Judges 5:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse its inhabitants thoroughly, because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

NIV: ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’

NASB: ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants, Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’

CSB: "Curse Meroz," says the angel of the Lord, "Bitterly curse her inhabitants, for they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord with the warriors."

NLT: ‘Let the people of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Let them be utterly cursed, because they did not come to help the Lord — to help the Lord against the mighty warriors.’

KJV: Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

NKJV: ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’

The battle has been won (Judges 4:15–16). The Lord fought for Israel, apparently using the weather against the Canaanites (Judges 5:20–22). The result was an astounding upset. Israel has won the battle and will soon defeat King Jabin and Canaan completely (Judges 4:23–24).

Suddenly, Deborah's song (Judges 5:1) turns to address another people who refused to join in the Lord's battle against Canaan. She has already raised the question of why the people of various Israeli tribes sent no volunteers to the battle (Judges 5:15–17). Her rhetorical questions allowed their shame to linger, but she did not curse them. Meroz, however, is overtly cursed for their failure to render aid.

The location of Meroz is not known. It was apparently an Israelite town. In some way, its people refused to answer the call to fight against the Canaanites (Judges 4:10). Some scholars speculate that the people of Meroz made an alliance with Canaan against their fellow Israelites. Others suggest the people of Meroz failed to stop Sisera from escaping from the battle (Judges 4:17) when they had a chance.

Even worse, it is not Deborah but the "angel of the Lord" cursing Meroz. The phrase "angel of the Lord" is sometimes understood to be an Old Testament reference to Christ before He came to earth as Jesus. Either way, this harsh scolding comes directly from God.

Judges 5:19–23 recounts the battle briefly depicted in Judges 4:12–16. In poetic language, the passage indicates that Sisera's Canaanite army was thoroughly defeated. While partly symbolic, this segment also suggests an unexpected flood as part of God's plan for Israel's victory. Meroz, likely a town that failed to aid their fellow Israelites, is cursed.

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.

Judges 5 follows the narrative-style account of the battle between Sisera and Barak, as instigated by the prophetess Deborah in chapter 4. This chapter is a song, poetically depicting the same series of events. Deborah describes Sisera's defeat in battle, Jael's bold killing of the cruel general Sisera, and the tears of his mother as she waits for him at home. The following chapter shows that Israel—once again—responds to this hard-won peace with another cycle of idolatry, sin, and oppression (Judges 6:1).

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).