Judges 4:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And she said, "I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

NIV: "Certainly I will go with you," said Deborah. "But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

NASB: She said, 'I will certainly go with you; however, the fame shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.' Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

CSB: "I will gladly go with you," she said, "but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera to a woman." So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

NLT: Very well,' she replied, 'I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.' So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: 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 sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel (Judges 4:4–5) has delivered a command from God to a man called Barak (Judges 4:6–7). Barak is to gather a large army and meet the Canaanite forces at a particular spot. The Lord has assured Barak of success. Barak, rather than acting immediately, has hesitated to accept the mission. He will only do so if Deborah will come with him (Judges 4:8). Barak's faith in God's promise seems weak, yet his faith in Deborah's influence seems strong. It may be Barak is convinced God would not allow Israel to lose the battle if Deborah were there in person.

Although Deborah agrees to come, she also chides Barak for asking her to do so. In a sense, she challenges Barak's manhood. She prophesies that his chosen approach—"the road on which you are going"—will mean glory for the victory will go to a woman. Modern readers can easily miss the magnitude of such a statement. In that society, women were not considered fighters, nor often accepted as leaders. Deborah is already an exception to her culture. For military victory to be credited to a woman would have been both unexpected and slightly embarrassing.

This prophecy certainly means Barak will get little or no glory for the victory. At first, it seems Deborah is suggesting that she will be the gloried one. To some extent, this is true. However, the full story of the battle against Sisera reveals another woman's impact on the victory. What follows becomes evidence that Deborah spoke the very words of God in this verse.

Deborah and Barak then set out for Kedesh, Barak's hometown in the territory of Naphtali. They begin recruiting their army of fighters from among the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. A sidenote given in verse 11 notes a particular Kenite living near there—his importance to the story only becomes clear later in the passage (Judges 4:11).

Judges 4:1–10 introduces the pair of godly leaders featured in this cycle of Israel's redemption: Barak and Deborah. Israel is oppressed by the Canaanite king, Jabin, and his military commander, Sisera. The prophetess Deborah is said to be leading Israel as a judge, and she summons Barak to tell him about God's plan. Barak agrees to serve only if Deborah goes with him. She agrees, noting that credit for defeating Sisera will go to a woman. They raise an army and prepare for battle.

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).