Judges 5 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Judges) Free Bible Online

Judges 5

1 - Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2 - "Because the leaders took the lead in Israel,because the people offered themselves willingly,be blessed, The LORD!

3 - "Hear, you kings!Give ear, you princes!I, even I, will sing to The LORD.I will sing praise to The LORD, the God of Israel.

4 - "The LORD, when you went out of Seir,when you marched out of the field of Edom,the earth trembled, the sky also dropped.Yes, the clouds dropped water.

5 - The mountains quaked The LORD's presence,even Sinai at the presence of The LORD, the God of Israel.

6 - "In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied.The travelers walked through byways.

"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied.The travelers walked through byways.

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7 - The rulers ceased in Israel.They ceased until I, Deborah, arose;Until I arose a mother in Israel.

8 - They chose new gods.Then war was in the gates.Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9 - My heart is toward the governors of Israel,who offered themselves willingly among the people.Bless The LORD!

10 - "Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,you who sit on rich carpets,and you who walk by the way.

11 - Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,there they will rehearse The LORD's righteous acts,the righteous acts of his rule in Israel."Then The LORD's people went down to the gates.

12 - 'Awake, awake, Deborah!Awake, awake, utter a song!Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.'

13 - "Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down.The LORD came down for me against the mighty.

14 - Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim,after you, Benjamin, among your peoples.Governors come down out of Machir.Those who handle the marshal's staff came out of Zebulun.

15 - The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.As was Issachar, so was Barak.They rushed into the valley at his feet.By the watercourses of Reuben,there were great resolves of heart.

16 - Why did you sit among the sheepfolds?To hear the whistling for the flocks?At the watercourses of Reuben,there were great searchings of heart.

17 - Gilead lived beyond the Jordan.Why did Dan remain in ships?Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,and lived by his creeks.

18 - Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death;Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19 - "The kings came and fought,then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.They took no plunder of silver.

20 - From the sky the stars fought.From their courses, they fought against Sisera.

21 - The riverKishon swept them away,that ancient river, the river Kishon.My soul, march on with strength.

22 - Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing,the prancing of their strong ones.

23 - 'Curse Meroz,' said The LORD's angel.'Curse bitterly its inhabitants,because they didn't come to help The LORD,to help the LORD against the mighty.'

24 - "Jael shall be blessed above women,the wife of Heber the Kenite;blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

25 - He asked for water.She gave him milk.She brought him butter in a lordly dish.

26 - She put her hand to the tent peg,and her right hand to the workmen's hammer.With the hammer she struck Sisera.She struck through his head.Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.

27 - At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay.At her feet he bowed, he fell.Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

28 - "Through the window she looked out, and cried:Sisera's mother looked through the lattice.'Why is his chariot so long in coming?Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?'

29 - Her wise ladies answered her,Yes, she returned answer to herself,

30 - 'Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder?A lady, two ladies to every man;to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments,a plunder of dyed garments embroidered,of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?'

31 - "So let all your enemies perish, The LORD,but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength."Then the land had rest forty years.

The Book of Judges

Judges 4:1 - And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD
Judges 6:6 - And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
Judges 6:7 - And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
Judges 6:8 - That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel.

Philistine Captives Temple of Ramses III

The ancient Egyptian temples reveal what the Philistines looked like in the ancient world. In the sculptured scenes within the funerary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu, near Thebes in Upper Egypt, is an incredible bas relief portraying Philistine captives. Pharaoh had hired these warriors as mercenaries. Rameses III who reigned from 1198-1167 BC saw that the Canaanite area was being invaded and with the help of the Philistines he established peace, according to his own record. Later the Philistines rose to a powerful position in the region with five powerful cities, they flourished in the time of Samson and the judges, their supremacy might have been due to their formal acknowledgment of pharaohs authority. Within a couple centuries they disappeared from history.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survery - Judges
Hebrew Name - Shophtim "Judges or Deliverers"
Greek Name - Krites (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Samuel (According to Tradition)
Date - From 1425 to 1120 BC Approximately
Theme - 7 cycles of idolatry, oppression, repentance, and deliverance during the first 300 years in the land of Canaan
Types and Shadows - In Judges Jesus is the great judge and deliverer of His people

In the book of Judges we can see the first 300 years of the history of Israel, from the time of the death of Joshua to the time of Samuel the last of the Judges. All of the events mentioned in the book of Judges are not meant to be given in a strict chronological order and it is impossible to determine exact dates. Everything that took place happened really on a local level in the land of Israel and not necessarily on a national level. The first two chapters deal with the death of Joshua and after his death and the generation surrounding him, "there arose another generation after them, who did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).

This generation of Israelites, and every generation after that during this time period fell into idolatry, they forgot the commands of God and there is a severe decline morally and spiritually. As each generation unfolded idolatry would prevail, a foreign invasion would take place and oppress the people of Israel in that local area, they would cry out to God for help, and God would send a deliverer. This cycle happened seven times in the book of Judges and speak clearly about the cycle of sin and its consequences, as well as God's love and willingness to send help when his people cry out to him.

Quick Reference Map

Map of the Judges and the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Click to Enlarge)


The book of Judges records six such major invasions:

Outline of the Book of Judges

The first was the Mesopotamian invasion from the northeast (Judges 3:8-11) from which Othniel delivered his people.

The second was by the Moabites and came from the southeast (Judges 3:12-20). Israel was delivered from the Moabites by Ehud, the left handed assassin of the Moabite king, Eglon.

The third invasion came under the Canaanite leaders Jabin and Sisera (Judges 4, 5). Israel was delivered from the Canaanites by Deborah, the only woman judge of which there is any record. It is interesting to note that Sisera himself was killed by a woman, Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

The Midianite invasion from the southeast (Judges 6-9) lasted seven years and was ended under the bold leadership of Gideon.

The foolish vow of Jephthah, which cost him the life of his daughter, came after he delivered Israel from the fifth invasion, that by the Ammonites from the east (Judges 10:6-11:40).

The sixth invasion was by the Philistines, from the southwest, and was apparently something of a recurrent nature rather than one particular campaign. During a period of at least 200 years, Israel was delivered from the Philistines by Shamgar, Samson, Samuel, Saul, and David.

The major social problem stemmed from the recurrent failure of the Israelites to drive the Canaanites out of the land, a direct violation of God's commandment. The Israelites then intermarried with the Canaanites, adopting many of their customs. This assimilation of Canaanite culture promoted the growth of idolatry which constituted the religious problem of the people.

The three most prominent deities of Canaanite worship were Baal, Asherah, and Dagon.

Baal was usually represented by a stone pillar and was a god of fertility, usually worshipped in the groves. At various times Baal-worship included fornication (Jeremiah 7:9 ), self-mutilation (1 Kings 18:28), and human sacrifice (Jeremiah 19:5). Baal is the deity most often mentioned in the Old Testament as being a snare for the people of God.

The symbol of Asherah was a wooden post set up in the "high places" of idolatrous worship. The Phoenician goddess of procreation and love, she was the chief female deity and is often mentioned in connection with Baal.

Dagon was a Philistine deity having the body of a fish with human hands and a human face. It was a temple of Dagon which Samson pulled down in his final act of strength.

There is seen in the book of Judges a consistent pattern�Israel is oppressed by a foreign power; the people cry to God and he raises up a judge to deliver them from their predicament; after peace is established the people become complacent and relapse into idolatry.

The judges, although chosen by God, to lead His people, were not always men of ideal character, yet they fulfilled God's purposes in delivering Israel. They served in a multiple role as judicial, military, and spiritual leaders. The period of the judges may be said to extend through the life of the last judge, Samuel, whose death is recorded
in 1 Samuel 25.

Quick Reference Maps - Judges

The Twelve Tribes and the Judges

Hazor

Jezreel

Mizpeh

Zorah

The Danites

Gibeah

Jabesh Gilead

Judges Resources

The Judges

More About the Book of Judges
Judges in the Picture Study Bible
Timeline of the Ancient World
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