Judges 4:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.

NIV: She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, 'The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.

NASB: Now she sent word and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, has indeed commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.

CSB: She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "Hasn't the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, 'Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?

NLT: One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor.

KJV: And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

NKJV: Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun;

Deborah was a prophetess of the Lord (Judges 4:4–5). God revealed His will to Israel through His prophets. So, when Deborah summoned a man named Barak, she delivered this message to him on behalf of God.

Barak's name means "lightning." He was from a town called "Kedesh of Naphtali." Scholars say this is likely the place later known as Tell Qadesh, north of Lake Huleh in northern Galilee. This town had been conquered earlier in Israel's history by Joshua and eventually declared a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7).

Deborah's message to Barak is simple: The God of Israel commands you to recruit 10,000 men from the tribes Naphtali and Zebulun. The number "10,000" is used numerous times in the book of Judges. Scholars note this term is often a placeholder for "very many in number," somewhat as modern English often uses the number "a million." Any or all these instances might be literal, as well, but it's possible that the phrase is symbolic.

Barak is to gather his troops at Mount Tabor. This mountain rises prominently above the landscape at the northeastern end of the Jezreel Valley, where the borders of the territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali come together. Not only did this make it a suitable meeting spot, but it would also give Israel's fighting forces the high ground in any conflict.

The Lord's message to Barak through Deborah continues in the following verse.

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).