Judges 4:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”

NIV: I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.''

NASB: I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will hand him over to you.’?'

CSB: Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin's army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.' "

NLT: And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.'

KJV: And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.

NKJV: and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”

The people of Israel have finally cried out to the Lord to deliver them from the cruel oppression of the Canaanites (Judges 4:1–6). God now begins to answer that prayer. He is raising up a deliverer by the name of Barak. The Lord is instructing Barak through the prophetess Deborah. God commanded Barak to gather a massive number of men from his own tribe of Naphtali, as well as that of Zebulun. That army is to meet at Mount Tabor, west of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Now the Lord tells Barak, still through Deborah, that He will draw out the fearsome general of the Canaanite army to face Barak's army in battle. Sisera commands 900 iron chariots and is responsible for oppressing the Israelites. In that era, iron chariots would have been advanced technology. Later depictions of Canaanite oppression (Judges 5:6) suggest these chariots made travel on roadways almost impossible.

The Lord promises Israel the victory at the river Kishon, just to the south of Mount Tabor. Normally, the broad, flat plain of this area would have favored Sisera's chariots and spelled doom for Israel's army. However, the additional details given in the following chapter suggest that the Kishon River suddenly flooded at the time of the battle (Judges 5:20–21). This might have swept some enemy away. More likely, it would have created muddy conditions which would have slowed or stopped the chariots. Perhaps this was the Lord's mechanism to give victory to Barak and the Israelites.

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).