain: "Stand," as in "to stand."
Radak
"Amod" (stand). [It is] an infinitive: [as if it read] "And he said to her, to stand at the entrance of the tent."
"And it sank." The peg passed through his temple and became embedded in the ground.
"He fell asleep." [It has] a patach, and it is a nifal, past tense:
"Va-ya'af" ("and he was weary"). The letter ayin has a patach, in order to distinguish it from "va-ya'of eilai" ("and he flew to me," cf. Isaiah 6:6), which is a different word. And the meaning of "va-ya'af" is that he had already grown weary; therefore he fell into a deep sleep and did not feel her (Yael) striking him, and he died.
Metzudat Zion
And ask of you. From the word for requesting something:
Here. In this tent:
Malbim
"And he said, 'Is there a man here?'" This means that it is improper to enter a woman's house when no man is present. Surely one would ask, "Is there a man of the household?" and upon hearing the answer "No," a stranger would not enter. And the word "stand" is an infinitive used in place of an imperative.
Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.
verse value 8895
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 91 letters. The shortest word is "Jael" (יָעֵ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·was·fast·asleep" (וְהֽוּא־נִרְדָּ֥ם, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "wife·of·Heber" (אֵֽשֶׁת־חֶ֠בֶר), "pin" (אֶת־יְתַ֨ד), "and·put" (וַתָּ֧שֶׂם). The root יתד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "in·her·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges). First appearance of the root יתד ("pin") in Judges. First appearance of the root רקה ("in·his·temple") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 3 words.
Rashi
The peg of the tent. Kabili in the vernacular, which is driven into the ground along with the flaps of the tent to spread it out.
The mallet. (Targum:) Arzaphta, "martil" in the vernacular.
"Balat" [stealthily]. (Targum:) "In secret," "silently":
And it fell to the ground. (Targum:) And it was planted in the land:
Ralbag
And she took the mallet in her hand. It is an iron tool with which stones are struck and hewn, and she placed the peg against his temple, and struck with the mallet on the peg until the peg was driven into his temple and it fell to the ground and was fastened in it. And indeed Sisera was asleep and had already been tired before this, and therefore he did not feel this action.
Metzudat David
The peg of the tent. The peg that is made to be driven into the ground along with the flaps of the tent.
"Stealthily." So that he should not be awakened from his sleep.
"And it sank into the ground." She struck the peg with the mallet until it passed through his temple and became embedded in the ground.
"And he was asleep." This means: because he had fallen asleep from drinking the milk, and was weary from fleeing on foot, he therefore died immediately.
Metzudat Zion
A tent peg. A nail:
The hammer. The name of a tool, with which one strikes a peg to drive it into the ground, so too (Isaiah 44:12) 'and with hammers he fashions it':
In secret. In concealment and stealth, as in (Ruth 3:7) 'she came in secret [be-lat] and uncovered his feet':
And she drove in. She drove and thrust it in:
Her temple [the side of her face]. It is the side of the height of the face, so too (Song of Songs 4:3) 'your temple is like a piece of pomegranate'; it is called so because of the scant flesh there, as in (Genesis 41:19) 'lean of flesh':
And it plunged. The sense of driving in, as in (above 1:14) 'and she got down from the donkey':
Deeply asleep. From the word for slumber and sleep:
And he was weary. The sense of exhaustion:
Malbim
"And she smote." This means that she took the mallet in one hand and the stake in the other. However, since she lacked the strength to strike the stake with the mallet, God assisted her, causing the stake to sink into the ground by its own weight, splitting and piercing through. And because he was drowsy from the milk he had drunk, and weary and exhausted, he died immediately as a result of this.
And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him: ‘Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.’ And he came to her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.
verse value 7950
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 7950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Sisera" (אֶת־סִֽיסְרָא֒, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·behold. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·I·will·show·you" (וְאַרְאֶ֔ךָּ), "that·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה), "seeking" (מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "the·man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "that·you" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). First appearance of the root בקש ("seeking") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seeking', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Barqato" [his temple]. (Targum:) "Batzid'ei," [glossed] in the vernacular (Old French) as "Nille," "Tempia"; and [Targum renders it]: "and it was fixed in his temple, and in the ground":
Ralbag
And indeed Barak was pursuing Sisera, when he did not find him along the way that he pursued, until Harosheth Hagoyim, and it occurred to him that he [Sisera] was already hidden in one of the places. And Ya'el informed him that he was dead in her house, and it became clear to Barak that Ya'el had killed him, for he saw the peg in his temple.
Metzudat David
"He pursued Sisera." According to his own thinking, to seek him wherever he might be:
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
verse value 1843
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·Canaan" (מֶֽלֶךְ־כְּנָ֑עַן, 7 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "in·the·day" (root יום, 76x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·Canaan', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words.
And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
verse value 3966
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "hand" (יַ֤ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 280: king·Canaan, king·Canaan. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·hard" (וְקָשָׁ֔ה), "they·cut·off" (הִכְרִ֔יתוּ). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·Canaan', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Ralbag
And at the end of the matter the sons of Israel cut off Yavin king of Canaan in the days of Devorah, and on account of this miracle that the Lord performed for Israel through Devorah, she and Barak sang this song that is mentioned. And the meaning is not that Barak was helping her in composing the song, for she alone composed it. And indeed Barak is mentioned with her, as it is said, 'Then Moses sang, etc.'
Metzudat David
And she went, etc. He means to say that each time it increased more.
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim