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Judges 4

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1 και προσεθεντο οι υιοι ισραηλ ποιησαι το πονηρον ενωπιον κυριου και αωδ απεθανεν

2 και απεδοτο αυτους κυριος εν χειρι ιαβιν βασιλεως χανααν ος εβασιλευσεν εν ασωρ και ο αρχων της δυναμεως αυτου σισαρα και αυτος κατωκει εν αρισωθ των εθνων

3 και εκεκραξαν οι υιοι ισραηλ προς κυριον οτι εννακοσια αρματα σιδηρα ην αυτω και αυτος εθλιψεν τον ισραηλ κατα κρατος εικοσι ετη

4 και δεββωρα γυνη προφητις γυνη λαφιδωθ αυτη εκρινεν τον ισραηλ εν τω καιρω εκεινω

5 και αυτη εκαθητο υπο φοινικα δεββωρα ανα μεσον της ραμα και ανα μεσον της βαιθηλ εν τω ορει εφραιμ και ανεβαινον προς αυτην οι υιοι ισραηλ εις κρισιν

6 και απεστειλεν δεββωρα και εκαλεσεν τον βαρακ υιον αβινεεμ εκ καδης νεφθαλι και ειπεν προς αυτον ουχι ενετειλατο κυριος ο θεος ισραηλ σοι και απελευση εις ορος θαβωρ και λημψη μετα σεαυτου δεκα χιλιαδας ανδρων εκ των υιων νεφθαλι και εκ των υιων ζαβουλων

7 και επαξω προς σε εις τον χειμαρρουν κισων τον σισαρα αρχοντα της δυναμεως ιαβιν και τα αρματα αυτου και το πληθος αυτου και παραδωσω αυτον εις τας χειρας σου

8 και ειπεν προς αυτην βαρακ εαν πορευθης μετ' εμου πορευσομαι και εαν μη πορευθης ου πορευσομαι οτι ουκ οιδα την ημεραν εν η ευοδοι τον αγγελον κυριος μετ' εμου

9 και ειπεν πορευομενη πορευσομαι μετα σου πλην γινωσκε οτι ουκ εσται το προτερημα σου επι την οδον ην συ πορευη οτι εν χειρι γυναικος αποδωσεται κυριος τον σισαρα και ανεστη δεββωρα και επορευθη μετα βαρακ εκ καδης

10 και εβοησεν βαρακ τον ζαβουλων και τον νεφθαλι εκ καδης και ανεβησαν κατα ποδας αυτου δεκα χιλιαδες ανδρων και ανεβη μετ' αυτου δεββωρα

11 και χαβερ ο κιναιος εχωρισθη απο καινα απο των υιων ιωβαβ γαμβρου μωυση και επηξεν την σκηνην αυτου εως δρυος πλεονεκτουντων η εστιν εχομενα κεδες

12 και ανηγγελη σισαρα οτι ανεβη βαρακ υιος αβινεεμ εις ορος θαβωρ

13 και εκαλεσεν σισαρα παντα τα αρματα αυτου εννακοσια αρματα σιδηρα και παντα τον λαον τον μετ' αυτου απο αρισωθ των εθνων εις τον χειμαρρουν κισων

14 και ειπεν δεββωρα προς βαρακ αναστηθι οτι αυτη η ημερα εν η παρεδωκεν κυριος τον σισαρα εν τη χειρι σου οτι κυριος εξελευσεται εμπροσθεν σου και κατεβη βαρακ απο του ορους θαβωρ και δεκα χιλιαδες ανδρων οπισω αυτου

15 και εξεστησεν κυριος τον σισαρα και παντα τα αρματα αυτου και πασαν την παρεμβολην αυτου εν στοματι ρομφαιας ενωπιον βαρακ και κατεβη σισαρα επανωθεν του αρματος αυτου και εφυγεν τοις ποσιν αυτου

16 και βαρακ διωκων οπισω των αρματων και οπισω της παρεμβολης εως αρισωθ των εθνων και επεσεν πασα παρεμβολη σισαρα εν στοματι ρομφαιας ου κατελειφθη εως ενος

17 και σισαρα εφυγεν τοις ποσιν αυτου εις σκηνην ιαηλ γυναικος χαβερ εταιρου του κιναιου οτι ειρηνη ην ανα μεσον ιαβιν βασιλεως ασωρ και ανα μεσον οικου χαβερ του κιναιου

18 και εξηλθεν ιαηλ εις συναντησιν σισαρα και ειπεν αυτω εκκλινον κυριε μου εκκλινον προς με μη φοβου και εξεκλινεν προς αυτην εις την σκηνην και περιεβαλεν αυτον επιβολαιω

19 και ειπεν σισαρα προς αυτην ποτισον με δη μικρον υδωρ οτι εδιψησα και ηνοιξεν τον ασκον του γαλακτος και εποτισεν αυτον και περιεβαλεν αυτον

20 και ειπεν προς αυτην σισαρα στηθι δη επι την θυραν της σκηνης και εσται εαν ανηρ ελθη προς σε και ερωτηση σε και ειπη ει εστιν ωδε ανηρ και ερεις ουκ εστιν

21 και ελαβεν ιαηλ γυνη χαβερ τον πασσαλον της σκηνης και εθηκεν την σφυραν εν τη χειρι αυτης και εισηλθεν προς αυτον εν κρυφη και επηξεν τον πασσαλον εν τω κροταφω αυτου και διεξηλθεν εν τη γη και αυτος εξεστως εσκοτωθη και απεθανεν

22 και ιδου βαρακ διωκων τον σισαρα και εξηλθεν ιαηλ εις συναντησιν αυτω και ειπεν αυτω δευρο και δειξω σοι τον ανδρα ον συ ζητεις και εισηλθεν προς αυτην και ιδου σισαρα ρεριμμενος νεκρος και ο πασσαλος εν τω κροταφω αυτου

23 και ετροπωσεν ο θεος εν τη ημερα εκεινη τον ιαβιν βασιλεα χανααν εμπροσθεν των υιων ισραηλ

24 και επορευετο χειρ των υιων ισραηλ πορευομενη και σκληρυνομενη επι ιαβιν βασιλεα χανααν εως ου εξωλεθρευσαν τον ιαβιν βασιλεα χανααν

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 4

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 4: Deborah

Yet again, the children of Israel had disobeyed the Lord. At this point in time, they had been under the yoke of Jabin, a Canaanite king, for twenty years. He had nine hundred chariots of iron, and was apparently very powerful.

The Lord raised up Deborah, a prophetess, to free the Israelites from oppression under Jabin. The text says that she would pass judgements for the children of Israel while she sat under the palm tree of Deborah.

Deborah summoned Barak, an army officer, and told him to go with ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to fight King Jabin’s armies. Barak said he would only go if Deborah went as well, so she agreed to join him. Deborah then prophesied that Sisera, the enemy commander, would be defeated by a woman.

The two armies clashed at by the River Kishon, and all of Sisera’s men were killed. Sisera then fled to the tent of Heber, an Israelite who was on peaceful terms with King Jabin. Jael, Heber’s wife, invited Sisera to come in with the comforting words, “fear not”. She covered him with a blanket, gave him milk to drink, and let him sleep there.

Then Jael quietly took a tent peg and drove it into Sisera’s temple using a hammer, so that the peg stuck in the earth. When Barak came to the tent, pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to tell him, “come, and I will show you the man you seek.” And she showed him Sisera, dead, with a peg through his temple.

So Jabin’s army was defeated that day, and Israel grew stronger until their oppression under Jabin came to an end.

*****

Deborah is an especially significant character in the Bible, because she was the only female judge of Israel. It was very unusual for a woman in those times to rise to power, yet she truly earned the respect of her people. Deborah, as a woman, stands for the nurturing power of the Word to strengthen us during regeneration. Her name means ‘a bee’, but this comes from a word meaning ‘to speak’ – here, to speak the Word. Bees make honey; honey is nutritious; God’s word is our nourishment (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 3424[2]).

The fact that Deborah judged from under a palm tree may seem like a passing detail, but even this contributes to the spiritual meaning of the story. Palm trees stand for the divine truths of the Word, which means that Deborah was judging the people from her understanding of the Lord’s truths.

King Jabin’s nine hundred iron chariots represent the apparent power of false beliefs, thoughts and persuasions over us. The number ‘nine’ stands for something which is complete, and ‘iron’ here stands for either natural truths or falsities. A ‘chariot’, being pulled by a horse, always stands for a set of teachings or doctrine. These three symbols add to the picture of a very powerful enemy: false ideas and views that can weaken and overwhelm us (Arcana Caelestia 4720[2]).

The spiritual meaning of the complex arrangement between Barak and Deborah is that we can only deal with our spiritual conflicts if we take the Word’s power (Deborah) with us. Barak, a man, represents the power of truth, but Deborah says a woman will gain victory over Sisera. The feminine stands for the power of love: our charity, our affection for good, and our wish to be useful. These qualities are always essential in our spiritual life (see Swedenborg’s work, Apocalypse Explained 1120[2]).

The story about Jael and Sisera is really about actively resisting the temptations of evil in our lives. Jael, a woman, stands for the power of good to overcome what is false in our mind. Driving the tent peg through Sisera’s head stands for the complete destruction of what is false. Driving it right through and into the ground stands for the power of good in our life and in our regeneration, because the ground represents our actions (Arcana Caelestia 268).

When Barak and Jael meet, it stands for the unity between good (Jael, a woman) and truth (Barak, a man). This unity of good and truth appears again at the start of the next chapter, in which Deborah and Barak sing of Israel’s victory.

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Judges 4

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1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.

2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, 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?

7 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.

8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

12 And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.

17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, Turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.

23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.