Judges 4:11 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

Judges 4:11–16 tells how Israel's army, led by the prophetess Deborah and the judge Barak, defeat the Canaanite army of King Jabin. The following chapter implies that an unexpected flood may have disabled the enemy's iron chariots (Judges 5:21–22). The Canaanite commander, Sisera, flees on foot. He alone escapes, as the rest of his men are wiped out.

In response to their sin, God allows Israel to fall into oppression under Jabin, king of the Canaanites. Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, cruelly abuses the Israelites for twenty years. Through His prophetess Deborah, the Lord raises up Barak to lead a massive Israeli army. This force wipes out Canaan's army. Sisera flees on foot and hides in the tent of Heber's wife Jael. Once he is asleep, she kills him and then shows Barak the body. The Israelites soon destroy King Jabin and are freed from Canaanite oppression.

Judges 4 begins with the death of Ehud, the assassin-leader of chapter 3 who freed Israel from the Moabites. After the Israelite people return to wickedness, God submits them to Jabin and the Canaanites. After twenty years, the Lord raises up a deliverer called Barak through His prophetess Deborah. Israel obliterates the enemy army, and the general is slaughtered in his sleep by a woman. Jabin and the Canaanites are defeated. The next chapter poetically retells these events, followed by the introduction of an especially famous judge in chapter 6: Gideon.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).