Judges 5:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.

NIV: He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.

NASB: He asked for water, she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

CSB: He asked for water; she gave him milk. She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.

NLT: Sisera asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a bowl fit for nobles, she brought him yogurt.

KJV: He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

NKJV: He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.

After explaining the great battle between Canaan and Israel, Deborah greatly slows the pace of the story in her song (Judges 5:1). This could be compared to the slow-motion sequences used in modern videos. The dramatic shift in time scale enhances the emphasis on that moment. Jael's slaying of the cruel oppressor Sisera is put to music as the high point of Deborah's victory song.

Another parallel to modern events is how the defeat of great enemies is celebrated in songs, movies, books, and other forms of art. Each generation has told detail-laden stories of the end of men like Adolf Hitler, the terrorist Osama bin Laden, or others. Sisera's sudden death is both a sober event and a cause for relief. It's rightly met with celebration for those who feared he would take more lives and harm more people (Judges 4:1–3; 5:30).

Deborah's song reveals more of the significance of Jael's response to Sisera's request for water (Judges 4:19). Instead of merely giving him water to quench his thirst, she honored him—or so it seemed—with milk and curds presented to him formally in the bowl of a nobleman. She treated Sisera as a highly regarded official. This gave him every reason to trust her enough to open an opportunity for betrayal.

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).