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Judges 4:11
ESV Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
NIV Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
NASB Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
CSB Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses’s father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
NLT Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh.
KJV Now 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.
NKJV Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh.

What does Judges 4:11 mean?

The introduction of a man named Heber at this point in the passage seems random. However, it sets up the conclusion to Israel's great victory over the army of Canaan (Judges 4:1–3). The story will come back to Heber the Kenite, revealing a kind of alliance or peace agreement with King Jabin of Hazor, the oppressor of the Israelites (Judges 4:17).

The Kenites were the descendants of Moses' father-in-law Hobab. They had been friends of God's people from the time of Moses and had even settled in the southern, desert region of the Promised Land known as Arad. Heber had broken off from the rest of the Kenites and moved his family north. He settled down near a landmark known as the oak in Zaanannim (Joshua 19:33). Scholars suggest this locally famous tree was found at the southern end of the territory of Naphtali. This was near to Kedesh.

Kedesh is Barak's hometown (Judges 4:4–7). From there, Barak and Deborah amassed an army to fight the Canaanite oppressors (Judges 4:8–10). Some Bible scholars question whether this story describes two different towns known as Kedesh. If that is the case, one is Barak's home, the other was closer to where the battle took place. Most interpreters believe these to be the same, near the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.
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