Judges 5:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’

NIV: "Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’

NASB: 'Out of the window she looked and wailed, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots delay?’

CSB: Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice, crying out: "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?"

NLT: 'From the window Sisera’s mother looked out. Through the window she watched for his return, saying, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don’t we hear the sound of chariot wheels?’

KJV: The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

NKJV: “The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’

The scene of Deborah's song (Judges 5:1) suddenly switches. She declared Jael, the killer of Sisera (Judges 4:1–3), to be blessed for her canny actions (Judges 4:21–22). Then she poetically described the moment of the killing and the dead body of Sisera lying unresponsive on the floor. This took a form somewhat like a slow-motion replay: repeating and emphasizing the demise of Israel's oppressor (Judges 5:27).

Without warning, the narrative of the song shifts to Sisera's mother, imagining her waiting at home for her son to return from the battle. It's natural to recoil, at first, at the thought of celebrating the reaction of a mother who has lost a soldier in combat. What Sisera's mother says in the following verses, however, can inspire the opposite feeling. Sisera's family was accustomed to him not only making misery for many Israeli mothers but terrorizing their women and others as well.

The image given here is of Sisera's mother looking for him out the window while crying. In poetic style, she asks what's taking him so long to return. She has not seen or heard from his traveling party. It's a moment that an unfortunate number of mothers have experienced, waiting in vain for a child or husband to return from war. At the same time, Sisera had likely caused this scene to happen in the homes of many Israelite mothers over the previous two decades. Deborah's song will show his mother little mercy. The following verses will imply that Sisera's cruelty and oppression were truly despicable (Judges 5:29–30).

Judges 5:24–31 completes a song of victory celebrating the defeat of the Canaanites (Judges 4:12–16). This especially notes the slaying of Sisera, Canaan's general, by the woman Jael. Her brutally efficient methods were described in the prior chapter (Judges 4:17–21). Sisera's death is given an especially dramatic, poetic treatment—the ancient written equivalent of a slow-motion sequence. The passage also imagines the surprise which will accompany Sisera's death, depicting it from the view of his mother and servants. The song ends with a plea that God would extend the same defeat to all His enemies. The peace won by Barak and Deborah (Judges 4:4–7) will last forty years.

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).