What does Judges 5:1 mean?
The victory over Sisera and Jabin has been won for Israel by the Lord (Judges 4:22–24). Deborah (Judges 4:4–5) writes a song in celebration. This parallels the song sung by Moses and the people of Israel after their miraculous salvation at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1–18). This verse reports that Deborah and Barak sang the song together. The original Hebrew makes it clearer that Deborah is the primary voice, while Barak is echoing her words. The verb used here for "sing" is feminine, while groups or men use a masculine form (Exodus 15:1; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:12).The song tells highlights from the Lord's defeat of the Canaanites in the form of poetry. It adds details from the more straightforward telling in the previous chapter. It also emphasizes Israel's emotional responses to the awesome events of Israel's day of salvation from Canaan.
Judges 5:1–11 begins a song composed by Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel (Judges 4:4–5). This segment introduces the troubles experienced by God's chosen people leading up to their battle against Canaan. Though Israel had been blessed by God and His miracles when they came out of Egypt, the nation had fallen under oppression. As explained in the prior chapter (Judges 4:1–10), the people responded to Deborah's call for action. What follows is a celebration of Israel's victory against Sisera, Jabin, and the Canaanite army (Judges 4:12–16).
Deborah and Barak sing a victory song she has written. This celebrates all the Lord accomplished through Israel's victory in battle over Sisera and Canaan. She praises God for willing volunteers and calls for everyone to pass along the story. She tells of the torrent of water that flowed down the Kishon River and swept away the enemy. She describes in detail the death of Sisera at the hands of a woman and even shows his mother crying for his return. Her song emphasizes that credit for success goes to the Lord.
