The Song of Deborah and Barak: the stars in their courses fought against Sisera; blessed above women in the tent is Jael; the mother of Sisera looks through the window in vain — and the land rests forty years.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying:
verse value 2002
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Verse gematria: 2002 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·sang" (וַתָּ֣שַׁר, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Abinoam" (בֶּן־אֲבִינֹ֑עַם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·sang" (וַתָּ֣שַׁר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "in·the·day" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "that" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Abinoam', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֣שַׁר [and·sang] (906) + דְּבוֹרָ֔ה [Deborah] (217) + וּבָרָ֖ק [and·Barak] (308) + בֶּן־אֲבִינֹ֑עַם [son·of·Abinoam] (225) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2002.
Radak
"And Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang." Because Deborah was the primary actor in the event, just as it is written, "And Miriam and Aaron spoke."
Metzudat David
"To say" – meaning that the Children of Israel should say it.
When men let grow their hair in Israel, When the people offer themselves willingly, Bless you Hashem.
verse value 2478
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "with" (עָ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·growing·long" (בִּפְרֹ֤עַ), "locks" (פְּרָעוֹת֙), "in·volunteering" (בְּהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges). First appearance of the root ברך ("bless") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: בִּפְרֹ֤עַ [when·growing·long] (352) + פְּרָעוֹת֙ [locks] (756) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [in·Israel] (543) + בְּהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב [in·volunteering] (463) + עָ֑ם [with] (110) + בָּֽרְכ֖וּ [bless] (228) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2478.
Rashi
"When breaches were caused in Israel, when the people volunteered themselves." When breaches came upon Israel, in that their enemies broke through against them because they had forsaken the LORD, and the people volunteered to return in repentance — from then on they blessed the LORD for the salvations He performed for them.
Radak
Regarding "in avenging the avengings" (בפרוע פרעות): [this means] "in taking vengeance" (בנקום נקמות). The Targum renders "taking vengeance" (נקום נקמת) as "retribution was exacted" (איתפרע פורענותא).
"when the people volunteered." When Israel volunteers and strengthens themselves to go to war—meaning, whether for evil or for good—they bless God. And Jonathan's Targum translates the verse accordingly: "When the House of Israel trembled in the Torah, etc."
“Hear, O kings”: The kings of the land. And some say that this refers to Israel, as it is stated in the manner of what they said: “All of Israel are righteous children.”
Ralbag
'In the breaching of restraints [a cessation of leadership].' It is from the notion of cessation and abolition. And the meaning here is that although Israel was ceased and nullified from courage because of the pressure of Sisera and Yavin, and they were for this reason in the utmost weakness, it is fitting on account of this to bless the Lord when the people of Israel volunteered to go up against them to battle, at seeing their weakness and the strength of Sisera and his army, for this was a great wonder.
Metzudat David
"When retribution was wrought" (biphroa' pera'ot) — meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, took His vengeance through the hand of Israel, so that it would appear to have been accomplished by their own strength, which was an honor to them.
“when the people volunteered.” This means: because of what God placed in the hearts of the people to volunteer to go to war, even though they saw their own weakness and Sisera’s might.
"Bless the Lord." For these two reasons, "Bless the Lord":
Metzudat Zion
To execute vengeance. The sense of vengeance, for (Numbers 31:2) 'Execute vengeance,' is translated [in Aramaic]: 'itpera pur'anuta' [carry out a vengeance]:
Malbim
"B'faru'a" (When they are disheveled). This refers to the time when Israel is disheveled — whether because they cast off discipline, or because of their weakness (as it is said, "for the people were unruly"), until it was utterly disheveled with many disorders. Then, "when the people volunteer themselves." If there are found among the people volunteers to go forth for war, this is not a natural matter but a divine one; therefore, "Bless the Lord, for this was from His hand."
Hear, O you kings; give ear, O you princes; I, to Hashem will I sing; I will sing praise to Hashem, the God of Israel.
verse value 2567
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "hear" (שִׁמְע֣וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "give·ear" (הַאֲזִ֖ינוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: I, I. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "give·ear" (הַאֲזִ֖ינוּ), "being·weighty" (רֹֽזְנִ֑ים), "I·will·sing" (אָשִׁ֔ירָה). The root אנכי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 57x in Judges). First appearance of the root אזן ("give·ear") in Judges. First appearance of the root אנכי ("I") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'being·weighty', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֣וּ [hear] (416) + מְלָכִ֔ים [kings] (140) + הַאֲזִ֖ינוּ [give·ear] (79) + רֹֽזְנִ֑ים [being·weighty] (307) + אָנֹכִ֗י [I] (81) + לַֽיהֹוָה֙ [to·Hashem] (56) + אָנֹכִ֣י [I] (81) + אָשִׁ֔ירָה [I·will·sing] (516) + אֲזַמֵּ֕ר [I·will·sing·praise] (248) + לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2567.
Rashi
"I, I." It is doubled. I have heard an aggadic midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Judges, remez 47): The Holy One, blessed be He, did not withhold the reward of Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel, who came to the giving of the Torah to receive the Torah upon them, but they returned with shame upon their faces. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: "In the end, I will repay you double." It is stated at Sinai (Exodus 20:2): "I am the Lord your God"; at Tabor He will say: "I, I." It is stated at Sinai (ibid.): "I am the Lord your God"; at Carmel He will say, double (1 Kings 18:39): "The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God," in the days of Elijah.
Ralbag
"Hear, O kings": This means the kings of the nations, so that they will fear to harm Israel.
"I am to the Lord." This means that I am not to any other [god], and therefore it is fitting for me to sing and praise the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has shown me abundant kindness.
Metzudat David
"Hear, O kings, what I speak, so that you may fear to wage war against Israel any longer."
"I am the LORD's." This means: because I am the LORD's and belong to His portion, to believe in Him, therefore:
"I will sing." Concerning the salvation that comes to me from Him:
Metzudat Zion
Give ear. Lend an ear to hear:
Princes. The sense of leadership, as in (Psalms 2:2) 'the rulers took counsel together':
Malbim
"Hear, O kings"—along with your princes, who are the leaders of the council (and it is explained among us that regarding an important matter one uses the language of 'hearing,' whereas regarding a lesser matter one uses the language of 'listening,' as stated in the commentary on Isaiah 1)—"you are kings, do not think that this was a natural occurrence, for I belong to the Lord, I will sing to the Lord. I attribute this victory to the Lord, and to Him I will sing."
Now, there is a difference between a "shir" (song) and a "zemer" (hymn). The "zemer" is a higher level than the "shir," and the order is always: "Sing to Him, hymn to Him," "I will sing and I will hymn." For the "zemer" adds to the "shir." And it has become clear to me that "zemer" is used exclusively for praising God regarding providential matters or miracles and the like.
And there is a distinction between "the Lord" and "the God of Israel": "the God of Israel" always denotes the particular providence over Israel, by means of which a banner is raised for them to be raised up; and in this sense it says: "She sang" on account of His being "the Lord," the Creator of the world and the Guide of its general governance; and "She made music" on account of His being "the God of Israel," who guides them through miraculous providence in a wondrous way.
And these two verses are like an introduction to the words of the song; from now on, her song will begin.
Hashem, when You did go forth out of Seir, When You did march out of the field of Edom, The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, Indeed, the clouds dropped water.
verse value 3589
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "land" (אֶ֣רֶץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·heaven" (גַּם־שָׁמַ֖יִם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 145: they·dropped, dropped. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·You·went·forth" (בְּצֵאתְךָ֤), "from·Seir" (מִשֵּׂעִיר֙), "when·You·marched" (בְּצַעְדְּךָ֙). The root נטף appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "land" (root ארץ, 56x in Judges); "when·You·went·forth" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). First appearance of the root אדום ("Edom") in Judges. First appearance of the root שמים ("also·heaven") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·dropped', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּצֵאתְךָ֤ [when·You·went·forth] (513) + מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ [from·Seir] (620) + בְּצַעְדְּךָ֙ [when·You·marched] (186) + מִשְּׂדֵ֣ה [from·field·of] (349) + אֱד֔וֹם [Edom] (51) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + רָעָ֔שָׁה [quaked] (575) + גַּם־שָׁמַ֖יִם [also·heaven] (433) + נָטָ֑פוּ [they·dropped] (145) + גַּם־עָבִ֖ים [also·clouds] (165) + נָ֥טְפוּ [dropped] (145) + מָֽיִם [water] (90) = 3589.
Rashi
“Hashem, when You went out from Seir” – this refers to the Giving of the Torah, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 33:2): “And He shone forth from Seir for them.” And what is its relevance here? Thus said Deborah: The Torah is difficult to abandon, yet it is good to cleave to it, for it was given with awe and might. Therefore, Israel were delivered into the hands of their enemies on account of their abandoning it, and when they volunteered to engage in it, they were saved. All of this may be learned from the Targum of Jonathan:
"Drip." They caused the dew of resurrection to flow:
Radak
“Hashem, when You went forth from Seir.” The majority of commentators interpreted this matter in reference to the Giving of the Torah, at which time the mountains trembled and dripped water; and so too, “This Sinai” is like “This Sinai” that trembled, as it is stated, “And all the mountain trembled greatly.” Likewise, the other mountains trembled, such as Mount Seir and Mount Paran, even though it is not written there except “And all the mountain trembled.” And this is also the opinion of the Targum. And the Sage, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, interpreted that it is an allusion to the wars that the Holy One, Blessed be He, waged on behalf of Israel. And likewise, “And He dawned from Seir for them,” and likewise, “God shall come from Teman,” and “The Holy One from Mount Paran,” and likewise, “God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, Selah.”
"The earth quaked." Likewise, "the earth trembled and shook" (II Samuel 22:8) – all of these are allusions to wars. The explanation is: "When you go forth from Seir, when you march from the land of Edom" – for there the Israelites began to wage war against the nations, when they passed through Mount Seir and fought against Sihon and Og. And God, blessed be He, went forth before them and defeated them, and by His strength they were victorious in all those wars. Likewise, "the heavens also dropped dew, the clouds also dropped water."
Ralbag
The Lord, when You went forth from Seir. And when Your footsteps came from the field of Edom, the earth trembled. And he said this by way of parable, as if the heavens and the clouds melted and became water. And he said this as a parable on the battle of Sichon and Og, because they were very distant and exalted, which was after Israel went forth from Seir, which is the prince of Edom, as this is mentioned in the Torah. And he alluded further in this to the rest of the battles that were after this, and in a parable like this the prophets spoke in many places.
Metzudat David
"When You went forth from Seir": When you went out before Israel as they passed through the region of Mount Seir, it was then that they began to wage war against Sihon and Og.
"In your step from the field of Edom." The matter is repeated in different words, as is the manner of poetry.
"The earth quaked." He terrified and shook all the kings of the earth.
"Even the heavens dripped." The heavenly princes of the nations were seized with trembling and fear, like a person who is terrified and sweat drips from him.
“Drops of water fell.” To terrify and confuse the nations with the sound of the multitude of rain.
Metzudat Zion
At your advance. From the word for stride and march:
Dripped. From the word for dripping and pouring:
Dark clouds. Clouds:
Malbim
“The Lord, when You went forth from Seir.” These two verses are connected in order to say, “In the days of Shamgar,” etc. The poet indicates a great difference between the days of old, when Israel performed mighty deeds, and the days of Shamgar, when wonders descended. He says: At the time when Israel entered the Land, when they then encircled the land of Edom, then, when the Lord, their King, went forth before them from Seir to the land of Moab—and in his poetic language he calls the lands surrounding Seir “the field of Edom,” namely the field surrounding Edom—and thereafter He advanced from the field of Edom to the land of Sihon and Og and Canaan, then the earth quaked. He depicts it as if then all of existence quaked, the earth and the heavens, for even the heavenly host melted away before them, and the clouds dripped water from above.
The mountains quaked at the presence of Hashem, Even yon Sinai at the presence of Hashem, the God of Israel.
verse value 1489
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 180: from·face·of, from·face·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "mountains" (הָרִ֥ים), "they·ran" (נָזְל֖וּ), "Sinai" (סִינַ֔י). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 57x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: הָרִ֥ים [mountains] (255) + נָזְל֖וּ [they·ran] (93) + מִפְּנֵ֣י [from·face·of] (180) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + סִינַ֔י [Sinai] (130) + מִפְּנֵ֕י [from·face·of] (180) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1489.
Rashi
The mountains flowed. Like flowing waters they melted away:
This is Sinai. It has already been explained (Exodus 19:20) what was seen there: smoke encompassing it entirely, and a voice, and torches, and fire.
"Before the Lord." And behold, this is a short verse, "This is Sinai." What happened there? Because He descended upon it.
Radak
“The mountains melted away before the Lord.” The entire passage is an allegory for the war, in the manner of “From heaven they fought.” And its interpretation is that Sinai is like this: just as Sinai trembled before the God of Israel, so too did the entire world tremble before Him, as it is stated: “Let dread and terror fall upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.”
Ralbag
The mountains flowed. It is possible that he alluded here to the giving of the Torah, and he said that even the mountains themselves flowed and melted and trembled because of the Lord. And this was on the day of Matan Torah, when the miracle was renewed from that mountain, this Mount Sinai; then it flowed because of the Lord God of Israel. And with this the remembrance of the kindnesses that the Lord did for Israel in the battles of the nations was completed briefly, and He fought for them battles of shaking like the matter of Matan Torah, and the wonders that He renewed there, which were a cause that Israel would believe in Him and accept His commandments.
Metzudat David
"The mountains flowed." From the intensity of the trembling, they dripped with sweat.
"This is Sinai." Just as Mount Sinai, of which it is stated (Exodus 19:16), "and all the mountain trembled," so too did they all tremble from the fear of the Lord who fights for Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Dripped down. The sense of dripping, as in (Numbers 24:7) 'he drips water from his buckets':
Malbim
“And the mountains melted” – downward, until everything melted and became water. “At the presence of the Lord” – this refers to Sinai, meaning that they melted at the presence of the Lord who came from Mount Sinai, “Who gave strength to His people” – because of the Lord, who is the God of Israel through His providence that is attached to them, and through the miracles He performed for them.
In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways ceased, And the travellers walked through byways.
verse value 4368
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 4368 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Jael" (יָעֵ֔ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "crooked" (עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 615: paths, paths. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "paths" (נְתִיב֔וֹת), "crooked" (עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·going" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "in·days·of" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "son·of·Anath" (root בין, 50x in Judges). First appearance of the root חדל ("they·cease") in Judges. First appearance of the root ארח ("paths") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'paths', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: בִּימֵ֞י [in·days·of] (62) + שַׁמְגַּ֤ר [Shamgar] (543) + בֶּן־עֲנָת֙ [son·of·Anath] (572) + בִּימֵ֣י [in·days·of] (62) + יָעֵ֔ל [Jael] (110) + חָֽדְל֖וּ [they·cease] (48) + אֳרָח֑וֹת [paths] (615) + וְהֹלְכֵ֣י [and·going] (71) + נְתִיב֔וֹת [paths] (868) + יֵלְכ֕וּ [walked] (66) + אֳרָח֖וֹת [paths] (615) + עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת [crooked] (736) = 4368.
Rashi
"In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Yael." This teaches that Yael, too, judged Israel during her time.
"The paths ceased." The Israelites were afraid to go out on their roads because of the enemies, and they would go by a crooked path in hiding.
Radak
"In the days of Shamgar son of Anath." He was among the judges of Israel, as mentioned above. And even though he saved Israel, it was not like this great salvation, for in his days the highways ceased [to be safe]. The reason for mentioning Yael is to say: even though through her came a certain measure of this salvation, and it appears that she was a distinguished woman and a lover of God, who brought about this salvation through her, nevertheless, she was not the beginning of the salvation. Rather, it began only when I, Deborah, arose, and I arose and became like a mother to Israel.
Ralbag
And after this Devorah returned to mention in this song the matter by which this miracle was, and she began and said that in the days of Shamgar son of Anath, although he saved Israel a certain deliverance as preceded, the paths ceased. Meaning, that the travelers ceased from traveling on them for fear of the enemy. And if they did travel, they would travel winding paths and turn from the straight way, so that the enemy would not find them.
Metzudat David
"In the days of Shamgar." But in the days of the judge Shamgar, and in the days of Yael, who also judged in the days of Shamgar, there was no complete salvation, and the nations did not tremble in fear of God; therefore, travelers ceased to go on the roads out of fear of the nations.
"And wayfarers." This means: the people who were compelled to travel the paths would go by a circuitous route, so that no one would notice them.
Metzudat Zion
Cease. Refrained:
Roads. Paths, ways and trails:
Winding. From the word for crooked and bent:
Malbim
"In the days of Shamgar." But see how the opposite was the case in the days of Shamgar, and after him in the days of Jael, when the roads ceased—meaning the caravans of travelers passing by (as in "And behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites is coming," referring to caravans traveling from place to place), and also the travelers on paths, who are individuals walking on a solitary path (for this is the difference between derekh, a road, and netiv, a path): they would travel on crooked roads. They were afraid to walk on straight paths, but only on crooked roads (the definition of "orach" is one that branches off from the main highway to the villages on the side). Likewise, they would travel on roads that deviate from the main way, not on straight roads, but only on crooked ones.
The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, Until that you did arise, Deborah, That you did arise a mother in Israel. .
verse value 3557
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֤ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 850: I·rose, I·rose. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "rural population" (פְרָז֛וֹן). The root חדל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "I·rose" (root קום, 43x in Judges); "mother" (root אם, 27x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·stopped', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: חָדְל֧וּ [they·cease] (48) + פְרָז֛וֹן [rural population] (343) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [in·Israel] (543) + חָדֵ֑לּוּ [they·stopped] (48) + עַ֤ד [until] (74) + שַׁקַּ֙מְתִּי֙ [I·rose] (850) + דְּבוֹרָ֔ה [Deborah] (217) + שַׁקַּ֥מְתִּי [I·rose] (850) + אֵ֖ם [mother] (41) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [in·Israel] (543) = 3557.
Rashi
"The open villages ceased." The cities of the Perizzites, which had no walls, ceased to be inhabited by their residents due to their enemies, and they gathered into the fortified cities.
"Until I arose." [Understood] like "she-kamti" [as if written without "ad"], and so too (Judges 6:17): "she-atah medaber immi" ["that You speak with me"].
Radak
"Village folk ceased" [חדלו פרזון]. "Parazon" is a noun from the same idea as "unwalled towns" [arei ha-perazot]. And in both [occurrences of] "shakkamti," the shin has an open patach — a large patach in place of a small patach.
Ralbag
Open towns ceased. Meaning, the gates of the open towns ceased from having dwellers in them for fear of the enemy. And Israel then remained only in cities surrounded by a wall. And so was the matter in the days of Ya'el. It seems from this that Ya'el is counted among the saviors before this deed that she did in killing Sisera. And the time of Shamgar son of Anath and the time of Ya'el are included in the twenty years that Sisera pressed with strength. Or he said this about this deed that she did of the killing of Sisera, to relate that there was no tangible imprint in what she did for the great salvation that came from this. And this is very clear. And even the first is more correct.
Until I arose, Devorah. I arose. I was a mother and leader of Israel.
Metzudat David
"The open towns ceased." For they were afraid to dwell in the cities of the Perizzites, and only among Israel did they cease [to dwell there], but not among the nations, for the nations were not afraid of Israel to dwell in the cities of the Perizzites, for their hand was uppermost.
"Until I arose, Deborah." This means: Thus it was until I, Deborah, arose; for from now on it will be as it was in the past, for the salvation that comes through me is complete, and the nations will tremble before the Lord, and Israel will not cease from walking on the path and dwelling in the open [unwalled] towns.
"Mother." Just as a mother who disciplines her son to straighten his way, so too am I toward Israel:
Metzudat Zion
Open towns [perazon]. Towns of the open kind, without a wall around them:
I have arisen. From the word for rising:
Malbim
And also, the open [unwalled] towns ceased, because they all dwelt in fortified cities out of fear of the enemy. "In Israel, they ceased" — meaning that even then, upon their entering the Land, the open towns ceased, and the caravans ceased. Only then was this true of the Canaanite, the inhabitant of the land, who shut themselves up in fortresses for fear of Israel; but now it was the opposite — it was the open towns that ceased, not among the Canaanite but among Israel, because of the Canaanite who had gained the upper hand over them.
“Until Deborah arose.” All of this occurred during the days of Shamgar, until she arose.
"I arose, a mother in Israel." [The verse] poetically depicts it as if Israel had already ceased to be a nation, and now they were born anew, and she is the mother who gave birth to the entire nation.
They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates; Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?
verse value 2957
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֣ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֖ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "forty" (בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "he·shall·choose" (יִבְחַר֙), "shield" (מָגֵ֤ן), "if·was·seen" (אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "God" (root אלהים, 57x in Judges); "bread" (root לחם, 45x in Judges). First appearance of the root בחר ("he·shall·choose") in Judges. First appearance of the root חדש ("new") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gates', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: יִבְחַר֙ [he·shall·choose] (220) + אֱלֹהִ֣ים [God] (86) + חֲדָשִׁ֔ים [new] (362) + אָ֖ז [then] (8) + לָחֶ֣ם [bread] (78) + שְׁעָרִ֑ים [gates] (620) + מָגֵ֤ן [shield] (93) + אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙ [if·was·seen] (257) + וָרֹ֔מַח [and·spear] (254) + בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (325) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [in·Israel] (543) = 2957.
Rashi
"They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates." When Israel chose new gods for themselves, they were then forced into war at their gates. See now, in their volunteering, whether a shield or spear was to be seen in Israel, for they had to fight against the forty thousand captains of troops that the nation brought against them; and the Omnipresent confounded them all in the battle of the stars (verse 21), and the Kishon River swept them away.
“Gates.” Just as it is said, “If there be found among you, within any of your gates” (Deuteronomy 17:2), [so here “gates” refers to] towns.
Radak
"Yivchar" ("they chose"). When Israel chose new gods, then they had war at the gates, and they could not display shield and spear to fight their enemies. And even though the Israelites were numerous—forty thousand and more, which is the total count—nevertheless they fled from their enemies and shut themselves up in their cities, and their enemies pursued them to the gates. And there are those who explain "shield" as referring to praise, meaning: when Israel did the will of the Creator, blessed be He, and did not go after other gods — and this was in the days of Joshua — they did not need a shield or a spear, the forty thousand men of Gad and Reuven. And even though they were the vanguard of the army, they did not need to display shield or spear, for the LORD fought for them. They came with their brothers and returned to them in peace, with no adversary and no misfortune, because they did the will of the Creator. And Yonatan translated: "When they were willing [to worship new gods]," etc. And the word "lachem" is unusual in its pointing, for it is pointed with a segol under the chet, and it is a noun like "milchamah" (war), on the pattern of "chemetz," "akev," "chatzer," except that this one has a segol, contrary to the custom.
Ralbag
God chose new gods. The meaning here is that when Israel chose idols, which are new gods, then their battle was at the gates, and they could not go outside. And it is possible to interpret that the Lord chose new things to complete this miracle, and it is that He already drew the heart of Sisera and his army to fight with Barak at the gates of Israel, in the place where it was fitting for them to fall, according to what the Lord arranged, whose thoughts are deep. And indeed Israel did not win this battle by their strength and might of their arm, for they did not have weapons except for a few men, until among all Israel there was no shield or spear in forty thousand. And therefore it is clear that among the ten thousand men who went up from the sons of Naftali and the sons of Zevulun, there were weapons only for a few men.
Metzudat David
“God will choose new gods.” For when Israel chooses new gods, then war comes into its cities as a punishment, and not when it improves its ways. For behold, in the days of Joshua it is stated (Joshua 4:13), “About forty thousand... passed over... to the plains of Jericho.” And was it apparent that those forty thousand bore shield and spear? For did they not conquer Jericho by a miracle, and not by war, shield, and spear?
Metzudat Zion
War. From the word for warfare:
Gates. Villages, as in (Deuteronomy 17:2) 'in one of your gates':
Shield. A buckler:
And spear. A javelin:
Malbim
He chose. When Israel entered the land, the vanguard passed before them, namely the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, who were forty thousand vanguard warriors that passed before them (Joshua 4). And now, not one of the vanguard came to war, for the warriors at that time were the sons of Zebulun and the sons of Naphtali. On this basis, the poet spoke sublime words, saying that the forty thousand vanguard warriors whom God chose in ancient times, who fought then in the field in battle, did not fight now at the gates. Now that Israel had fortified gates and needed to fight for their gates, God had to choose new warriors. The meaning of the verse is that God had to choose new warriors then, when it became necessary to fight at the gates, for none of the old warriors came to this war. And from the forty thousand of the vanguard, if a shield were seen and a spear, it is as if they were not chosen to fight for the cities of Israel and their fortresses, but only in the field. (And the word "fought" was difficult for the commentators, for the verb ought to come with a tsere; but according to my interpretation, it is a noun, meaning "for the war of the gates.")
My heart is toward the governors of Israel, That offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless you Hashem.
verse value 1754
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·volunteers" (הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֖ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "my·heart" (לִבִּי֙), "cutting·out" (לְחוֹקְקֵ֣י), "the·volunteers" (הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֖ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "among·the·people" (root עם, 79x in Judges). First appearance of the root לב ("my·heart") in Judges. First appearance of the root חקק ("cutting·out") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִבִּי֙ [my·heart] (42) + לְחוֹקְקֵ֣י [cutting·out] (254) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֖ים [the·volunteers] (551) + בָּעָ֑ם [among·the·people] (112) + בָּרְכ֖וּ [bless] (228) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1754.
Rashi
"My heart." I, Deborah, [am devoted] to the lawgivers of Israel, to love the sages of Israel who volunteered themselves among the people, saying: "Bless the Lord and return to Him."
Radak
"My heart is for the legislators of Israel." The great ones of Israel, its judges and leaders, who volunteered among the people to go forth to war—my heart and my desire are toward them, and I say to them: "Bless the Lord, who has subdued your enemies before you." And these great ones are called "legislators" because they establish laws among the people. And there is another interpretation: "the legislators of Israel" refers to its scribes and sages; I say to them that they should bless the Lord for this salvation. And the explanation of "those who volunteer among the people" is that they volunteer to teach them Torah and commandments.
Ralbag
My heart is for the lawgivers of Israel. Meaning, the wise men and the scribes who volunteer among the people to complete them and to teach them Torah and the commandments. Behold, it is fitting for you to bless the Lord, blessed be He, for the great deliverance with which He saved Israel, for they could not study Torah and teach because of the pressure of the enemy. Or he said this about the sons of Naftali and the sons of Zevulun, from whom lawgivers descended to help Devorah in this battle, as will come after this.
Metzudat David
"My heart is for the rulers..." This means: Not merely lip service, but from the depths of my heart I speak to the rulers of Israel who volunteer to go to war, so that they may bless the Lord for having placed it in their hearts to volunteer.
Metzudat Zion
The lawmakers. The great ones are called 'lawmakers,' for they establish the laws:
Malbim
"My heart." In accordance with this, I lifted my heart to the leaders of Israel, who were the volunteers among the people, namely the ten thousand who went with Barak, to bless the Lord, for He was saved with a small people and with a feeble hand in battle.
You that ride on white asses, You that sit on rich cloths, And you that walk by the way, tell of it;
verse value 3038
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "riders·of" (רֹכְבֵי֩, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·cloths" (עַל־מִדִּ֛ין, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 324: upon·way, speak. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "riders·of" (רֹכְבֵי֩), "she-asses" (אֲתֹנ֨וֹת), "tawny" (צְחֹר֜וֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·going" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "dwelling" (root ישב, 69x in Judges); "upon·cloths" (root מדין, 32x in Judges). First appearance of the root מדין ("upon·cloths") in Judges. Full calculation: רֹכְבֵי֩ [riders·of] (232) + אֲתֹנ֨וֹת [she-asses] (857) + צְחֹר֜וֹת [tawny] (704) + יֹשְׁבֵ֧י [dwelling] (322) + עַל־מִדִּ֛ין [upon·cloths] (204) + וְהֹלְכֵ֥י [and·going] (71) + עַל־דֶּ֖רֶךְ [upon·way] (324) + שִֽׂיחוּ [speak] (324) = 3038.
Rashi
"Riders of white she-asses." The merchants and princes shall henceforth ride on important white she-asses, without fear or dread of their enemies. And those who "sit upon Midian"—the term "Midian" denoting judges—who were afraid to render judgment in public; and so Targum Yonatan translated: "who used to assemble to sit in judgment." And those who go on foot along the road shall speak and recount this salvation. From the sound of those who cut you off—ambushers, robbers, and toll-collectors—who sit in bands and formations to lie in wait on the banks of the waters—there shall the riders of the she-asses and those who go on foot now proclaim the righteous acts of the Lord. And what are these "righteous acts"? (Verse 11) "The righteousness of His villages in Israel"—by which He quieted Israel, causing it to dwell in the open country, and to go out scattered as individuals, not in a gathered assembly.
Radak
"White [she-donkeys]." White, like "and white wool" (Ezekiel 27:18) — that is to say, the merchants, riders of the donkeys, [who were] important and good, were unable to travel because of the enemy; now [they can], "sing and chant to God," exalted be He. Likewise, "those who dwell on Midian" — this is the name of a place mentioned in the Book of Joshua: "Middin and Secacah." Or it is the name of a road known to them; they used to be afraid to travel on that road because of the enemy, and now that you can travel in safety, "sing and chant to Hashem." And it states in the Masorah that [the word] appears in three forms: "Middin and Secacah," "those who dwell on Midian," "to deprive the poor of justice" — one is the term for a city, one is the term for a road, and one is the term for judgment. And Yonatan translated the verses accordingly: "For they had ceased their dealings," etc.
Ralbag
Those who ride on asses, etc. The honored merchants who ride on white donkeys, who sat on the path of Midian and delayed there, and could not complete their straight way because of the fear of the enemy, and they would turn their way to go on another way, and that is the road of Sicho, as he said in what preceded, 'those who walk in paths walk winding ways.'
Metzudat David
“Riders.” These are the princes who ride mostly on white donkeys for the sake of their great honor; these are the sages who sit in judgment; these are the merchants who travel on the road. All of you, speak and utter the praises of God: the princes, for that they will remain in their greatness; the sages, for that from now on they will be able to expand their hearts in wisdom without the anxieties of fear of the nations; and the merchants, for that from now on they will travel on a paved road, not on winding paths.
Metzudat Zion
Female donkeys. The females of the donkeys:
White. White, as in (Ezekiel 27:18) 'white wool':
The seat of judgment. From the word for judgment:
Speak. Speak, as in (I Chronicles 16:9) 'speak of all His wonders':
Malbim
"Riders." This refers to three levels that existed among the people at that time: 1) The wealthy, who rode on white donkeys for trade; 2) Those who sit in judgment, who were the judges and those engaged in Torah study; 3) The poor, who walked on the road to seek their livelihood. All of you, the entire community, should speak and recount the wonders of the Lord.
Louder than the voice of archers, by the watering-troughs! There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Hashem, Even the righteous acts of His rulers in Israel. Then the people of Hashem went down to the gates.
verse value 4841
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "archers" (מְחַֽצְצִ֗ים, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·the·voice·of" (מִקּ֣וֹל), "archers" (מְחַֽצְצִ֗ים), "watering-troughs" (מַשְׁאַבִּ֔ים). The root צדקה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "they·recount" (root נתן, 69x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Dividing ranks." Menachem interpreted this as: "Organizers of war and arrangers of battle," and he linked it to (Proverbs 30:27): "The locust has no king, yet they all go out in ranks" (chotzetz kulo), using the term "chotzetz" in the sense of military divisions. Another interpretation:
"From the sound of the archers, among the watering-places." When you were walking between the watering-places to draw water, you were afraid of the sound of stones—river pebbles, "caillou" in the vernacular [Old French]—for one who passed over them would be heard, and you feared that your enemies would notice you. From now on there is no need to worry about this, and therefore you are commanded to give thanks to His name.
"מחצצים" (mechatzetzim): This term refers to the pebbles of a riverbed, as in (Lamentations 3:16): "וַיַּגְרֵס בֶּחָצָץ" (vayagres bechatzatz) – "He has ground my teeth with gravel."
"Then they went down to the gates." They returned to their home towns, from which they had fled to gather in the fortified cities.
Radak
"From the sound of the archers." From the sound of the archer who shoots arrows, they were unable to draw water; but now they will recount there the righteous acts of the LORD. And the meaning of "the righteous acts of His villagers" is that they will be able to dwell in the unwalled towns in safety. And the meaning of "from the sound" is that the horsemen and archers make noise and shout to frighten the people, as it says, "At the sound of the horseman and archers, every city flees." And the explanation of "yitnu" [they will recount] is in the sense of learning and repetition, as the Targum renders "ve-shinantam le-vanekha" [and you shall teach them repeatedly to your children] as "ve-tetaninun le-vanekha" [and you shall repeat/teach them to your children].
Ralbag
From the sound of the archers. And all this fear was upon them at the sound of the enemies, the archers, who were between the springs from which they drew water, to distress Israel so that they could not draw from there. And this place was on the straight way that the merchants were accustomed to travel, and for this reason they went on winding ways. And there, in that place where they could not come, they will render and declare the righteous acts of the Lord, who cut off their enemies who distressed them there, and they will also declare the righteous acts of His deliverance of the open towns in Israel, now that the children of Israel can dwell in the open towns which they had left and abandoned for fear of the enemy.
Then they descended to the gates with the Lord. Meaning, that they dwelt in all their gates because they returned to the village cities to dwell. Or the meaning here is, then they descended with the Lord to the gates to study Torah, which they could not do before, for the way was closed before them because of the enemies, and the heaviness of the servitude too prevented them from this.
Metzudat David
“From the sound of the archers.” This means: in exchange for the sound of those who shoot arrows, which was heard among those going to draw water, instead of that sound, there will now be heard there the sound of those recounting the righteous acts of the Lord. These are the righteous acts He performed for the open [unwalled] towns of Israel, which had been desolate; for then, when salvation came, the people of the Lord returned and went down to their open [unwalled] towns.
Metzudat Zion
Archers. From the word for arrows:
Watering places. From the word for drawing up [water]:
To declare. The sense of speech, for (Deuteronomy 6:7) 'and you shall teach them,' is translated [in Aramaic]: 'and you shall declare them,' so too (below 11:40) 'to recount for the daughter of Jephthah':
Its open [unwalled] state. From the word for open town:
Malbim
"From the sound." Because among the water-drawing places, in the Kishon River, the Lord caused a sound of clashing to be heard, which sounded to Sisera like a sound of gravel/arrows (like "and he went out, all of it in a mass"), meaning the sound of many camps; therefore let them recount the righteous acts that the Lord performed with Israel. "The righteous acts of His unwalled towns" — he poetically expresses that at the time the people of the Lord went down to the gates — meaning that Israel went down to the gates of their fortresses to hide from the enemy — then, at that time when they went down to the gates, the Lord dwelled in the open cities, without wall, doors, or bolt; meaning that then He bared His holy arm.
Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Arise, Barak, and lead your captivity captive, you son of Abinoam.
verse value 3405
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "rise" (ק֥וּם, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Abinoam" (בֶּן־אֲבִינֹֽעַם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 286: awake, awake, awake, awake. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "utter·song" (דַּבְּרִי־שִׁ֑יר), "and·take·captive" (וּֽשְׁבֵ֥ה), "your·captives" (שֶׁבְיְךָ֖). The root עור appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utter·song" (root דבר, 52x in Judges); "son·of·Abinoam" (root בין, 50x in Judges); "rise" (root קום, 43x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'utter·song', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: עוּרִ֤י [awake] (286) + עוּרִי֙ [awake] (286) + דְּבוֹרָ֔ה [Deborah] (217) + ע֥וּרִי [awake] (286) + ע֖וּרִי [awake] (286) + דַּבְּרִי־שִׁ֑יר [utter·song] (726) + ק֥וּם [rise] (146) + בָּרָ֛ק [lightning] (302) + וּֽשְׁבֵ֥ה [and·take·captive] (313) + שֶׁבְיְךָ֖ [your·captives] (332) + בֶּן־אֲבִינֹֽעַם [son·of·Abinoam] (225) = 3405.
Rashi
"Awake, awake, Deborah." This is language of praise in its literal sense: "Be strong in your song." And our Sages said (Pesachim 66b): Because she praised herself, saying (verse 7), "Until I arose, Deborah," the Holy Spirit departed from her.
Radak
Awake, awake. The first two words are accented on the final syllable, and the latter two on the penultimate syllable.
Ralbag
Awake, awake, Devorah. He attributed to Devorah the words of the song, and to Barak he attributed the taking of the captives, which is the act of war.
Metzudat David
“Awake, awake.” This means: Strengthen yourself to speak in song, and she repeated her words in the manner of a song, due to the great urgency.
"And take captive your captives." This means: when the song is strengthened, the salvation will be strengthened.
Metzudat Zion
Awaken. From the word for awakening and stirring:
And take your captives. From the word for captivity:
Malbim
Awake, awake. In remembrance of the greatness of this miracle.
"Arise, Barak, and take captive." For he did not need to engage in battle except to seize the spoils of the enemy; that is to say, Deborah and Barak accomplished nothing else: Deborah through her song, and Barak through the captives and the spoils.
Then made He a remnant to have dominion over the nobles and the people; Hashem made me have dominion over the mighty.
verse value 1684
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֕ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֚ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·mighty" (לְאַדִּירִ֖ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "had·dominion" (יְרַ֣ד), "survivor" (שָׂרִ֔יד), "to·mighty" (לְאַדִּירִ֖ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "came·down·for·me" (root ירד, 32x in Judges). First appearance of the root גבור ("in·the·mighty") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָ֚ז [then] (8) + יְרַ֣ד [had·dominion] (214) + שָׂרִ֔יד [survivor] (514) + לְאַדִּירִ֖ים [to·mighty] (295) + עָ֑ם [with] (110) + יְהֹוָ֕ה [Hashem] (26) + יְרַד־לִ֖י [came·down·for·me] (254) + בַּגִּבּוֹרִֽים [in·the·mighty] (263) = 1684.
Rashi
"Then a remnant came down to the mighty." "Came down" [ירד] means "had dominion" [from the root רד"ה], as in (Isaiah 45:1), "to subdue nations before him." The remnants of Israel had dominion over the mighty ones of the nations.
"The Lord had dominion for me among the mighty." He had dominion for me over the mighty ones of the nations.
Radak
"Then a survivor had dominion" [אז ירד שריד]. "Yarad" is [to be understood] in its complete form [i.e., from the root radah]. And the interpretation of "radah" [dominion] is: the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel — who is "the remnant" — dominion over the mighty ones, [namely] the people of Yavin, king of Canaan. And the lamed of "la'adirim" stands in place of a bet, as if written "ba'adirim," as in "and they dwelt with him in the land" [וישבו אתו לארץ], "for I have slain a man for wounding me" [כי איש הרגתי לפצעי] (Genesis 4:23), and others like these.
Ralbag
Then he went down. Then the Lord will place Israel — what remained and survived of Israel — as ruler over the mighty and strong, and they are the people of Yavin king of Canaan, as it is written: "And God subdued on that day Yavin king of Canaan before the Children of Israel." "The LORD placed [Israel] there as ruler and master over the mighty ones" — meaning, that there He placed Israel as ruler and master over those mighty ones, and they are the people of Yavin king of Canaan.
Metzudat David
Then. When the song shall be strengthened and the salvation shall grow mighty, then those remaining from Israel to rule over the mighty ones of the nations are the strong gentiles:
"The Lord descended upon me." The Lord will grant me dominion over the mighty men of the nations, and the matter is doubled in what is stated next:
Metzudat Zion
Ruled. The sense of dominion, as in (Psalms 110:2) 'rule in the midst of your enemies':
Remnant. Remainder, as in (Jeremiah 42:17) 'remnant and survivor':
To the mighty. Like 'among the mighty,' the lamed taking the place of the beth, so too (Leviticus 27:7) 'and they shall fall before you to the sword,' and its correct rendering is: 'by the sword':
Malbim
"Then." It explains that there is a great difference between the previous salvation, which occurred through Ehud and was in the natural order, and this salvation, which occurred through God. Regarding this it says, "Then, in the days of Ehud."
"A remnant descended to the mighty ones of the people." (The "remnant" is Ehud, who escaped from Moab after he had killed Eglon; and the lamed in "to the mighty ones" is a lamed of purpose, meaning "for the sake of the mighty ones.") Ehud, the remnant, subdued the people of Moab with the help of the mighty ones who went to assist him, as it is stated: "And he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the men of Israel went down with him from the hill country." And thus, mighty ones were with him, and through their assistance he subdued the people—meaning a weak people and the fugitives of Moab. Not so with me: the LORD subdued for me, and it was not my hand, nor the hand of the mighty ones who were with me, that subdued the enemy; rather, the LORD subdued for me. And not against a weak people, but against the mighty warriors who were Sisera's camp. (And the word "descended," its root is "subdue," from the heavy conjugation, like "yirdeh.")
Out of Ephraim came they whose root is in Amalek; After you, Benjamin, among your peoples; Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal’s staff.
verse value 4188
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "from·me" (מִנִּ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·Zebulun" (וּמִ֨זְּבוּלֻ֔ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: from·me, from·me. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "their·root" (שׇׁרְשָׁם֙), "in·Amalek" (בַּעֲמָלֵ֔ק), "after·you" (אַחֲרֶ֥יךָ). The root מן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·your·kin" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "after·you" (root אחר, 49x in Judges); "they·went·down" (root ירד, 32x in Judges). First appearance of the root שבט ("in·rod·of") in Judges. First appearance of the root ספר ("scribe·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·kin', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"From Ephraim." From Ephraim came forth the root of Joshua son of Nun, to subdue Amalek and weaken him by the sword. And this verse is connected to the one above it, to explain: "The Lord had dominion for me among the mighty" — He raised up Joshua to subdue Amalek.
"After you." There shall arise from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul son of Kish, who will incite against Amalek and cause them to smolder like dying embers. And it can also be explained: "Among your people" refers to the army of two hundred thousand foot soldiers with which Saul came against them.
"From Machir came down leaders." Great princes who subdued the Amorite, who conquered (Deuteronomy 3:4) sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, which Jair conquered.
Radak
From Ephraim. [The form] 'mini' is like 'min' ('from'), with the yod added; and so too 'mini Machir.'
Their root was in Amalek. Their root was engaged in battle against Amalek, and he was Joshua son of Nun, who was the root of Ephraim and their prince. And after Joshua, Benjamin fought against Amalek, and he was Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. And the letter kaf in “after you” [acharekha] corresponds to Ephraim, and the letter kaf in “among your peoples” [ba-amamekha] corresponds to Benjamin. And she said this in the manner of prophecy, mentioning those who arise and strengthen themselves for the wars of the Lord. And now, from Machir, the great and wise men descended into battle. And even though he was from beyond the Jordan, he arose and strengthened himself to come to this battle. And likewise from Zebulun, even the scribes and wise men descended, and it need not be said regarding the rest of the people.
"And they who wield the scribe's staff." [The] interpretation [is]: the wise men and the scribes.
Shevet. The pen; and so did Jonathan [ben Uzziel] render it in the Targum: “With the stylus of the scribe.” And likewise, the princes who were in Issachar went out with Deborah.
Ralbag
And indeed Devorah began to relate the matter of the tribes in the battles, and she began from Ephraim, for through him the first battle was done. And she said, "From Ephraim [came] their root" — [meaning] whoever was their root, namely Joshua, who was a prince over them and was the most honored of the tribe — fought against Amalek, as is mentioned in the Torah, "And Joshua weakened [Amalek]," etc. "After you, Benjamin, among your peoples" — you [Ephraim] will bring one who will be from the tribe of Binyamin, among your peoples, to fight with Amalek, and he is Sha'ul. And from Machir, sons of Menashe, who had a portion across the Jordan, the wise men went down with Devorah to war. And so is the matter of Zevulun.
Metzudat David
From Ephraim. From the tribe of Ephraim and their root, and he is Joshua, their prince:
“On Amalek.” From the time he fought against Amalek and weakened them, as it is written (Exodus 17:13), “And Joshua weakened Amalek.”
"After you." This is as if it were speaking to Ephraim and saying: After the war of Joshua, who emerged from your tribe, Saul, who comes from Benjamin, will come and wage war against Amalek with a great multitude that will come with him from you, O Israel; as it is written (1 Samuel 15:4), "And he mustered them... two hundred thousand."
“Lawgivers descended.” The princes from the tribe of Machir, son of Manasseh, descended in that war with Sisera, and from Zebulun all of them descended, even the scribes, who were not trained in warfare.
Metzudat Zion
From. From, and the yod is added:
Your people. From the word for 'am [nation/multitude]':
Those who draw. For writing is done by the drawing of the pen:
A rod. Meaning: a pen:
Malbim
"From." He explains what is written, "Then a remnant descended to the mighty men of the people": Who were these mighty men? They were the descendants of Ephraim who went with Ehud; they rooted out Amalek, who was allied with Moab (as it is stated there, 3:14, "And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek"). "After you" — meaning, after you, Ehud, went the tribe of Benjamin among your peoples, for they were your people and your tribe, since Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin, and they were mighty and valiant. Not so in this battle: no valiant men went, but only from the descendants of Machir descended judges. Those who descended with me from the sons of Machir were judges, wise in religion and law, not men of war for battle. And those who went with me from Zebulun were those who wielded the scribe's rod, not those who held shield and sword.
Cross-references: Exodus 17:8; I Samuel 15:2; Psalms 68:28
And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.
verse value 4795
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Issachar" (בְּיִשָּׂשכָר֙, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·princes·of" (וְשָׂרַ֤י), "in·Issachar" (בְּיִשָּׂשכָר֙), "with·Deborah" (עִם־דְּבֹרָ֔ה). The root יששכר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·Deborah" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "was·sent" (root שלח, 38x in Judges). First appearance of the root שר ("and·princes·of") in Judges. First appearance of the root יששכר ("in·Issachar") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·feet', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְשָׂרַ֤י [and·princes·of] (516) + בְּיִשָּׂשכָר֙ [in·Issachar] (832) + עִם־דְּבֹרָ֔ה [with·Deborah] (321) + וְיִשָּׂשכָר֙ [Issachar] (836) + כֵּ֣ן [so] (70) + בָּרָ֔ק [lightning] (302) + בָּעֵ֖מֶק [in·the·valley] (212) + שֻׁלַּ֣ח [was·sent] (338) + בְּרַגְלָ֑יו [in·his·feet] (251) + בִּפְלַגּ֣וֹת [in·divisions·of] (521) + רְאוּבֵ֔ן [Reuben] (259) + גְּדֹלִ֖ים [great] (87) + חִקְקֵי־לֵֽב [resolves·of·heart] (250) = 4795.
Rashi
"And the princes of Issachar." The princes of Issachar are the Sanhedrin courts, occupied with the Torah — (1 Chronicles 12:32) "who had understanding of the times"; they are always with Deborah to teach in Israel statute and judgment.
"And the princes of Issachar." This yod [in ביששכר] is superfluous and serves no function; it is like the yod in "behemot sadai" (Psalms 8:8) and "ve-kara lo chaloni" (Jeremiah 22:14).
And Issachar was thus like Barak. And the rest of the people of Issachar, thus they were with Barak for all that he would command.
"In the valley, he sent with his feet." He sent them on every mission, to gather the people and for all the needs of the war.
"Regarding the divisions of Reuben." But in the divisions of Reuben's heart, there were many decisions of heart. (Targum:) "Nechlei liba" — cunning. And what was his cunning? He sat among the sheepfolds of the battle, to hear who was winning, so that he might join with him.
Radak
And the princes. Like "princes" [שרים], just as [in] "and he cut out for it windows" [וקרע לו חלוני] (like "windows" [חלונים]), and "bared of buttock" [וחשופי שת], and cases similar to these. And likewise, "the tribe of Issachar went out in its entirety," and likewise, "Barak went out with Deborah."
"Into the valley he rushed on his feet." This teaches that he did not request a beast of burden to ride upon, due to his great eagerness for battle. But regarding the divisions of Reuben, who were divided and separated beyond the Jordan and did not come to the battle, great are the resolves and searchings of my heart concerning them.
Ralbag
And the princes who are in Yissachar also descended with Devorah, and the tribe of Yissachar in its entirety. And so too Barak listened to the counsel of Devorah, until in the valley he was sent forth on foot, by the counsel of Devorah, as it says, "and he went up on his feet with ten thousand men." But as for the divisions of Reuven, great were the searches of heart.
Metzudat David
“The chiefs in Issachar.” He means to say that although the princes of Issachar sat at all times with Deborah to teach Israel statute and law, as it is written (1 Chronicles 12:33), "And of the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times," etc., and they had therefore never been experienced in going to war; nevertheless Issachar did so, like Barak, and went down to war like him.
“In the valley he was sent, at his feet.” For above it was stated (Judges 4:14) that Deborah said to Barak to descend from the mountain into the valley for the battle, and Barak heeded her and they descended. Therefore, she also said here that Issachar acted like Barak, for in the valley in which he was sent to descend by the word of God through Deborah, there he descended at the feet of Barak, meaning, with his going and following after him, and he did not fear to descend into the valley (and the word “sent” refers back to Issachar, for the word of God through Deborah was for all the people, but out of honor she singled out the matter to Barak, who was the commander of the army).
“Regarding the divisions of Reuben.” This means to say: If all these tribes did not fear to go down to war, whether in the past, in the present, or in the future, then concerning “the divisions of Reuben”—that is to say, regarding the fact that Reuben divided and separated himself from that war—great are the “engravings of the heart.” This means to say: Behold, one ought to ponder many thoughts of the heart to understand the matter: What was it that caused him to separate himself from the war?
Metzudat Zion
And my lords. Like 'and lords':
At his feet. With his going, and behind him, so too (above 4:10) 'and he went up at his feet':
In portions. The sense of division, as in (Genesis 10:25) 'the earth was divided':
Their statutes. From the word for statute, meaning: thought [i.e., their plans]:
Malbim
And similarly, the leaders of Issachar who went with Deborah were only sages in Torah. And likewise, Issachar who went with Barak — "in the valley he was rushed forth on his feet" — because he had no chariots and horses, nor men of war for battle.
Regarding the phrase "In divisions" (בפלגות): The poet directs his attention and expresses displeasure concerning the two tribes of Reuben and Dan, who did not come to the battle. For in the days of Joshua, Reuben was marching at the head of the camps, and Dan was gathering all the camps; yet now they did not come. And when you examine the borders of the land, you will find that all the tribes were close to the battlefield, for Mount Tabor was within the border of Issachar. And to its south were the portions of Judah, Simeon, the sons of Joseph, and Benjamin. After Sisera had spread out over the sons of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali—with whom he fought—he could have fallen upon any tribe without intermediary, for the portion of Gad and half of Manasseh bordered on the other side of the Jordan opposite Issachar, and to the south it bordered with Joseph, Benjamin, and Judah. And in the northwest, where Zebulun and Naphtali were, whose inheritance touched one another, as it says regarding the inheritance of Asher (Joshua 19:27), "and it touched Zebulun," and regarding the inheritance of Naphtali (ibid. 34), "and it touched Zebulun from the south, and Asher from the west, and the Jordan from the east." Only the inheritance of Reuben and Dan were separated. For if the enemy had wished to fall upon the inheritance of Reuben, he would first have had to cross the Jordan into Gilead, and pass through Gilead, Gad, and half of Manasseh. And likewise, if he had wished to fall upon Dan, whose inheritance was in the southwestern corner, he would have had to pass through Asher. Based on this, she said, "In divisions, Reuben," meaning that Reuben was divided and did not come to the army (even though he was not afraid that the enemy would fall upon him). "Great carvings of the heart" (גדולים חקקי לב) means that these are great carvings and terrible impressions upon the heart, namely, a broken heart.
Why sat you among the sheep-folds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? At the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.
verse value 4745
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 4745 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "why" (לָ֣מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "fire-places" (הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתַ֔יִם, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "You·sat" (יָשַׁ֗בְתָּ), "fire-places" (הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתַ֔יִם), "pipings·of" (שְׁרִק֣וֹת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "You·sat" (root ישב, 69x in Judges); "between" (root בין, 50x in Judges); "why" (root מה, 23x in Judges). First appearance of the root מה ("why") in Judges. First appearance of the root חקר ("searchings·of·heart") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'droves', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: לָ֣מָּה [why] (75) + יָשַׁ֗בְתָּ [You·sat] (712) + בֵּ֚ין [between] (62) + הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתַ֔יִם [fire-places] (875) + לִשְׁמֹ֖עַ [to·hear] (440) + שְׁרִק֣וֹת [pipings·of] (1006) + עֲדָרִ֑ים [droves] (324) + לִפְלַגּ֣וֹת [at·divisions·of] (549) + רְאוּבֵ֔ן [Reuben] (259) + גְּדוֹלִ֖ים [great] (93) + חִקְרֵי־לֵֽב [searchings·of·heart] (350) = 4745.
Rashi
"The piping of the flocks." [I.e.,] to hear the voice of the multitudes of war: "Whose is the voice of the cry of might, and whose is the voice of the cry of weakness?"
Radak
And he says to him
"Why have you sat among the fences?" And these are the enclosures and pen-fences of the sheep, to hear the whistling of the flocks; that is to say, you sat and felt secure, and did not fear the war of Israel which was in the land of Canaan, nor did you come to aid them in this war.
Ralbag
And indeed she wondered at him: why did you sit among the sheepfolds, in your place, and not rouse yourself for this battle? Rather you sat trusting, and you heard the piping [calls] for the flocks of Israel by the enemies, and you dwelt in your place and were not troubled by this. Behold, "for the divisions of Reuven, great were the searchings of heart" — for they pondered over this and did not take it to heart to go out from there.
Metzudat David
"Why did you sit among the sheepfolds?" This means: If you were to respond by saying that you were cowardly and unwilling to descend to meet the enemy, then why, from the beginning, did you sit in the territory beyond the Jordan, between the border of the Land of Israel and the border of the nations? Is it not a dangerous place to dwell on the frontier? And why did you choose this border to dwell there?
"To hear, etc." The meaning is: Regarding what you asked for that land, saying (Numbers 32:4), "The land is suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock," did your request imply only dwelling in houses to hear the bleating of the flocks and the livestock? Did it not occur to you that, even while you dwell on the frontier, you will inevitably be compelled to go to war?
"לפלגות" – "To the divisions." For this reason, because Reuben separated himself from the battle, it is fitting to investigate him thoroughly with deep inquiries of the heart, in order to discern the truth of the matter.
Metzudat Zion
The sheepfolds. From the word for edge, meaning: boundary, and so too Yonatan translates: 'boundaries,' and that too is the translation of 'boundary,' so too (Genesis 49:14) 'crouching between the sheepfolds':
Whistling. Placed upon the sound that comes from compressed lips, so too (Isaiah 5:26) 'and He shall whistle to him,' and it is applied to all livestock:
Malbim
Why did you sit? Are you not sitting on the border, like a warrior who sits on the border, upon whom it is incumbent to restrain the foot of an enemy entering the land, and to be always ready for the day of battle? And you, because you grew lax in the day of distress, why did you sit among the sheepfolds? Was it to hear the whistling of the flocks which you gathered, as it is said: "And the children of Reuben had very much cattle"? Was it for this reason that you sat on the border? But you will answer and say, "The divisions of Reuben are great, inquiries of the heart"—meaning, it is superfluous to inquire about this, and the inquiries of the heart are greater than the matter at hand, for the reason is clear: it is because Reuben says, "Why should I be afraid? Are you not..."
Gilead abode beyond the Jordan; And Dan, why does he sojourn by the ships? Asher dwelt at the shore of the sea, And abides by its bays.
verse value 3796
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. Verse gematria: 3796 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "dwelling" (שָׁכֵ֔ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·bays" (מִפְרָצָ֖יו, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "dwelling" (שָׁכֵ֔ן), "and·Dan" (וְדָ֕ן), "will·sojourn" (יָג֖וּר). The root שכן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Asher" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·by" (root על, 87x in Judges); "dwelt" (root ישב, 69x in Judges). First appearance of the root גלעד ("Gilead") in Judges. First appearance of the root שכן ("dwelling") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ships', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
“On the other side of the Jordan he dwelt.” And he did not come to the battle; likewise, Dan brought his money into ships, to stand ready and to flee.
“and upon its landings.” To guard the breaches of his land.
Radak
And likewise
"Gilead, who dwelt beyond the Jordan, did not come to the battle." And one might wonder: did not Machir say that he came to the battle? And Machir is the father of Gilead, and the land of Gilead belongs to the house of Machir, as it is stated, "And he gave Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh." And there is an explanation: what is meant by "Gilead, who dwelt beyond the Jordan," is that he dwelt in the territory of Jair, the son of Manasseh. It is said that this was his portion in the land of Gilead, as it is stated, "And Jair, the son of Manasseh, went and captured their villages." And there is another explanation: what is meant by "Gilead, who dwelt beyond the Jordan," is that it is a way of expressing astonishment. He says to Reuben: "Why did you sit in your house and not come to the battle? Gilead did so, just as you did, and he sat and dwelt beyond the Jordan. Did he not bestir himself and come to help in the battle of Israel? And why did you act thus? Even though you are beyond the Jordan, is not he also beyond the Jordan?" And there is also an explanation for this matter, not in the way of astonishment, namely: Gilead, did he not dwell beyond the Jordan like you, and his portion and inheritance is there? And yet he crossed over and came to help Israel. And why did you not act thus?
And he asks: Why does it say "ships of the sea"? It does not mean ships of the sea, for his portion was not on the sea, since Zebulun's portion was there, as it states, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea." And even though it is written regarding his portion, "opposite Jaffa," nevertheless Jaffa was not included in his portion. Rather, it refers to ships of the Jordan, meaning those who crossed the Jordan and fled from the fear of the enemy, and who transferred their property to the other side of the Jordan. And so did Jonathan render it in the Targum: "They fled and crossed the Jordan, etc."
“Who dwells by the sea-shore.” For there was his portion and lot, as it is stated regarding his lot: “And it touched Carmel toward the sea,” and it says: “And its ends were toward the sea, from the region of Akzib.”
"And in his breaches shall he dwell." Upon the places that are breached [exposed, unwalled] to him in his cities shall he dwell there, for fear of enemies; therefore, he will not come to war, so that he will not leave his cities breached [undefended]. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "The cities of the peoples," etc.
Ralbag
Gilad dwelt beyond the Jordan. And should you say, what prevented you, [this being] the Jordan? Behold, Gilad too dwells beyond the Jordan, and nevertheless came to the aid of the Lord among the mighty, as [mentioned] above. And behold, I wonder about Dan, why did he tarry in ships? Behold, his portion was not across the Jordan. And not only did he not come to the aid of the Lord, but he fled and abandoned his people, and went with his possessions across the Jordan in ships, as Targum Yonatan rendered it. Behold, Asher has an excuse if he did not come to the aid of the Lord, for he dwells on the coast. And therefore it was fitting for him to guard his land and to dwell in the exposed places of his land, so that the enemies would not come there.
Metzudat David
“Gilead, etc.” This is to say: If we were to argue that Reuben did not come to the battle because his inheritance was on the other side of the Jordan, far from the place of battle, is it not the case that Gilead too dwells on the other side of the Jordan, and nevertheless it came to the battle, as it is written above (verse 14): “Machir, etc.,” which refers to Gilead?
"Dan, etc." The meaning is that one should indeed be greatly indignant at Dan, for why did he gather all his possessions into ships and flee? Was not his inheritance close to the place of the battle? Why then did he flee and not come to the battle? "Asher, etc." The meaning is that although Asher also did not come here, he did not act treacherously; rather, it was because his inheritance was on the seacoast, on the border, and his cities were open and exposed, without walls. Therefore, he was forced to dwell near his open cities, lest the neighboring nations of the border enter them.
Metzudat Zion
Shelter. Gather, as in (Psalms 59:4) 'the mighty gather against me':
Ships. In ships:
To the shore. To the edge of the sea, so too (Deuteronomy 1:7) 'on the edge of the sea':
Malbim
Gilead dwelt beyond the Jordan. Is it not so that Gilead is my neighbor, guarding my land and separating me from the enemy? Therefore, he did not come and did not participate in the distress of his brother. Likewise, "And why did Dan dwell in ships?" Why was Dan occupied with his commerce, gathering ships, and did not come to help? There is also a clear explanation for this: he [Dan] said to himself, "Asher dwells at the seacoast"—is Asher not the one who separates between him [Dan] and the enemy, and dwells at his [Asher's] own harbors? That is, Asher guards the breaches of his [Asher's] land against the enemy's spies. Therefore, he [Dan] did not come.
Zebulun is a people that jeoparded their lives to the death, And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
verse value 2686
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "people·of" (עַ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Naphtali" (וְנַפְתָּלִ֑י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "reproaches" (חֵרֵ֥ף), "and·Naphtali" (וְנַפְתָּלִ֑י), "heights·of" (מְרוֹמֵ֥י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 87x in Judges); "people·of" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "to·die" (root מות, 43x in Judges). First appearance of the root נפש ("his·soul") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Naphtali', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: זְבֻל֗וּן [Zebulun] (95) + עַ֣ם [people·of] (110) + חֵרֵ֥ף [reproaches] (288) + נַפְשׁ֛וֹ [his·soul] (436) + לָמ֖וּת [to·die] (476) + וְנַפְתָּלִ֑י [and·Naphtali] (576) + עַ֖ל [upon] (100) + מְרוֹמֵ֥י [heights·of] (296) + שָׂדֶֽה [field] (309) = 2686.
Rashi
"Zebulun is a people that despised death," etc. – By this he sacrificed his life and abandoned himself to death in battle with Barak; and likewise Naphtali, "on the heights of the field," on Mount Tabor.
Radak
He risked his life unto death. He exposed and laid bare his life, and surrendered himself unto death, out of his great desire for battle. And Naphtali likewise placed himself upon the heights of the field to fight. And the Targum translates: "[Concerning] the house of Naphtali, all the peoples of the earth shall praise them."
Ralbag
But Zevulun and Naftali should be praised. And it is that Zevulun is a people who despised their lives unto death, from the abundance of their zeal to take revenge on the enemy. Meaning, that they gave themselves to danger. And so too Naftali, for from the sons of Naftali and from the sons of Zevulun was the army which went up with Barak on Mount Tabor, who were on the heights of the field, for they saw the army of Sisera, and with this they gave themselves to danger to go up against them to battle, from the abundance of their trust in the Lord blessed be He.
Metzudat David
Zebulun, etc. The meaning is: However, Zebulun did good, for he was a people who despised and humiliated their souls to go to war, and they did not value their souls in their eyes to fear lest they die in battle.
“And Naphtali...” – The intent is to say that Naphtali, like him, did not shrink from death on the heights of the field in the place of battle. (Although the Lord commanded that the sons of Zebulun and the sons of Naphtali be taken to war, as it is written above, and did not command that the rest of the tribes be brought to war, nevertheless Deborah reproached Reuben and Dan for not having come of their own accord, in the manner in which the other tribes came.)
Metzudat Zion
Scorned. The sense of disgrace:
Heights of. From the word for exalted:
Malbim
Zebulun. These stood opposite, but only Zebulun alone risked his life to die, and Naphtali [risked his life to die] on the heights of the battlefield; with this she [Deborah] completed her words, that they were victorious with a small people and with no [strong] hand.
The kings came, they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan, In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; They took no gain of money.
verse value 1957
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֤ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "kings" (מְלָכִים֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 134: they·fought, they·fought. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·Taanach" (בְּתַעְנַ֖ךְ), "upon·waters·of" (עַל־מֵ֣י), "profit" (בֶּ֥צַע). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·went·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "upon·waters·of" (root על, 87x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges). First appearance of the root כסף ("silver") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Megiddo', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: בָּ֤אוּ [they·went·in] (9) + מְלָכִים֙ [kings] (140) + נִלְחָ֔מוּ [they·fought] (134) + אָ֤ז [then] (8) + נִלְחֲמוּ֙ [they·fought] (134) + מַלְכֵ֣י [kings·of] (100) + כְנַ֔עַן [Canaan] (190) + בְּתַעְנַ֖ךְ [in·Taanach] (542) + עַל־מֵ֣י [upon·waters·of] (150) + מְגִדּ֑וֹ [Megiddo] (53) + בֶּ֥צַע [profit] (162) + כֶּ֖סֶף [silver] (160) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + לָקָֽחוּ [they·took] (144) = 1957.
Rashi
"At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo." Targum Yonatan renders: "At Taanach they were stationed and reaching to the waters of Megiddo; the head of the camp was at Taanach, extending as far as the waters of Megiddo."
"Silver they did not take." They came to assist Sisera without charge; they did not demand payment from him.
Radak
“At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo.” Taanach and Megiddo are two distinct places, located in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh. It appears that they were distant from one another, as indicated by the verse: “The inhabitants of Taanach and its daughters, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its daughters.” If so, what is the meaning of “At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo”? It is possible to explain that the kings of Canaan came to wage war—namely, Sisera—and those who came with him to fight at Taanach. His armies were so numerous that they extended as far as the waters of Megiddo. This is also how Jonathan ben Uzziel translated it: “At Taanach they encamped, and their camp stretched to the waters of Megiddo.”
"Silver they did not take": They did not take any money from the Israelites who fell into their hands; rather, they killed them.
Ralbag
Kings came, they fought. It seems that many kings from the kingdoms of the nations, from the families of Canaan, went down with Sisera to fight with Israel. And the kings of Canaan fought then at Ta'anach, by the waters of Megiddo, which were the places which they thought to conquer easily. And so much did they desire to fight with Israel that they did not take payment of silver for this from Yavin king of Canaan, as is the custom of one who is not under the king: if the king wishes to bring him to his war, he gives him payment.
Metzudat David
“Kings came.” This implies that the tribes of Israel did not come to aid their brethren, whereas the kings of other lands came to aid Sisera and fought on his behalf.
Then. At the time Sisera fought, the kings of Canaan fought on his behalf with a great multitude, for they fought at Taanach, and the edge of the camp reached as far as the waters of Megiddo.
“Batz’a.” They came to his aid for nothing, and did not take for their wages batz’a, i.e., money. And she said this in a complaining tone: Did not the nations come for nothing to aid Sisera? And why did not Reuben and Dan come to the aid of their brothers?
Metzudat Zion
By the waters of. Like 'until the waters of':
Profit. The sense of greed, as in (Psalms 30:10) 'what profit is there in my blood':
Malbim
They came. In the days of Joshua, Jabin, king of Hazor, gathered all the kings, the kings of Canaan, at Merom to fight against Joshua (as recorded in Joshua 11). And now Jabin gathered kings a second time, and encamped at the waters of Megiddo. On this basis, the poet combines the past with the present, depicting that what is happening now had already occurred then: the kings came with Sisera and fought. (Already in ancient times, the kings of Canaan had fought, aided by the king of Hazor.) And now he explains: "They came at Taanach, at the waters of Megiddo" (in place of their having come then at the waters of Merom). "They took no monetary gain" — Jabin's allies did not receive wages for this war, just as they had come without pay in those earlier days as well.
They fought from heaven, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
verse value 1908
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 1908 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "they·fought" (נִלְחָ֑מוּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "the·stars" (הַכּֽוֹכָבִים֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 134: they·fought, they·fought. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·heaven" (מִן־שָׁמַ֖יִם), "the·stars" (הַכּֽוֹכָבִים֙), "from·their·courses" (מִמְּסִלּוֹתָ֔ם). The root לחם appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·Sisera" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "they·fought" (root לחם, 45x in Judges). First appearance of the root מסלה ("from·their·courses") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·fought', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִן־שָׁמַ֖יִם [from·heaven] (480) + נִלְחָ֑מוּ [they·fought] (134) + הַכּֽוֹכָבִים֙ [the·stars] (103) + מִמְּסִלּוֹתָ֔ם [from·their·courses] (616) + נִלְחֲמ֖וּ [they·fought] (134) + עִם־סִֽיסְרָֽא [with·Sisera] (441) = 1908.
Rashi
They fought from Heaven. And even the Holy One, blessed be He, sent His armies against them, who do not desire any reward.
"From their paths." The head of the star is in the heavens and its end is on earth. Hence they said (Tanchuma, Bereishit 5): "The thickness of the firmament is like the air between heaven and earth," for the star is fixed in the firmament like a bolt in a door, and the measure of its length is equal to the thickness of the firmament. And from the verse which testifies, "From their paths they fought," we learn that the thickness of the firmament is like the height of heaven from the earth.
Radak
They fought from heaven. So great was the victory that Israel’s triumph over Sisera’s army was as if they had fought against Sisera from heaven.
"The stars from their courses." According to the homiletical interpretation, this is analogous to the verse "There, O LORD, bring down Your mighty ones" (Joel 4:11), interpreted homiletically to mean that the stars heated them up, so they donned their armor, and due to the excessive heat, they entered the Kishon River to cool off, and the river swept them away. Therefore, the verse "The torrent Kishon swept them away" is juxtaposed with the verse "The heavens fought" to indicate this connection. According to the plain meaning, since the battle took place in the arid region along the banks of the Kishon River, they entered the river either to flee or to engage in battle with Israel. Their chariots stumbled, just as in Egypt, where it is stated, "He took away their chariot wheels" (Exodus 14:25), and the horsemen fell into the river, and the river swept them away and they drowned. This was not the case for Israel; rather, they traversed the river with strength and crossed it without any harm or injury. This is what is meant by "My soul shall tread upon strength," meaning that the river which swept them away, my soul trod upon with strength. The sign that the heavens fought against them is for my sake. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated "My soul shall tread upon strength" as "My soul shall trample upon the slaughter of their men in might." And the meaning of "the ancient torrent" is a river that existed there from of old, as if it was created there beforehand to take vengeance on the enemies of the Lord, in accordance with the principle "All that the Lord does is for His own purpose" (Proverbs 16:4).
Ralbag
From heaven they fought. He said this to indicate that not by their sword did they defeat Sisera, but from the Lord blessed be He came this victory to them, and He blessed be He placed the stars from their courses, fighting with Sisera, by pouring through them by means of which the defeat of Sisera and his army would be completed.
Metzudat David
“From heaven they fought.” This implies that even without their [human] assistance, Sisera fell, as if the heavenly host fought against him, and as if the stars departed from their courses and their paths, descending to fight against Sisera. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Pesachim 118b) that the stars heated up the armor, and [the soldiers] entered the Kishon River to cool off, and the waters of the river swept them away.
Metzudat Zion
From their paths. From the word for path and way:
Malbim
And likewise, "the stars fought from heaven, from their courses" — this is to say that even the stars which then came forth to aid Israel in the war of Joshua, which had an established course since that time (for this is the definition of the term "course" [מסלה] in the sense of a way that is trodden upon continually) — from this very course which they had set at that time, they fought against Sisera. He poetically renders it: just as Sisera brought kings to assist him from days of old, so too did helpers come to Israel from of old, from antiquity.
The brook Kishon swept them away, That ancient brook, the brook Kishon. O my soul, tread them down with strength.
verse value 2870
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "strength" (עֹֽז, 2 letters) and the longest is "ancient" (קְדוּמִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 466: Kishon, Kishon. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "swept·them·away" (גְּרָפָ֔ם), "ancient" (קְדוּמִ֖ים), "you·will·tread" (תִּדְרְכִ֥י). The root נחל appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root נחל ("torrent") in Judges. First appearance of the root עז ("strength") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kishon', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: נַ֤חַל [torrent] (88) + קִישׁוֹן֙ [Kishon] (466) + גְּרָפָ֔ם [swept·them·away] (323) + נַ֥חַל [torrent] (88) + קְדוּמִ֖ים [ancient] (200) + נַ֣חַל [torrent] (88) + קִישׁ֑וֹן [Kishon] (466) + תִּדְרְכִ֥י [you·will·tread] (634) + נַפְשִׁ֖י [my·soul] (440) + עֹֽז [strength] (77) = 2870.
Rashi
"גרפם" – He swept them away from the world, like this rake that scrapes the ashes from the stove.
"The ancient stream." It became a guarantor to the sea for this, from the days of Egypt, as stated in Pesachim (118b):
"Trample, my soul." With [your] feet, [trample] the strength of the mighty men of Canaan.
Ralbag
The brook Kishon swept them away. It seems that the waters of the brook Kishon already prevailed then in a miraculous way — for there was little water in it, and when Sisera and his army were passing through it, the waters surged and swept them away, just as a broom sweeps from a house whatever dirt and other matter is on the floor. And in this way most of Sisera's army drowned, and their fear fell upon those who remained. And regarding this matter, behold, [it refers to] the ancient waters that were in the brook Kishon.
My soul will tread in might. Meaning, that the waters did not prevail against Israel in their passage so as to move them and sweep them from their place, but they were treading there with strength and power. And this was a great wonder, similar in some manner to the wonder that was for Israel at the Reed Sea.
Metzudat David
“The Kishon swept them away.” For the battle took place on the bank of the river, and through a miracle the waters of the river rose and swept them away.
“A torrent of ancient days” (Judges 5:21), etc. This means: Behold, the waters of the torrent that were previously and formerly in the Kishon torrent were indeed few, so much so that I trod upon them with might and without harm. But now, by means of the miracle, how did they increase greatly until they swept away the nations?
Metzudat Zion
Swept them away [garfam]. The sense of sweeping and brushing, for (Exodus 38:3) Onkelos translates 'ha-ye'im' [the shovels] as 'magrofita' [a scraper], meaning: it swept them away:
You shall tread. From the word for treading and going:
My soul. Meaning: I myself:
Strength. Like 'with strength':
Malbim
And likewise, “the torrent Kishon, which swept them away,” refers to the ancient torrent, the Kishon, for it had already swept away these camps in ancient times, since the poet united the “waters of Merom” with the “torrent Kishon” in his poetic expression.
"Tread, my soul, with strength." "My soul" You shall tread, and "with strength" means the strong waters; these shall You tread with Your foot, and You shall cross over them.
Then did the horsehoofs stamp By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones.
verse value 1896
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֥ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "heels·of·the·horse" (עִקְּבֵי־ס֑וּס, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "they·smote" (הָלְמ֖וּ), "heels·of·the·horse" (עִקְּבֵי־ס֑וּס), "from·prancings" (מִֽדַּהֲר֖וֹת). The root דההר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root הלם ("they·smote") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heels·of·the·horse', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָ֥ז [then] (8) + הָלְמ֖וּ [they·smote] (81) + עִקְּבֵי־ס֑וּס [heels·of·the·horse] (308) + מִֽדַּהֲר֖וֹת [from·prancings] (655) + דַּהֲר֥וֹת [prancings·of] (615) + אַבִּירָֽיו [mighty] (229) = 1896.
Rashi
“Smote the heels of the horses.” The hooves of their horses were pulled out, for the heat of the star was boiling the mud, and the hoof was loosened, just as when one immerses feet in boiling water and the hooves are loosened; because they were pulled out, the feet were smitten.
From the galloping of the steeds of his warriors. For they used to make their horses gallop in battle, as it is stated (Nahum 3:2), “And the horse gallops,” which is the language of making the horse gallop.
Radak
"Then they pounded." [This is] an intransitive verb, as if it were saying, "the horses' hooves were pounded," due to their great speed in battle. And this is what is meant by "from the gallopings, the gallopings of his mighty ones"—namely, the striking of the horse with force upon the earth, both during the gallop and not during the gallop, which appears as though it were dancing; [such a strike] is called "galloping." Likewise, "a horse galloping" and "a chariot dancing." And it said "heels of the horse" because at the heels there is no hoof; therefore it said that the heels of the horse were pounded with the force of the horse's striking upon the earth. And the meaning of "his mighty ones" refers either to the riders or to the horses.
Ralbag
Then their heels were struck. Then the heels of Sisera's horses were bruised and broken, so that they no longer had the strength from the intensity of their running and their pounding on the ground, when the mighty men of Sisera drove them hard, and they had no strength left to flee. And it is possible that the meaning here is that then, in the brook Kishon, from the abundance of the waters that prevailed there, the heels of their horses were as if broken, and they could not gallop, but the waters bound their feet.
Metzudat David
“Then [the horses’] heels pounded, etc.” The meaning is that when they saw the river overflowing, they fled for their lives on horseback, and then the horses’ heels were struck and broken from the galloping and leaping that his mighty men, the horsemen, performed with them; or the word “his mighty ones” refers back to the horses, and the meaning is from the galloping that his strong horses performed.
Metzudat Zion
They pounded [halmu]. The sense of striking, as in (Isaiah 41:7) 'one who strikes the anvil':
Heels [of the horse]. It is the end of the leg [hoof]:
Gallop. So is called the trampling and leaping of the horse with force, as in (Nahum 3:2) 'and the horse gallops,' and the word is doubled for the abundance of the galloping:
His mighty steeds. From the word for 'mighty one' and 'strong':
Malbim
"Then, its meaning is: 'My soul, you shall tread the mighty one' — the river, at the time when the horses' hoofs pounded, as his steeds galloped headlong." This depicts the waves of the river as warriors charging toward the chariot of Sisera and his horses, and these warriors struck the heels of Sisera's horses. And at that time, "you trod this river with your foot," meaning that the river flooded and swept away Sisera's camp, and the sound of clashing was heard there — Barak and his camp crossed it on foot.
’Curse you Meroz’, said the angel of Hashem, ‘Curse you bitterly the inhabitants thereof, Because they came not to the help of Hashem, To the help of Hashem against the mighty.’
verse value 3564
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3564 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·mighty" (בַּגִּבּוֹרִֽים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 707: to·help·of, to·help·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "curse" (א֣וֹרוּ), "Meroz" (מֵר֗וֹז), "curse" (אֹ֥רוּ). The root ארר appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "not·they·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). First appearance of the root ארר ("curse") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·inhabitants', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"Curse Meroz." Some say it was a star, and some say it was an important person (Moed Katan 16a), and he was near the place of the battle, but he did not come.
The angel of the Lord said. Barak said, in his mission from the Holy One, blessed be He:
"Those who dwell in her." Those who dwell within his four cubits (ibid.); with four hundred shofars did Barak excommunicate Meroz.
"To the aid of the LORD." As it were, whoever helps Israel is considered as if he helps the Divine Presence.
Radak
"O you inhabitants of Meroz": Meroz is the name of a city near the place of the battle, and they did not come to help; therefore, she [Deborah] cursed them. But those who were far away and did not come, she did not curse them.
“Said the angel of the Lord” – according to its plain meaning, for Deborah was a prophetess, and she said this based on prophecy. And the Targum translates: “Barak, the prophet of the Lord, said.”
Ralbag
"Curse Meroz." It was a large city near the place of the battle.
The angel of the Lord said. This is the prophecy to Deborah: “Cursed be Meroz,” meaning its inhabitants, because they did not come to the aid of the Lord, despite being nearby.
Metzudat David
"Uru Meroz." They cursed them, [namely] the place called "Meroz":
He said, etc. The angel said to curse him, and in prophecy she said:
"Aru, etc." This means: he cursed them, saying, "Cursed be the inhabitants of Meroz," because they did not come to the aid of the people of the Lord, even though they were close to the place of battle.
"To the help of the Lord against the mighty." The matter is doubled in order to explain what kind of help, and it says: "To the help of the people of the Lord who fight with the mighty," and they are the men of Sisera.
Metzudat Zion
Curse. From the word for cursed:
Meroz. A place name:
Malbim
"O Aror Merod, and blessed be she among women." The verse depicts it as if the angel of the Lord went out to curse the city of Merod (which was a famous city whose inhabitants were mighty men), and the angel curses them, saying, "Cursed be its inhabitants," meaning that they should be cursed for having remained seated in their homes. And it explains that they did not come with their mighty men (i.e., with their own heroes) to aid the Lord. Conversely, the women bless Jael, and the meaning of the blessing "Blessed be she in the tent" is because she sat in the tent, for there she performed a mighty deed. Thus, let Merod be cursed for their sitting at home, and let Jael be blessed for her sitting in the tent. And it explains that "He asked for water, and she gave him milk."
Blessed above women shall Jael be, The wife of Heber the Kenite, Above women in the tent shall she be blessed.
verse value 3358
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "Jael" (יָעֵ֕ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·women" (מִנָּשִׁ֔ים, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 622: will·be·blessed, will·be·blessed. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·the·tent" (בָּאֹ֖הֶל). The root אשה appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·women" (root אשה, 59x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kenite', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: תְּבֹרַךְ֙ [will·be·blessed] (622) + מִנָּשִׁ֔ים [from·women] (440) + יָעֵ֕ל [Jael] (110) + אֵ֖שֶׁת [wife·of] (701) + חֶ֣בֶר [Heber] (210) + הַקֵּינִ֑י [Kenite] (175) + מִנָּשִׁ֥ים [from·women] (440) + בָּאֹ֖הֶל [in·the·tent] (38) + תְּבֹרָֽךְ [will·be·blessed] (622) = 3358.
Rashi
From women in a tent: Sarah, of whom it is stated (Genesis 18:9), “Behold, in the tent.” Rebecca, of whom it is stated (ibid. 24:67), “And Isaac brought her into the tent.” Rachel and Leah, of whom it is stated (ibid. 31:33), “And he went out of Leah’s tent,” etc.
“From women in tents you shall be blessed.” Why Jael? For they gave birth and raised [children], and if it were not for Jael, this wicked man would come and destroy them. This is stated in Genesis Rabbah (48:15). Another interpretation: Jael also dwelt in tents; therefore, she is mentioned in the blessing of tents.
Radak
"Blessed shall she be." Meroz shall be cursed, but Yael shall be blessed, because she was swift to aid Hashem, in the place where she herself was, in her tent — and she is more blessed than the other women who dwell in the tent.
Ralbag
Blessed above women. But Ya'el will be blessed, for she helped them in the killing of Sisera, and more than the women who are in the tent she will be blessed. Or he means by this that she will be blessed more than the women who are in the tent to teach Torah, like Devorah. And the meaning here is that the curse of Meroz, the angel of the Lord said, but the blessing of Ya'el, Devorah said, by way of prayer and blessing.
Metzudat David
"She shall be blessed," etc. Since she said to curse the inhabitants of Meroz, she said: but Jael shall be blessed from the mouth of women, because she helped Israel.
"From women in the tent." This means: from the mouths of righteous and modest women who sit in the tent, from the mouths of these women shall the blessing be fulfilled and take effect, even though the angel of the Lord did not say [so] as he said regarding the curse of Meroz:
Water he asked, milk she gave him; In a lordly bowl she brought him curd.
verse value 1779
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֥יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "great" (אַדִּירִ֖ים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "milk" (חָלָ֣ב), "gave" (נָתָ֑נָה), "in·bowl·of" (בְּסֵ֥פֶל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "gave" (root נתן, 69x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gave', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מַ֥יִם [water] (90) + שָׁאַ֖ל [asked] (331) + חָלָ֣ב [milk] (40) + נָתָ֑נָה [gave] (505) + בְּסֵ֥פֶל [in·bowl·of] (172) + אַדִּירִ֖ים [great] (265) + הִקְרִ֥יבָה [she·brought] (322) + חֶמְאָֽה [curd] (54) = 1779.
Rashi
"She gave him milk." [She did so] to know whether he was alert, so that he would be able to distinguish between the taste of water and the taste of milk. So too did Targum Yonatan render it.
“B’safal adirim.” B’safal—meaning in a cup from which one drinks water—for water is called “adirim,” as it is stated: “In mighty waters” (Exodus 15:10).
Radak
"Water he asked, milk she gave." To weigh him down so that he would fall asleep quickly, together with the fatigue he had and the milk he drank, so that he would not feel her striking him. And Jonathan rendered in the Targum: "Water Sisera the wicked asked from her, etc."
"In a large cup, the mighty ones." In a large cup from which the great and mighty ones drink. And the sage Rabbi Yonah explained that "mighty ones" refers to the great shepherds, like "the mighty ones of the flock." And Jonathan translated it as "in the cups of the mighty men," etc. And likewise he translated the word "goblet" in "the cup of reeling" as "phiale, the cup of curses." And likewise, "those who drink from bowls of wine" is rendered "those who drink from cups (phiale) of wine." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is stated that he would bring it in a new earthenware cup. And in the Greek language, a cup is called a "phiale."
"Bring him butter." [The word] "milk" mentioned [earlier] stands in place of two things — butter and milk — and she gave him the remaining milk to drink after the butter, because it is heavy on the heart and confuses the mind. And it is possible to interpret that she gave him butter to eat after having given him drink, because with the skin of milk she gave him to drink, as it says, "And she opened the skin of milk and gave him to drink," and in the bowl of the mighty ones she brought him butter to eat.
Ralbag
And indeed she related on what she blessed Ya'el, and this is that she conducted her deeds with wisdom and courage to help Israel. And this is that when Sisera asked water to drink, she gave milk to intoxicate him, and she offered him cream in a large vessel to drink. And the meaning of 'chamavah' (cream) is rich milk from which the cream has not been removed, for it is more intoxicating. And the language is doubled here. And what she related at first, 'from the pitcher of milk she gave him to drink,' was in this manner, meaning that she poured from it in a large cup in which the mighty ones drink.
Metzudat David
“Water she asked for.” This means: Understand the wisdom of Jael, for Sisera asked for water, and she gave him milk, as it is written above (4:19), “She opened the container of milk and gave him a drink,” and this was in order to bring upon him sleep.
"In a cup of the mighty." And in order that his heart be confident in her and he not sense anything [suspicious], she brought it before him in a precious cup, fit for serving the mighty and the important, so that he would consider that his soul is precious in her eyes, and he would be regarded as a master to her.
Metzudat Zion
In a bowl. In a basin, and it is a certain vessel, and so too (below 6:38) 'a bowlful of water':
Mighty ones. Meaning: great and important:
Cream. It is the fat of the milk:
Her hand she put to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head, Indeed, she pierced and struck through his temples.
verse value 4139
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "and·she·smote" (וְהָלְמָ֤ה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "her·hand" (יָדָהּ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·will·send" (תִּשְׁלַ֔חְנָה, 6 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "her·hand" (יָדָהּ֙), "to·the·pin" (לַיָּתֵ֣ד), "they·will·send" (תִּשְׁלַ֔חְנָה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "her·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "they·will·send" (root שלח, 38x in Judges); "his·head" (root ראש, 26x in Judges). First appearance of the root ראש ("his·head") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'workers', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: יָדָהּ֙ [her·hand] (19) + לַיָּתֵ֣ד [to·the·pin] (444) + תִּשְׁלַ֔חְנָה [they·will·send] (793) + וִימִינָ֖הּ [and·her·right·hand] (121) + לְהַלְמ֣וּת [to·hammer·of] (511) + עֲמֵלִ֑ים [workers] (190) + וְהָלְמָ֤ה [and·she·smote] (86) + סִֽיסְרָא֙ [Sisera] (331) + מָחֲקָ֣ה [utterlied·destroy] (153) + רֹאשׁ֔וֹ [his·head] (507) + וּמָחֲצָ֥ה [and·crushed] (149) + וְחָלְפָ֖ה [and·pierced·through] (129) + רַקָּתֽוֹ [his·temple] (706) = 4139.
Rashi
"To strike the toiling ones." Sisera, who was toiling and weary.
“Machaka.” A term denoting imitation:
"Umachatzah." A term of "machatz" [to crush/smash].
"And it passed." [I.e., the blow] came out on the other side.
Radak
"Her hand she sends to the peg." Like "she sends" [singular], with the nun and heh added, like the nun-heh of "misderonah" [and] "parshedonah" — even though this is not the practice with verbs. And my father and master, of blessed memory, explained: "Tishlachnah" — her hand and her right hand she sent, for the peg and for the hammer: her left hand needed the peg, and her right hand needed the hammer. And he attributed the sending to the hands because they performed the action, similar to: "and all that mine eyes desired," "her feet do not rest in her house," and "by the understanding of his hands he guided them." And if you would say that "tishlachnah" alone does not need all this, for the meaning is [simply that] "her hand and her right hand" reached out for the peg and the hammer — then my brother, Rabbi Moshe, of blessed memory, explained it by the omission of the comparative kaf, like "a joyful heart makes for good health," which they explained [to mean] "like healing"; and likewise he explained "her hand" as "like her hand" — and this is a figure of comparison, because it said, "Blessed above women is Yael" — meaning she deserves the blessing more than other women, because she performed an act of valor that other women do not perform, for there is no act of valor for women but only for men. Therefore he spoke by way of comparison: "her hand, like [an ordinary woman's] hand, reaches for the peg, and her right hand for the workmen's hammer" — and "halmut" is the name of the tool with which the men, the toiling craftsmen, strike.
“Wiped away his head.” She removed his head. The term “wiped away” (machak) is used in the language of our Sages of blessed memory: “One does not erase in a place where one heaps up.” And the “eraser” (hamachak) is the tool that one passes over the measure, removing everything that is on it.
"And she crushed." From the same [root] as "the bruise of his wound" [Isaiah 30:26].
"And she pierced [it] through." She passed the peg through his temple, and thus Jonathan translated: "She passed [it] through his temples." Or perhaps "vechalfah" is from the same [root] as "he passes through and shuts up" [Job 11:10], which is a term denoting cutting off.
Ralbag
Her hand sent to the peg. And indeed as the hand guides the body, she sent her left hand to the peg, and sent her right to that with which those who labor in many labors strike and hammer. And she struck Sisera on his head until she destroyed and separated the joint in which it is joined. And she struck with the peg, and the peg passed through his temple, or she cut his temple.
Metzudat David
"Her hand, etc." But she resolved within herself, and extended her left hand to take the tent peg, while she extended her right hand to take the mallet, which is called "the workers' hammer," because the men toil at their work and strike with it to accomplish their tasks.
"And she smote Sisera." She struck and shattered Sisera, and removed [crushed] his head; she touched him with a blow and a wound, and with the tent peg she pierced his temple from one side to the other.
Metzudat Zion
A tent peg. It is a nail:
To strike. The sense of striking:
Workmen. From the language of toil and labor:
Erased his head. Removed his head; in the words of our Sages of blessed memory (Bava Batra 89a) 'one does not erase where one piles up,' meaning: one does not pass anything over the measure to remove the excess:
And smote. The sense of being struck and wounded, as in (Psalms 110:6) 'He shall shatter the head':
And passed through. The sense of passing from side to side, as in (Isaiah 8:8) 'and it shall pass through Judah':
His temple. It is the place beside the eye:
Malbim
Yad. I have already explained (4:21) that she took the tent peg in one hand and the hammer in the other to strike, only that she was unable to strike it due to her weakness. And according to a miracle, the tent peg fell by itself into his temple, and this is what it says: "Her hand" (which) sent forth to the tent peg, and "her right hand" (with which she held the hammer) to strike; her two hands were laboring and weary. (We find "yad" in the masculine form: "Behold, a hand was sent to me, and in it was a scroll.") And the striking of Sisera, in that she struck him, only carved a small incision, and yet, in that she split with a small split, his temple had already passed from one side to the other. (According to the commentators, "amlim" came instead of "amal" in the singular form, referring to Sisera who was laboring, and this is not according to the grammatical rule of the language.)
At her feet he sunk, he fell, he lay; At her feet he sunk, he fell; Where he sunk, there he fell down dead.
verse value 3449
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·feet" (רַגְלֶ֔יהָ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 290: crouches, crouches, crouches. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "lay·down" (שָׁכָ֑ב), "destroyed" (שָׁדֽוּד). The root כרע appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "between" (root בין, 50x in Judges); "there" (root שם, 43x in Judges). First appearance of the root כרע ("crouches") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lay·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: בֵּ֣ין [between] (62) + רַגְלֶ֔יהָ [her·feet] (248) + כָּרַ֥ע [crouches] (290) + נָפַ֖ל [fell] (160) + שָׁכָ֑ב [lay·down] (322) + בֵּ֤ין [between] (62) + רַגְלֶ֙יהָ֙ [her·feet] (248) + כָּרַ֣ע [crouches] (290) + נָפָ֔ל [he·fell] (160) + בַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר [in·that] (503) + כָּרַ֔ע [crouches] (290) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + נָפַ֥ל [fell] (160) + שָׁדֽוּד [destroyed] (314) = 3449.
Radak
"Between her legs he bowed, he fell." So is the custom of the language to duplicate words in order to strengthen them, and the matter is that he bowed with a bowing from which there was no rising, and this is what it said, "where he bowed, there he fell, destroyed," and there is in it a midrashic interpretation, and it is far-fetched, for there are in the verse seven [instances] of "bowed," "fell," and "lay down," and they said that that wicked man had seven acts of intercourse with Jael that day, and what they wrote above regarding the word "blanket" refutes this midrashic interpretation.
Ralbag
“Between her legs he bowed, he fell.” This means that by her wisdom she caused him to fall and fall asleep before her.
"And where he sank, there he lay destroyed." The meaning is: as soon as he fell, she overpowered him, and Yael put him to death.
Metzudat David
Between her legs he knelt. He knelt before her on his knees, and immediately he fell to the ground and remained lying down, and he did not rise again. And he intended to say that he was killed with great speed, and he repeated the matter to strengthen it, and in the manner of poetry:
"Where he stooped." In the place where he stooped, Sisera, who was lost and plundered, fell, for he could no longer strengthen himself after the stooping. And this is the rhetorical device of the song, for in truth he did not stoop nor fall.
Metzudat Zion
Bowed. The sense of falling on the knees:
Destroyed. Despoiled and lost, as in (ibid. 33:1) 'and you shall not be plundered':
Malbim
Whether he initially bowed between her legs and lay down, meaning that he had sexual intercourse with her, as our Sages of blessed memory stated, and afterward he bowed between her legs, fell, and was killed; and it explains that since he bowed in the place where he had bowed for intercourse, there he fell, destroyed, and there he was killed.
Through the window she looked forth, and peered, The mother of Sisera, through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
verse value 4144
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "mother" (אֵ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·chariots" (מַרְכְּבוֹתָֽיו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: why?, why?. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "the·window" (הַחַלּ֨וֹן), "looked·out" (נִשְׁקְפָ֧ה), "and·wailed" (וַתְּיַבֵּ֛ב). The root בעד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·come" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "tarried" (root אחר, 49x in Judges); "mother" (root אם, 27x in Judges). First appearance of the root מדוע ("why?") in Judges. First appearance of the root פעם ("times·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'window-lattice', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"ותיבב" – a term denoting speech, as in (Isaiah 17:19) "ניב שפתים" ("the utterance of the lips"). Our Sages, however, explained it (Rosh Hashanah 33b) as a term for groaning, akin to a blast [of the shofar], for we translate [the word for the blast] as "יבבא" (Leviticus 23:24). But I say: it is a term for seeing, as in (Zechariah 2:2) "בבת עיני" ("the pupil of my eye"), and so too did Menahem classify it.
Ashnav. A window:
Radak
And [the word] "vateyabev" [and she wailed]. She cried out; the Targum [Onkelos] translates "teruah" as "yabava," and Jonathan translates it [here] as "va'udika," a term denoting looking/gazing.
The window. Like "the window," and similarly: "Through my lattice I looked out" (Proverbs 7:6).
Ralbag
Behold, Sisera's mother looked out through the window and wailed in the manner of a trumpet blast, and would say: what is the reason that Sisera's chariot is slow to come.
Metzudat David
"Through the window." [The song] returns to recount that Sisera's mother looked through the window to see if her son's chariot had come, and upon seeing that it had not, she wailed in bitterness of soul, and continually gazed through the lattice, saying, "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why does the clatter of his chariot wheels tarry?" etc., and she repeated the matter, as is the way of one who wails from heartache.
Metzudat Zion
Through. Against:
Peered out. The sense of gazing, as in (Genesis 26:9) 'and Abimelech looked out [vayishkef],' and it is stated in the nif'al form, because she too was gazed upon by those who looked at her:
And bewailed. The sense of wailing, for (Numbers 10:5) 'a blast,' Onkelos translates: 'yabava,' and the sound of the blast is like wailing:
The lattice. It is like a window, as in (Proverbs 7:6) 'through my lattice I looked out':
Delay. The sense of delay, as in (Exodus 32:1) 'Moses delayed':
Paces. Stepping and walking, as in (Psalms 85:14) 'and He shall set His steps to the way':
Malbim
"Through the window." There is a difference between a *chalon* (window) and an *ashanav* (lattice window), in that the *ashanav* is a type of window constructed with craftsmanship. Here, the term refers to the "window of sorcery" through which Sisera's mother looked to cast spells in order to know what had happened to him. That is to say, first she looked through the *chalon*, and afterward she saw through the *ashanav*, and then she groaned with a groaning voice and lamented. This is in accordance with the explanation of [the author of] Sefer Ha'Ikkarim: for she saw through the window of sorcery Sisera lying on the ground, and a woman standing over him, striking his head, with blood flowing from his head; and similarly, she saw the slain with their necks very red. The verse first explains, "Through the window she looked," asking, "Why is his chariot delayed in coming?" and afterward, "She groaned through the lattice window," asking, "Why have the steps of his chariots been slowed?"
For there is a difference between "delayed" (achar) and "tardy" (boshesh). "Tardy" refers to one who lingers longer than is customary, whereas "delayed" refers to one who is late after a fixed time that had been set for his return. Therefore, afterward, when the time that he was obligated to arrive had passed, she said, "Why have they delayed the time?" Moreover, she added, "the footsteps of his chariots," meaning that if they had seized his chariot, at least the footsteps of his chariots should have come, indicating that a runner would come and report what had become of them. This is what she spoke while gazing through the window of sorcery.
The wisest of her princesses answer her, Indeed, she returns answer to herself:
verse value 3080
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·princesses" (שָׂרוֹתֶ֖יהָ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "wise" (חַכְמ֥וֹת), "her·princesses" (שָׂרוֹתֶ֖יהָ), "they·will·answer" (תַּעֲנֶ֑ינָּה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "her·words" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "also·she" (root הוא, 71x in Judges); "she·returns" (root שוב, 30x in Judges). First appearance of the root לה ("to·her") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·answer', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: חַכְמ֥וֹת [wise] (474) + שָׂרוֹתֶ֖יהָ [her·princesses] (921) + תַּעֲנֶ֑ינָּה [they·will·answer] (585) + אַף־הִ֕יא [also·she] (97) + תָּשִׁ֥יב [she·returns] (712) + אֲמָרֶ֖יהָ [her·words] (256) + לָֽהּ [to·her] (35) = 3080.
Rashi
"The wise women [chachmot] among her attendants will answer." [I.e.] the wise women who are among her attendants; therefore the chet is vocalized with a patach [חַכְמוֹת]. [Whereas] "chochmot" [חָכְמוֹת], the noun [meaning "wisdoms"], is vocalized with a chataf-kamatz, as in (Proverbs 14:1) "Wisdom is too lofty for a fool" — that word is vocalized "chochmot" [with a chataf-kamatz]. But (ibid. 14:1) "The wise woman among women builds her house" is vocalized like ours — [meaning] the wise ones among women.
"Ta'aneinah." The gemination of the nun serves in place of a third nun, and its meaning is "they will answer her," where the geminated nun serves in place of "her," like (Leviticus 6:14) "תביאנה" — you shall bring it.
"She, too, will reply with her own words." She comforts herself: "Why am I so astonished at the delay of my son?"
Radak
Ta'anenah [they shall answer]. Each one of the wise women shall answer her.
Even she. [Referring to] the mother of Sisera.
She replies her own words to herself. She herself — just as the wise women answer her, so she herself would answer and say: "For this reason have the wheels of his chariot been delayed."
Ralbag
And indeed the wisest of her ladies-in-waiting were answering her, and also she herself was answering her words, and saying what those wise women say, and it is that the cause of his delay is that if they find spoil, they will divide it.
Metzudat David
"The wisest of her princesses." The wise women who are among her princesses, each one will respond to comfort her, and even she, like one of them, will answer with her own words to herself.
Metzudat Zion
Each shall answer. Each one shall answer and reply:
Malbim
"Her wise ladies answer her." Indeed, the wise women wanted to interpret the omen favorably, and likewise she herself replies with her previous words, to interpret the matter for good.
’Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A damsel, two damsels to every man; To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments, A spoil of dyed garments of embroidery, Two dyed garments of broidery for the neck of every spoiler?’
verse value 5878
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֨א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (הֲלֹ֨א, 3 letters) and the longest is "two-damsels" (רַחֲמָתַ֙יִם֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 360: spoil, spoil·of, spoil·of, spoil. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "they·will·find" (יִמְצְא֜וּ), "divide" (יְחַלְּק֣וּ), "womb" (רַ֤חַם). The root שלל appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges); "head" (root ראש, 26x in Judges). First appearance of the root שלל ("spoil") in Judges. First appearance of the root צבע ("dyes") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'variegated stuff', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Will they not find, [and] divide the spoil?" And that [preoccupation with dividing the spoil] is delaying them [Sisera's chariots].
"Rachamatayim (a damsel, or two) for the head of each man." This refers to the delightful, beautiful women of Israel, and each man among them has two or three women in his bed.
Radak
"They shall find, they shall divide the spoil." They shall find abundant spoil in the Land of Israel, for they will defeat them, and they will divide the spoil among themselves; and for this reason they are delaying their coming.
“Womb, wombs.” Either one maiden or two maidens.
"To every man." Every man has one or two young women from the spoil, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it: "they give a man and his household to each and every one."
“Spoils of colors.” Garments made of various types of dyes:
"רקמתים" (embroidered garments): Those in which the work of embroidery was performed on both sides equally. And embroidery is needlework done on a garment, creating designs with colors that differ from one another.
"Litzo'arei shalal" – like "l'rosh ha-shalal," meaning that the garments are placed at the head of the spoils, to be given to the commander of the army. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it thus: "Spoil of colorful designs," etc.
Ralbag
A womb and two wombs. And because they were unbridled in immorality, they preceded in the narrative the spoil of immorality, perhaps each of them attained one girl or two. And to Sisera too they will give spoil, precious colored garments, spoil of colored garments which are embroidered, and colored garments embroidered on both sides. And Sisera will divide them for the necks of the men of spoil, and they are the men of valor who came with him.
Metzudat David
"Will they not find?" This means: And this is their consolation, for they will say, "Will they not find great wealth among Israel, and there they will divide the spoils among themselves?" And for this reason they are delaying their coming.
"A maiden, etc." – this teaches that each individual may also take from the spoils, one maiden or two maidens.
“Spoils of colored garments.” The spoils from the most important dyed garments will be given to Sisera, because he is the army commander. And it returns and explains that this is the spoil from dyed garments that are embroidered, which are patterned on both their sides. But the color of embroideries that are not patterned on both their sides, which is even more and more important, will be distributed to all the owners of the spoils to wrap around their necks for adornment, for initially they are made for this purpose and are not fit for other use, and therefore they will be distributed to all. And if so, because of all this, they are delayed in coming.
Metzudat Zion
A womb, two wombs. Meaning: a maiden and two maidens, and they are called in a term of disgrace, after the womb:
"To the head of a man." Meaning: for every man:
Embroidery. The work of an embroiderer in many kinds of colors:
"Embroideries." Meaning: with two faces, one side worked over and the other worked over, distinct from each other, and it is like the work of a skilled designer-weaver [ma'aseh choshev]:
Malbim
"Behold, they will surely find, they will divide the spoil." They said that what appears in the divination—a man lying on the ground, dyed in blood—this man is a figurative man, for the divination depicts the spoil as if it were a man, and the spoil is depicted in the form of a figurative, visionary man. And this is what is meant by "Behold, they will surely find, they will divide the spoil": the spoil is the man lying on the ground. And what you saw on the head of the man, that a woman was standing upon it—its interpretation is: "a maiden or two for the head of every man" [refers to] the women who will be taken as spoil; that is [represented by] the head of this man who is the spoil, for he is the head of the spoil and the choicest part of it. And what you saw, that his head was dyed in blood—its interpretation is about the "spoil of dyed cloths" specific to Sisera, for this too is the choicest and head of the spoil, and it is depicted on the head of the visionary man who is the spoil, since it is the spoil of dyed, embroidered cloths. And what you saw—red necks—is the color of the two embroideries, which is the necks of the spoil, namely the neck of the visionary man who is the spoil. In this way, the divination embodied the figurative spoil and made it in the form of a man in the vision of the divination.
So perish all Your enemies, O Hashem; But they that love Him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
verse value 3806
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֠ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·enemy" (כׇל־אוֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "perish" (יֹאבְד֤וּ), "all·enemy" (כׇל־אוֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙), "and·those·who·love·Him" (וְאֹ֣הֲבָ֔יו). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "earth" (root ארץ, 56x in Judges); "as·the·going·out·of" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). First appearance of the root אהב ("and·those·who·love·Him") in Judges. First appearance of the root שמש ("sun") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֵּ֠ן [so] (70) + יֹאבְד֤וּ [perish] (23) + כׇל־אוֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ [all·enemy] (99) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְאֹ֣הֲבָ֔יו [and·those·who·love·Him] (30) + כְּצֵ֥את [as·the·going·out·of] (511) + הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ [sun] (645) + בִּגְבֻרָת֑וֹ [in·his·strength] (613) + וַתִּשְׁקֹ֥ט [and·it·was·quiet] (815) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [earth] (296) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 3806.
Rashi
“Thus shall they perish.” Deborah said: “Consolations of emptiness are these for her; thus shall all Your enemies perish, O Lord, as he perished.”
"And those who love Him shall be like the sun going forth in its might." In the time to come, (Isaiah 30:26) "sevenfold, like the light of seven days" — which is, by one calculation, three hundred forty-three fold, corresponding to the number forty-nine sevens.
"And the land was quiet." This is not from the words of Deborah, but from the words of the writer of the book:
Radak
“And those who love Him.” Those who love the Lord.
"Like the sun going forth in its might." Just as the sun rises in the morning, growing brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength at midday, so too shall the lovers of God, blessed be He, grow stronger and stronger. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "And His beloved ones, the righteous, are destined…"
Ralbag
And Devorah prayed and said, 'Thus let all the enemies of the Lord perish, as Sisera perished. And those who love the Lord blessed be He shall be like the going forth of the sun in his might, his light grows and strengthens until the sun stands firm.' And the meaning of his saying 'in his might' is at the beginning of the period of Tammuz, for then his light is seen stronger, and the heat that comes from it is stronger, and it will go and strengthen until noon. And the land was quiet until the completion of forty years from the beginning of the servitude. And therefore the time of the tranquility will be twenty years. But the benefits that come from this narrative are these: The first is to inform that the Lord blessed be He does not perform miracles except when necessary. And therefore He commanded Barak to assemble on Mount Tabor ten thousand men from the sons of Naftali and the sons of Zevulun, and did not draw them there the Lord blessed be He as He drew to the brook Kishon Sisera and his chariots and his army. And this is because the drawing of the sons of Israel on Mount Tabor could be completed without performing the miracle. And we already explained the cause of this in the Book of the Wars of the Lord [Sefer Milchamot Hashem]. The second is to inform that when the Lord performs miracles, He arranges upon them causes through which there will be less strangeness in that miracle for nature. And therefore the Lord devised to bring the sons of Israel to Mount Tabor, and He transferred Sisera and his army to the brook Kishon to pursue after Barak and his army, and He arranged with this that the waters of the brook increased until many of the men of valor drowned in them. And by this many causes were gathered for Barak and his army to defeat them: the first is the confusion with which the waters of the brook confused them; the second is that Barak and his army were descending upon them, and therefore they were above, and this adds to their strength against Sisera and his army. And it seems that a third cause was joined there, and it is that the light of the sun was already facing Sisera and his army, and was casting glare in their eyes. And therefore Devorah said that the stars from their courses fought with Sisera. The third is to inform the truth of prophecy, although it was through a woman, for not one thing fell from what Devorah promised in this narrative. And indeed, for the publication of the truth of the prophecy, then Israel agreed to go with few men and with few weapons of war to fight with Sisera and his chariots and his army, with the utmost of his strength and courage and the multitude of the weapons of war that were theirs. The fourth is to inform that with stratagems a person should conduct himself to reach the end of his intention. And therefore it is related that Ya'el, because she desired that Sisera should fall into her hand, showed him that she very much desired to save him, and covered him so that the passersby would not see him there, and arranged with this that she made him drunk and he fell asleep, by a miracle, and it was easy for her to kill him. The fifth is to inform that on a day of good it is fitting to be in good. And therefore it is fitting for the successful one at the time when he is able to arrange that the success should come to him in the most complete way, and not to shorten from this. Do you not see that Barak, although he saw that all the camp of Sisera fell by the sword and not one remained, he strove with the utmost possible on the killing of Sisera, lest he return to his lord and return to do evil to Israel. The sixth is to inform to give thanks to the Lord for what He bestowed of good. For although this was already seen, behold, in it is a benefit to bring people to believe that all the good things came from Him. And therefore Devorah sang this song and gave thanks to the Lord blessed be He for all that He bestowed upon us. The seventh is to inform that it is fitting for every person to believe in the promises of prophecy. And therefore those who did not come to help the Lord with the mighty were condemned against the camp of Sisera, and the inhabitants of Meroz were cursed by the Lord blessed be He. The eighth is to publish the disgrace of those nations and their being unbridled in immorality. And therefore Sisera's mother gave precedence, in the account of Sisera's success, to 'a womb, two wombs for each man' ahead of [mentioning] the dyed garments. And the Torah too already published their lowly customs. It further relates that the sons of Israel returned to do evil in the sight of the Lord after the death of Devorah. And therefore the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. And the hand of Midian was very strong against Israel, until they needed to make for themselves in the mountains tunnels, and they are caves which have in them like windows through which light enters into the cave. And it is possible that the meaning is that by tunnels they meant torches with great light. And this was so, for when they saw from the mountains that the sons of Midian were coming, they would make with those torches a sign by which Israel would notice, and they and their livestock and their property would hide. And in this manner the notification would come easily to Israel, by their making this sign for them from mountain to mountain. And it was possible that they would save from their enemies many things. And nevertheless they made caves to hide there easily, and fortresses, which are strong buildings, to escape there from their enemies. Not that they dwelt always in the caves and fortresses, for it would have been impossible for their livelihood to be completed in this manner, for they would not sow and would not gather grain. And after this it explains what compelled them to make the tunnels and the caves and the fortresses, and it is what the sons of Midian were destroying, their grain and their livestock. 'And when it was very hard for them because of Midian, they cried to the Lord' and returned to Him that He should save them from their hands. And indeed the Lord sent then His prophet to the sons of Israel, and informed them that their sins caused them to fall into the hands of Midian, for they turned away from after the Lord and served other gods, the gods of the Amorite which were in their land, together with the abundance of the good things that the Lord blessed them with. And it seems that this prophet was Pinchas, as our Sages of blessed memory mentioned concerning Pinchas in the days of David, of whom the verse relates, 'in former times the Lord was with him.' And indeed he lived a very long time. And therefore they said that Pinchas is Eliyahu, for it was already clarified that Eliyahu too lived many years. And Malachi already promised that the Lord will bring him in the days of the redemption: 'Behold, I will send to you Eliyahu the prophet,' etc. And there is no one to say that Eliyahu already died before Elisha prophesied, as it says, 'today your master is taken from you.' And this is because we already found that a letter from Eliyahu came after this, as we will clarify there, God willing, in the book of Chronicles and in the book of Kings.
Metzudat David
Thus shall they perish. Deborah said: "Behold, [these] consolations were vain; would that 'Thus shall all Your enemies perish,' O LORD, just as Sisera perished."
"And those who love Him." But the lovers of the Lord shall be like the sun rising in the morning, which goes on shining more and more with each moment until it reaches its strength, which is midday; so too shall the lovers of the Lord go on growing stronger until they reach the heights of elevation.
"And the land was tranquil, etc." — These are not words of the song, but rather the words of the author of the book.
Forty years. Until the completion of forty years from the time the subjugation began.
Malbim
So. [Deborah] replies: "But all Your enemies, O Lord, shall perish." Yet His lovers shall be like the sun when it rises from beneath the horizon, growing brighter and brighter until the day is fully established; and like the sun which no clouds shall cover, and no thick mists shall obscure.
"And the land had rest." For the righteous were present throughout the days of Deborah.
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion