Judges 4

Judges · Chapter 4

Judges 4:21

1And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.2And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.3And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.4And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.5And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.6And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?7And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.8And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.9And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.10And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.11Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.12And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.13And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.14And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.15And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.16But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.17Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.18And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.19And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.20Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.21Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.22And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.23So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.24And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
21Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and she tookוַתִּקַּ֣חva-ti-KACHH3947G
to take: take

לָקַח (la.qach) : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed …

Jaelיָעֵ֣לya-'ELH3278
Jael

יָעֵל (ya.el) A woman living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.4.17; married to Heber (H2268H) § Jael = "mountain goat" the wife of Heber the Kenite who killed the general Sisera as he slept by driving a peg through his temples into the ground

[the] wife ofאֵֽשֶׁת־'e-shet-H0802H
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

Heberחֶ֠בֶרCHE-verH2268H
Heber

חֶ֫בֶר (che.ver) A man living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.4.11; married to Jael (H3278) § Heber = "comrade" 1) the Kenite, husband of Jael, who slew Sisera by driving a nail into his temple 2) grandson of Asher from whom came the Heberites 3) father of Socho, a Judahite 4) a Benjamite 5) another Benjamite 6) a Gadite

[the] peg ofיְתַ֨דye-TADH3489
peg

יָתֵד (ya.ted) 1) pin, stake, peg, nail 1a) pin, peg, tent pin, tent stake 1b) nail, pin (fig.) 1c) pin (used in weaving)

the tentהָאֹ֜הֶלha-'O-helH0168G
tent

אֹ֫הֶל (o.hel) : tent 1) tent 1a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience 1b) dwelling, home, habitation 1c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle) Also means: o.hel (אֹ֫הֶל ": home" H0168H)

and she putוַתָּ֧שֶׂםva-TA-semH7760INo entry
the hammerהַמַּקֶּ֣בֶתha-ma-KE-vetH4718A
hammer

מַקָּבָה (maq.qa.vah) hammer Another spelling of maq.qe.vet (מַקֶּ֫בֶת "hammer" H4718A)

in hand herבְּיָדָ֗הּbe-ya-DAHH3027G
hand

יָד (yad) : hand/arm[anatomy] 1) hand 1a) hand (of man) 1b) strength, power (fig.) 1c) side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.) 1d) (various special, technical senses) 1d1) sign, monument 1d2) part, fractional part, share 1d3) time, repetition 1d4) axle-trees, axle 1d5) stays, support (for laver) 1d6) tenons (in tabernacle) 1d7) a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure) 1d8) wrists

and she wentוַתָּב֤וֹאva-ta-VO'H0935G
to come (in): come

בּוֹא (bo) : come/go_in 1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to enter, come in 1a2) to come 1a2a) to come with 1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy) 1a2c) to come to pass 1a3) to attain to 1a4) to be enumerated 1a5) to go 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to lead in 1b2) to carry in 1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon 1b4) to bring to pass 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought, brought in 1c2) to be introduced, be put

to himאֵלָיו֙'e-LAVH0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

in the secrecyבַּלָּ֔אטba-LATH3814
secret

לָאט (lat) 1) secrecy, mystery 1a) secrecy, secretly 1b) mystery, enchantment

and she droveוַתִּתְקַ֤עva-tit-KA'H8628
to blow

תָּקַע (ta.qa) 1) to blow, clap, strike, sound, thrust, give a blow, blast 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to thrust, drive (of weapon) 1a2) to give a blast, give a blow 1a3) to strike or clap hands 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be blown, blast (of horn) 1b2) to strike or pledge oneself

the pegהַיָּתֵד֙hai-ya-TEDH3489
peg

יָתֵד (ya.ted) 1) pin, stake, peg, nail 1a) pin, peg, tent pin, tent stake 1b) nail, pin (fig.) 1c) pin (used in weaving)

in temple hisבְּרַקָּת֔וֹbe-ra-ka-TOH7541
temple

רַקָּה (raq.qah) temple, the temple (of the head)

and it went downוַתִּצְנַ֖חva-titz-NACHH6795
to descend

צָנַח (tsa.nach) (Qal) to go down, descend

in the groundבָּאָ֑רֶץba-'A-retzH0776H
earth: soil

אֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H)

and heוְהֽוּא־ve-hu'-H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

[was] sleepingנִרְדָּ֥םnir-DAMH7290
to sleep

רָדַם (ra.dam) (Niphal) to be asleep, be unconscious, be in heavy sleep, fall into heavy sleep, be fast asleep

and he was wearyוַיָּ֖עַףvai-YA-'afH5888
be faint

עִיף (a.yeph) 1) to be faint, be weary 1a) (Qal) to be faint, be weary

and he diedוַיָּמֹֽת׃vai-ya-MOTH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.