Judges 4:6

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

5 ^aAnd she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6 Then she sent and called for ^aBarak the son of Abinoam from ^bKedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and¹ deploy troops at Mount ^cTabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun;

7 and against you ^aI will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the ^bRiver Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”

8 And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”

9 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will ^asell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 And Barak called ^aZebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men ^bunder his command, and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber ^athe Kenite, of the children of ^bHobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, ^cwhich is beside Kedesh.

12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. ^aHas not the Lord gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot.

16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was ^aleft.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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Judges 4:6

She sent and called Barak - She appointed him to be general of the armies on this occasion; which shows that she possessed the supreme power in the state.

Mount Tabor - "Mount Tabor," says Maundrell, "stands by itself, about two or three furlongs within the plains of Esdraelon. It has a plain area at the top, both fertile and delicious of an oval figure, extending about one furlong in breadth, and two in length. The prospect from the top is beautiful: on the N.W. is the Mediterranean; and all around you have the spacious plains of Esdraelon and Galilee, which present you with a view of many places famous for the resort and miracles of the Son of God. At the bottom of Tabor, westward, stands Daberah, a small village, supposed to have taken its name from Deborah. Near this valley is the brook Kishon. During the rainy season, all the water that falls on the eastern side of the mountain, or upon the rising ground to the southward, empties itself into it, in a number of torrents: at which conjuncture it overflows its banks, acquires a wonderful rapidity, and carries all before it. It might be at such a time as this when the stars are said to fight against Sisera, Judges 5:20, Judges 5:21, by bringing an abundance of rain, whereby the Kishon became so high and rapid as to sweep away the host of Sisera, in attempting to ford it." See Maundrell and Shaw. This mountain is very difficult of ascent; it took Mr. Maundrell nearly an hour to reach the top; this, with its grand area on the summit, made a very proper place for the rendezvous of Barak' s army. Antiochus used it for the same purpose in his wars; and Josephus appears to have fortified it; and Placidus, one of Vespasian' s generals, was sent to reduce it. See more in Calmet.

**Other Adam Clarke entries containing Judges 4:6:**

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