4:1 VA YOSIPHU BENEY YISRA-EL LA'ASOT HA RA BE EYNEY YHVH VE EHUD MET
וַיֹּסִפוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשֹׂות הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה וְאֵהוּד מֵת
KJ (King James translation): And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.
BN (Bible Net translation): And once again, when Ehud was dead, the Beney Yisra-El did what was evil in the eyes of YHVH.
4:2 VA YIMKEREM YHVH BE YAD YAVIN MELECH KENA'AN ASHER MALACH BE CHATSOR VA SAR TSEVA'O SIYSRA VE HU YOSHEV BA CHAROSHET HA GOYIM
BN (Bible Net translation): And once again, when Ehud was dead, the Beney Yisra-El did what was evil in the eyes of YHVH.
4:2 VA YIMKEREM YHVH BE YAD YAVIN MELECH KENA'AN ASHER MALACH BE CHATSOR VA SAR TSEVA'O SIYSRA VE HU YOSHEV BA CHAROSHET HA GOYIM
וַיִּמְכְּרֵם יְהוָה בְּיַד יָבִין מֶלֶךְ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ בְּחָצֹור וְשַׂר צְבָאֹו סִיסְרָא וְהוּא יֹושֵׁב בַּחֲרֹשֶׁת הַגֹּויִם
KJ: 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.
BN: And YHVH sold them into the hand of Yavin, king of Kena'an, who reigned in Chatsor; the captain of whose host was Siysra, who dwelt in Charoshet of the Goyim.
YAVIN (יבין) occurs in Joshua 11:1, while Psalm 83:10 recalls his defeat and death. How does he get to be "King of Kena'an", which infers the whole land, if it has been conquered by the Beney Yisra-El etc etc? Or was he only king of Chatsor, but somehow warlorded his way into the political vaccum left behind by the death of Ehud?
CHATSOR (חצור) is a fenced village, of the type mentioned in Joshua 11:1, 12:19, 19:36, and the word appears as CHATSREYHEN (suburbs) at least a hundred times throughout that book. 1 Kings 9:15, 2 Kings 15:29, Nehemiah 11:33 and Jeremiah 49:30 also make mention. The one referred to here was in the tribe of Naphtali.
SIYSRA (SISERA) (סיסרא) really means "the field of battle" rather than the commander in the field. He is mentioned in Psalm 83:10, Ezra 2:53 and Nehemiah 7:55.
CHAROSHET (חרשת) refers to the working of wood or stones, so the town was presumably a craft centre - but isn't that an odd coincidence, that Ehud was connected with PESILIM, which is both the quarries and the carved images, and Siysra is associated with CHAROSHET, from which still more Pesilim are made. So maybe it wasn't a "craft centre" after all! Maybe we are still dealing with the same issue as in Yehoshu'a's time, the endless Crusade to impose Yahwism as a theology upon all other "heathen" and "pagan" sects and cults and false religions. And see also my note to verse 13, below.
Not to be confused with CHAROSET, the rather disgusting mush made out of fruit and nuts and cinnamon that is eaten on Passover evening - that word is spelled with a Samech, not a Seen - חֲרֽוֹסֶת; however, the root CHERES, means "clay" - so they are not really that far apart, and intentionally so, because the Charoset is intended to represent the mortar used by the slaves in Egypt to build the pyramids and silos and storehouses of the Egyptians. (And yes, the same root that gave us Timnat Cheres, where Yehoshu'a was buried, in Judges 1).
Ha-Goyim is usually translated as "gentiles", but the original Goyim were an actual people - see the link.
4:3 VA YITS'AKU VENEY YISRA-EL EL YHVH KI TESH'A ME'OT RECHEV BARZEL LO VE HU LACHATS ET BENEY YISRA-EL BE CHAZAKO ESRIM SHANAH
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל יְהוָה כִּי תְּשַׁע מֵאֹות רֶכֶב בַּרְזֶל לֹו וְהוּא לָחַץ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחָזְקָה עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה
KJ: 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.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El cried out to YHVH, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and for twenty years he severely oppressed the Beney Yisra-El.
Again the anachronism of iron in the age of bronze; current research reckons it began no earlier than the 12th century BCE, and these stories are reckoned to be no later than the 13th; so on the verge, but probably not quite yet.
YITS'AKU: sometimes this verb, sometimes YIZ'AKU (יִּזְעֲקוּ) as in Judges 3:9 - what is the difference? Is this like "plow" and "plough", or "nite" and "night", merely a dialect variation? And especially plausible with this verb, which has given us the name YITSCHAK, except on those occasions (Psalm 105:9; Jeremiah 33:26 and Amos 7:9/16) when he is rendered as YISCHAK.
Again the anachronism of iron in the age of bronze; current research reckons it began no earlier than the 12th century BCE, and these stories are reckoned to be no later than the 13th; so on the verge, but probably not quite yet.
YITS'AKU: sometimes this verb, sometimes YIZ'AKU (יִּזְעֲקוּ) as in Judges 3:9 - what is the difference? Is this like "plow" and "plough", or "nite" and "night", merely a dialect variation? And especially plausible with this verb, which has given us the name YITSCHAK, except on those occasions (Psalm 105:9; Jeremiah 33:26 and Amos 7:9/16) when he is rendered as YISCHAK.
samech break
4:4 U DEVORAH ISHAH NEVIYAH ESHET LAPIDOT HI SHOPHTAH ET YISRA-EL BA ET HA HI
וּדְבֹורָה אִשָּׁה נְבִיאָה אֵשֶׁת לַפִּידֹות הִיא שֹׁפְטָה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא
KJ: And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
BN: And Devorah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidot, judged Yisra-El at that time.
That the Beney Yisra-El should have had a female Prophet, let alone a female Judge, requires some review of the Mosaic laws, and the status of women in an entirely patriarchal society, for which a review of the role of Mir-Yam (Miriam) is the ideal starting-point. By the time of the Redactor, the cult of the Beney Yisra-El was in process of becoming entirely patricentric, the pantheon of gods being reduced to the single, male Omnideity YHVH, and the priesthood, like the leadership of the clans and tribes, placed entirely in the hands of men. Yet we know that there were priestesses, oracles, soothsayers etc throughout the non-Beney Yisra-Eli cults, and we have seen their residual presence in the new cult which the Redactor is hoping to superimpose through these scriptures; nowhere more so than in this tale of Devorah.
For Devorah (דבורה) see the detailed notes at the link, and also the significant though passing reference to her in Genesis 35:8. Of all the Judges, none is more obviously "pagan" than she, and even more so when coupled with Barak in the song she sings. With this story, we are recording a myth of the underworld goddess. We must imagine an oracular shrine attached to a burial ground of the megalithic beehive variety, and people coming to the shrine for the ancient equivalent of their horoscopes. The word prophetess (NEVIYAH) is crucial here - the Greeks would have called her an "oracle". She is not really a Judge at all; if anyone, it is Barak who will be the Messianic Judge, but under her spiritual authority.
LAPIDOT (לפידות) are torches (cf Job 12:5 - though it's meaning there is not entirely obvious; more useful to look at Genesis 15:17 and Daniel 10:6). An oracular cave at a burial ground, where the tombs are either in a tumulus or dug below the earth, requires torches if you are going to pay a visit. Making Lapidot her husband eases the pain for the Redactor, but does not hide the truth; of course he was not her husband, he was one of the male priests at the shrine, possibly just the bo'ab, whose job it was to bring the pilgrims to the concealed prophetess, so she could hear their questions and give her answers in a riddle. The reference to Ein Dor in Psalm 83:10 makes this clear, and you can confirm it for yourself by reading the tale of Shaul's visit to the "witches" of Ein Dor to conjure up the spirits of the dead in 1 Samuel 28:4-25, which tale was probably the source for the visit of Banquo to the cave of Hecate in Shakespeare's "Macbeth". Ein Dor was situated between Moreh and Mount Tavor in the Valley of Yizre-El (Jezreel).
4:5 VE HI YOSHEVET TACHAT TOMER DEVORAH BEYN HA RAMAH U VEYN BEIT-EL BE HAR EPHRAYIM VA YA'ALU ELEYHA BENEY YISRA-EL LA MISHPAT
That the Beney Yisra-El should have had a female Prophet, let alone a female Judge, requires some review of the Mosaic laws, and the status of women in an entirely patriarchal society, for which a review of the role of Mir-Yam (Miriam) is the ideal starting-point. By the time of the Redactor, the cult of the Beney Yisra-El was in process of becoming entirely patricentric, the pantheon of gods being reduced to the single, male Omnideity YHVH, and the priesthood, like the leadership of the clans and tribes, placed entirely in the hands of men. Yet we know that there were priestesses, oracles, soothsayers etc throughout the non-Beney Yisra-Eli cults, and we have seen their residual presence in the new cult which the Redactor is hoping to superimpose through these scriptures; nowhere more so than in this tale of Devorah.
For Devorah (דבורה) see the detailed notes at the link, and also the significant though passing reference to her in Genesis 35:8. Of all the Judges, none is more obviously "pagan" than she, and even more so when coupled with Barak in the song she sings. With this story, we are recording a myth of the underworld goddess. We must imagine an oracular shrine attached to a burial ground of the megalithic beehive variety, and people coming to the shrine for the ancient equivalent of their horoscopes. The word prophetess (NEVIYAH) is crucial here - the Greeks would have called her an "oracle". She is not really a Judge at all; if anyone, it is Barak who will be the Messianic Judge, but under her spiritual authority.
LAPIDOT (לפידות) are torches (cf Job 12:5 - though it's meaning there is not entirely obvious; more useful to look at Genesis 15:17 and Daniel 10:6). An oracular cave at a burial ground, where the tombs are either in a tumulus or dug below the earth, requires torches if you are going to pay a visit. Making Lapidot her husband eases the pain for the Redactor, but does not hide the truth; of course he was not her husband, he was one of the male priests at the shrine, possibly just the bo'ab, whose job it was to bring the pilgrims to the concealed prophetess, so she could hear their questions and give her answers in a riddle. The reference to Ein Dor in Psalm 83:10 makes this clear, and you can confirm it for yourself by reading the tale of Shaul's visit to the "witches" of Ein Dor to conjure up the spirits of the dead in 1 Samuel 28:4-25, which tale was probably the source for the visit of Banquo to the cave of Hecate in Shakespeare's "Macbeth". Ein Dor was situated between Moreh and Mount Tavor in the Valley of Yizre-El (Jezreel).
4:5 VE HI YOSHEVET TACHAT TOMER DEVORAH BEYN HA RAMAH U VEYN BEIT-EL BE HAR EPHRAYIM VA YA'ALU ELEYHA BENEY YISRA-EL LA MISHPAT
וְהִיא יֹושֶׁבֶת תַּחַת תֹּמֶר דְּבֹורָה בֵּין הָרָמָה וּבֵין בֵּית אֵל בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיַּעֲלוּ אֵלֶיהָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַמִּשְׁפָּט
KJ: 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.
BN: And she dwelt under the palm tree of Devorah between Ha Ramah and Beit-El, on Mount Ephrayim: and the Beney Yisra-El went up to her for an oracle.
This verse gives the proof of the comment on the previous verse. That the prophetess Devorah "dwelt under the palm tree of Devorah" could of course mean that she was a homeless vaganond sleeping on the ground. In the previous chapter, and earlier in Yehoshu'a, we asked about "the city of palm trees", and now we have the answer. It is the shrine of Tamar in one place, of Devorah here, the fertility-symbol par excellence with its thousands of testicles of dates, and of course its connections to the lulav of Sukot. Ha Ramah is also significant in this regard. A ramah was a high place, like a bamah, a mountain shrine. Several bore the name, most importantly Ramatayim Tsophim, where Shemu-El (Samuel) was born, and which he made his spiritual centre; Ramot Gil'ad, a Levitical refuge city in the territory of Gad, and Ha Ramah itself, the one mentioned here.
MISHPAT: No one goes to a prophetess for judgement. They go for oracles. We are at Delphi, not the Supreme Court.
KJ: 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?
This verse gives the proof of the comment on the previous verse. That the prophetess Devorah "dwelt under the palm tree of Devorah" could of course mean that she was a homeless vaganond sleeping on the ground. In the previous chapter, and earlier in Yehoshu'a, we asked about "the city of palm trees", and now we have the answer. It is the shrine of Tamar in one place, of Devorah here, the fertility-symbol par excellence with its thousands of testicles of dates, and of course its connections to the lulav of Sukot. Ha Ramah is also significant in this regard. A ramah was a high place, like a bamah, a mountain shrine. Several bore the name, most importantly Ramatayim Tsophim, where Shemu-El (Samuel) was born, and which he made his spiritual centre; Ramot Gil'ad, a Levitical refuge city in the territory of Gad, and Ha Ramah itself, the one mentioned here.
MISHPAT: No one goes to a prophetess for judgement. They go for oracles. We are at Delphi, not the Supreme Court.
4:6 VA TISHLACH VA TIKRA LE VARAK BEN AVI-NO'AM MI KEDESH NAPHTALI VA TO'MER ELAV HA LO TSIVAH YHVH ELOHEY YISRA-EL LECH U MASHACHTA BE HAR TAVOR VE LAKACHTA IMCHA ASERET ALAPHIM ISH MI BENEY NAPHTALI U MI BENEY ZEVULUN
וַתִּשְׁלַח וַתִּקְרָא לְבָרָק בֶּן אֲבִינֹעַם מִקֶּדֶשׁ נַפְתָּלִי וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הֲלֹא צִוָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵךְ וּמָשַׁכְתָּ בְּהַר תָּבֹור וְלָקַחְתָּ עִמְּךָ עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי נַפְתָּלִי וּמִבְּנֵי זְבֻלוּן
KJ: 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?
BN: And she sent out a summons to Barak ben Avi-No'am from Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, "Has YHVH the god of Yisra-El not instructed, saying, 'Move your troops to Mount Tavor, and take with you ten thousand men of the Beney Naphtali and the Beney Zevulun?..
BARAK: The name means "lightning", the cosmic equivalent of the LAPIDOT.
MASHACHTA: The root is MASHACH = "to draw out", the same root that is erroneously used to explain Mosheh's name in Exodus 2:10. In the anthropomorphic tale, Barak is the commander of the army, so summoning him and giving him this instruction is intended as a military deployment.
The form of her answer, however, is oracular, and mythologically BARAK (ברק) is not a man at all, but the lightning itself, co-symbol of the thunder god, and the heavenly counterpart of Lapidot - Loge in Wagner's version of the Nibelungenlied. It is no coincidence then that his nickname was "the thunderbolt" - identifying him clearly, with Mount Tavor as his Valhalla, as a storm-god.
AVI-NO'AM (אבינעם) again contains the god-name, literally "father of pleasantness". See Na'amah. Once more evidence of the Trinity. But here Barak is the son of Avi-No'am, the thunder-god divine child of... yes, the companion or successor of the night-spirit Lilit, associated with Edomite Adam, just as we would expect in the context of Devorah the beehive-goddess of the underworld graves. What is really happening is the process of oracular divination; like the witches in Macbeth summoning Hecate, Devorah is calling up the spirits of the primordial gods: the thunder and lightning to illuminate the darkness, the night spirits to reveal the Norn-fate. (One of David's wives was also named Avi-No'am, which is not surprising given that his story is likewise a version of the Orpheus-Nibelungen saga.)
KEDESH NAPHTALI simply means "the holy place of Naphtali", which we can take as a shrine to Astarte (see my notes to Kadesh Barneya, which may have been another, or an earlier name for Kedesh Naphtali).
How do we read the whole piece then? Exactly the same as Sha'ul's visit to the "witches" of En Dor. Whoever was ruling Yisra-El at the time must have gone to Devorah for an oracle, to let him know his chances in the forthcoming battle. And yes, it might very well have been Barak himself, wanting reassurance before taking his men into battle.
As to the details of the oracle, if YHVH did command this, we do not have any evidence of it in the text; she does not make reference back to scripture, as we would expect from a Prophetess of the Beney Yisra-El. She is devining the divine.
4:7 U MASHACHTI ELEYCHA EL NACHAL KIYSHON ET SIYSRA SAR TSEVA YAVIN VE ET RICHBO VE ET HAMONO U NETATIYHU BE YADECHA
KJ: 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.
BARAK: The name means "lightning", the cosmic equivalent of the LAPIDOT.
MASHACHTA: The root is MASHACH = "to draw out", the same root that is erroneously used to explain Mosheh's name in Exodus 2:10. In the anthropomorphic tale, Barak is the commander of the army, so summoning him and giving him this instruction is intended as a military deployment.
The form of her answer, however, is oracular, and mythologically BARAK (ברק) is not a man at all, but the lightning itself, co-symbol of the thunder god, and the heavenly counterpart of Lapidot - Loge in Wagner's version of the Nibelungenlied. It is no coincidence then that his nickname was "the thunderbolt" - identifying him clearly, with Mount Tavor as his Valhalla, as a storm-god.
AVI-NO'AM (אבינעם) again contains the god-name, literally "father of pleasantness". See Na'amah. Once more evidence of the Trinity. But here Barak is the son of Avi-No'am, the thunder-god divine child of... yes, the companion or successor of the night-spirit Lilit, associated with Edomite Adam, just as we would expect in the context of Devorah the beehive-goddess of the underworld graves. What is really happening is the process of oracular divination; like the witches in Macbeth summoning Hecate, Devorah is calling up the spirits of the primordial gods: the thunder and lightning to illuminate the darkness, the night spirits to reveal the Norn-fate. (One of David's wives was also named Avi-No'am, which is not surprising given that his story is likewise a version of the Orpheus-Nibelungen saga.)
KEDESH NAPHTALI simply means "the holy place of Naphtali", which we can take as a shrine to Astarte (see my notes to Kadesh Barneya, which may have been another, or an earlier name for Kedesh Naphtali).
How do we read the whole piece then? Exactly the same as Sha'ul's visit to the "witches" of En Dor. Whoever was ruling Yisra-El at the time must have gone to Devorah for an oracle, to let him know his chances in the forthcoming battle. And yes, it might very well have been Barak himself, wanting reassurance before taking his men into battle.
As to the details of the oracle, if YHVH did command this, we do not have any evidence of it in the text; she does not make reference back to scripture, as we would expect from a Prophetess of the Beney Yisra-El. She is devining the divine.
4:7 U MASHACHTI ELEYCHA EL NACHAL KIYSHON ET SIYSRA SAR TSEVA YAVIN VE ET RICHBO VE ET HAMONO U NETATIYHU BE YADECHA
וּמָשַׁכְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֶל נַחַל קִישֹׁון אֶת סִיסְרָא שַׂר צְבָא יָבִין וְאֶת רִכְבֹּו וְאֶת הֲמֹונֹו וּנְתַתִּיהוּ בְּיָדֶךָ
KJ: 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.
BN: "'And I will draw the captain of Yavin's army to you at the river Kiyshon: Siysra, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.'"
KIYSHON (קישון) means "winding" or "meandering", and is a description as well as the name of the river - see my notes at Joshua 21:28. Odd coincidence though, that Sha'ul was the son of Kish. Or not really, for Sha'ul is really She'ol, the underworld, and therefore we should read Kishon here not as the actual river of Mount Tavor and the Jezreel Valley, but the Yehudit Styx, the stream that flows through the underworld.
We can begin to decode from all these meanings what this story was originally, before the Beney Yisra-El "destroyed" it by assimilating it, transformed into history. We are following Eurydice into the Underworld, not Joan of Arc onto the battlefield.
KJ: 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.
KIYSHON (קישון) means "winding" or "meandering", and is a description as well as the name of the river - see my notes at Joshua 21:28. Odd coincidence though, that Sha'ul was the son of Kish. Or not really, for Sha'ul is really She'ol, the underworld, and therefore we should read Kishon here not as the actual river of Mount Tavor and the Jezreel Valley, but the Yehudit Styx, the stream that flows through the underworld.
We can begin to decode from all these meanings what this story was originally, before the Beney Yisra-El "destroyed" it by assimilating it, transformed into history. We are following Eurydice into the Underworld, not Joan of Arc onto the battlefield.
4:8 VA YOMER ELEYHA BARAK IM TELCHI IMI VE HALACHTI VE IM LO TELCHI IMI LO ELECH
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ בָּרָק אִם תֵּלְכִי עִמִּי וְהָלָכְתִּי וְאִם לֹא תֵלְכִי עִמִּי לֹא אֵלֵךְ
BN: And Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go: but if you will not go with me, then I will not go."
Given that we are heading for Mount Tavor, the home of the thunder god, on whose behalf Devorah is "judging", are we surprised that the lightning will not go without the thunder? The two are naturally inseparable, and it is always the thunder that does the speaking, the lightning that does the damage.
IM TELCHI: Is it just coincidence, or is Rut quoting this in her response to Na'ami (Naomi - but also a variation of both Na'amah, and the No'am part of Avi-No'am, for which see above) in Ruth 1:16? There she says:
KJ: 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.
Given that we are heading for Mount Tavor, the home of the thunder god, on whose behalf Devorah is "judging", are we surprised that the lightning will not go without the thunder? The two are naturally inseparable, and it is always the thunder that does the speaking, the lightning that does the damage.
IM TELCHI: Is it just coincidence, or is Rut quoting this in her response to Na'ami (Naomi - but also a variation of both Na'amah, and the No'am part of Avi-No'am, for which see above) in Ruth 1:16? There she says:
KI EL ASHER TELCHI ELECH U VA ASHER TALIYNI ALIYN AMECH AMI V'ELOHAYICH ELOHAI
כִּי אֶל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָיWhere you go, I will go; and where you pass the night, there will I pass the night; your people will be my people, and your gods my gods.
Or maybe, given that we don't know the dates of either book, maybe this is the other way around, and Barak is quoting Rut.
4:9 VA TO'MER HALOCH ELECH IMACH EPHES KI LO TIHEYEH TIPH'ART'CHA AL HA DERECH ASHER ATAH HOLECH KI VE YAD ISHAH YIMKOR YHVH ET SIYSRAH VE TAKAM DEVORAH VA TELECH IM BARAK KEDSHAH
וַתֹּאמֶר הָלֹךְ אֵלֵךְ עִמָּךְ אֶפֶס כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה תִּפְאַרְתְּךָ עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה הֹולֵךְ כִּי בְיַד אִשָּׁה יִמְכֹּר יְהוָה אֶת סִיסְרָא וַתָּקָם דְּבֹורָה וַתֵּלֶךְ עִם בָּרָק קֶדְשָׁה
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| Salomon de Bray - "Jael, Deborah and Barak", circa 1650 |
BN: And she said, "I will happily go with you: but on the understanding that the journey you are about to take is not for your glory; for YHVH shall sell Siysra into the hand of a woman." And Devorah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
See verse 17 below. Devorah goes with in spirit, but it is Ya'el who will win the day. Again she presents in the form of an oracle.
KJ: 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.
See verse 17 below. Devorah goes with in spirit, but it is Ya'el who will win the day. Again she presents in the form of an oracle.
4:10 VA YAZ'EK BARAK ET ZEVULUN VE ET NAPHTALI KEDSHAH VA YA'AL BE RAGLAV ASERET ALPHEY ISH VA TA'AL IMO DEVORAH
וַיַּזְעֵק בָּרָק אֶת זְבוּלֻן וְאֶת נַפְתָּלִי קֶדְשָׁה וַיַּעַל בְּרַגְלָיו עֲשֶׂרֶת אַלְפֵי אִישׁ וַתַּעַל עִמֹּו דְּבֹורָה
KJ: 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.
BN: And Barak called Zevulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Devorah went up with him.
ET ZEVULUN VE ET NAPHTALI: Entirely logical, given the geography, that he would call these tribes - Mount Tabor sits at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, about ten miles west of Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) - but why not Yisaschar as well (see Judges 5:15), and, indeed, why does the whole nation not come together to face a common enemy?
YAZEK: In verse 6 VA TISHLACH VA TIKRA, here YAZEK; both describe the act of summoning, but there are obviously differences.
YA'AL: for the moment simply keep this verb in mind. They are "going up" to Kadesh, because it's on a mountain. No problem. It's also a holy place - the fact that it's called KEDESH denotes this - and one always "goes up" (makes ALIYAH) to a holy place. But there is one thing more. Just wait.
KJ: 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.
ET ZEVULUN VE ET NAPHTALI: Entirely logical, given the geography, that he would call these tribes - Mount Tabor sits at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, about ten miles west of Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) - but why not Yisaschar as well (see Judges 5:15), and, indeed, why does the whole nation not come together to face a common enemy?YAZEK: In verse 6 VA TISHLACH VA TIKRA, here YAZEK; both describe the act of summoning, but there are obviously differences.
YA'AL: for the moment simply keep this verb in mind. They are "going up" to Kadesh, because it's on a mountain. No problem. It's also a holy place - the fact that it's called KEDESH denotes this - and one always "goes up" (makes ALIYAH) to a holy place. But there is one thing more. Just wait.
4:11 VA CHEVER HA KEYNI NIPHRAD MI KAYIN MI BENEY CHOVAV CHOTEN MOSHEH VA YET AHALO AD ELON BE TSA'ANANIM ASHER ET KEDESH
וְחֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי נִפְרָד מִקַּיִן מִבְּנֵי חֹבָב חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹו עַד אֵלֹון [בַּצְעַנִּים כ] (בְּצַעֲנַנִּים ק) אֲשֶׁר אֶת קֶדֶשׁ
BN: Now Chever the Keyni, who was of the tribe of Chovav, the father-in-law of Mosheh, had separated himself from Kayin, and pitched his tent on the plain of Tsa'ananim, which is by Kedesh.
CHEVER (חבר) means "companion" or "confederate", as in the town of Chevron (Hebron); so that again we have, like Ehud in the previous chapter, a man's name applied to a confederation, and meaning "a confederation", and therefore probably not his name at all: perhaps his title, perhaps naming him as though he represented the confederation (did the Allies go to war with Hitler, the Nazis, the Axis countries, or with Germany? we use all four: something of this order with Ehud and Chever).
KEYNI...KAYIN: Reinforcing our conviction in the early chapters of Genesis that Kayin (Cain) was the founder of tribe known in English as the Kenites. But also reinforcing my note to CHEVER, above.
CHOVAV (חבב) is one of several names given for Mosheh's father-in-law, the other obvious ones being Re'u-El and Yitro (click here for an interesting Christian explanation of this little problem). Chovav (Hobab), like David, means "beloved", and in this context we can discern a follower of the Risen Lord who has left his clan grouping but not his religion; or perhaps, as we read this mythologically, alongside Devorah and Barak as manifestations of the mother and father, we now have the third part of the trinity, the beloved son.
TSA'ANANIM (צענים) comes from the root Tsa'an, which is used exclusively for nomadic tribes when they are on the move; so perhaps his separating himself from the Keynim simply means that he went to find new pasture for his goats - remember that Kayin was condemned to "dwell in the land of Nod" (Genesis 4:16), and LENADED is the Yehudit word for "wandering" or Nomadism.
CHEVER (חבר) means "companion" or "confederate", as in the town of Chevron (Hebron); so that again we have, like Ehud in the previous chapter, a man's name applied to a confederation, and meaning "a confederation", and therefore probably not his name at all: perhaps his title, perhaps naming him as though he represented the confederation (did the Allies go to war with Hitler, the Nazis, the Axis countries, or with Germany? we use all four: something of this order with Ehud and Chever).
KEYNI...KAYIN: Reinforcing our conviction in the early chapters of Genesis that Kayin (Cain) was the founder of tribe known in English as the Kenites. But also reinforcing my note to CHEVER, above.
CHOVAV (חבב) is one of several names given for Mosheh's father-in-law, the other obvious ones being Re'u-El and Yitro (click here for an interesting Christian explanation of this little problem). Chovav (Hobab), like David, means "beloved", and in this context we can discern a follower of the Risen Lord who has left his clan grouping but not his religion; or perhaps, as we read this mythologically, alongside Devorah and Barak as manifestations of the mother and father, we now have the third part of the trinity, the beloved son.
TSA'ANANIM (צענים) comes from the root Tsa'an, which is used exclusively for nomadic tribes when they are on the move; so perhaps his separating himself from the Keynim simply means that he went to find new pasture for his goats - remember that Kayin was condemned to "dwell in the land of Nod" (Genesis 4:16), and LENADED is the Yehudit word for "wandering" or Nomadism.
Alternately, the plain of Tsa'ananim was a place where bedou regularly caravanseraied. But we have a historical narrative imposed on an earlier non-historical tale here, so we cannot ignore the fact that Chever is used in Deuteronomy 18:11 and Psalm 58:6 for incantations, and specifically incantations in the oracular ceremonies that involved serpents; precisely the sort of ceremony we are witnessing here. Question: was Chever the eponymous founder of Chevron/Hebron? It may not be relevant, even if he was.
BETSA'ANANIM: Where does the BE go? Is it a prefix, or part of the name of the town? From the above paragraph we can deduce that it must have been the former, yet Hebrew scholars and other translators have always placed it as part of the name. I have also commented on this in my notes to Joshua 19:33, where the town is named.
Some Yehudit versions read it as Tsa'anayim, which is why we have an alternative in brackets.
BETSA'ANANIM: Where does the BE go? Is it a prefix, or part of the name of the town? From the above paragraph we can deduce that it must have been the former, yet Hebrew scholars and other translators have always placed it as part of the name. I have also commented on this in my notes to Joshua 19:33, where the town is named.
Some Yehudit versions read it as Tsa'anayim, which is why we have an alternative in brackets.
4:12 VA YAGIDU LE SIYSRA KI ALAH BARAK BEN AVI-NO'AM HA TAVOR
וַיַּגִּדוּ לְסִיסְרָא כִּי עָלָה בָּרָק בֶּן אֲבִינֹעַם הַר תָּבֹור
KJ: And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
BN: And they told Siysra that Barak the son of Avi-No'am had gone up to Mount Tavor.
samech break
4:13 VA YAZ'EK SIYSRA ET KOL RICHBO TESH'A ME'OT RECHEV BARZEL VE ET KOL HA AM ASHER ITO ME CHAROSHET HA GOYIM EL NACHAL KIYSHON
KJ: 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.
samech break
4:13 VA YAZ'EK SIYSRA ET KOL RICHBO TESH'A ME'OT RECHEV BARZEL VE ET KOL HA AM ASHER ITO ME CHAROSHET HA GOYIM EL NACHAL KIYSHON
וַיַּזְעֵק סִיסְרָא אֶת כָּל רִכְבֹּו תְּשַׁע מֵאֹות רֶכֶב בַּרְזֶל וְאֶת כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתֹּו מֵחֲרֹשֶׁת הַגֹּויִם אֶל נַחַל קִישֹׁון
KJ: 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.
BN: And Siysra gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Charoshet of the Goyim as far as the Kiyshon river.
CHAROSHET: Impossible to ignore the fact that Cheresh, as well as being a word for wood and stonework (see my note to verse 2), is also used (Isaiah 3:3) for the magic arts. Isn't it amazing, when you read this text in the original language, that almost every name for people and places turns out not just to have deeper significance, but a deeper signficance that is very precisely connected to the text in question. So we can learn the difference between a simile and a metaphor, between a mere fairy tale and a mythological fable, a work of commercial fiction and a work of literature.
KJ: 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.
CHAROSHET: Impossible to ignore the fact that Cheresh, as well as being a word for wood and stonework (see my note to verse 2), is also used (Isaiah 3:3) for the magic arts. Isn't it amazing, when you read this text in the original language, that almost every name for people and places turns out not just to have deeper significance, but a deeper signficance that is very precisely connected to the text in question. So we can learn the difference between a simile and a metaphor, between a mere fairy tale and a mythological fable, a work of commercial fiction and a work of literature.
4:14 VA TO'MER DEVORAH EL BARAK KUM KI ZEH HA YOM ASHER NATAN YHVH ET SIYSRA BE YADECHA HA LO YHVH YATS'A LEPHANEYCHA VA YERED BARAK ME HAR TAVOR VA ASERET ALAPHIM ISH ACHARAV
וַתֹּאמֶר דְּבֹרָה אֶל בָּרָק קוּם כִּי זֶה הַיֹּום אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהוָה אֶת סִיסְרָא בְּיָדֶךָ הֲלֹא יְהוָה יָצָא לְפָנֶיךָ וַיֵּרֶד בָּרָק מֵהַר תָּבֹור וַעֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ אַחֲרָיו
BN: And Devorah said to Barak, "Get up! For this is the day on which YHVH shall deliver Siysra into your hand. Has YHVH not gone out ahead of you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tavor, and ten thousand men after him.
The text is very keen to keep reminding us of the precise numbers; 900 iron chariots on one side, 10,000 men on the other.
4:15 VA YAHAM YHVH ET SIYSRA VE ET KOL HA RECHEV VE ET KOL HA MACHANEH LEPHI CHEREV LIPHNEY BARAK VA YERED SIYSRA ME AL HA MERKAVAH VA YANAS BE RAGLAV
KJ: 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.
The text is very keen to keep reminding us of the precise numbers; 900 iron chariots on one side, 10,000 men on the other.
4:15 VA YAHAM YHVH ET SIYSRA VE ET KOL HA RECHEV VE ET KOL HA MACHANEH LEPHI CHEREV LIPHNEY BARAK VA YERED SIYSRA ME AL HA MERKAVAH VA YANAS BE RAGLAV
וַיָּהָם יְהוָה אֶת סִיסְרָא וְאֶת כָּל הָרֶכֶב וְאֶת כָּל הַמַּחֲנֶה לְפִי חֶרֶב לִפְנֵי בָרָק וַיֵּרֶד סִיסְרָא מֵעַל הַמֶּרְכָּבָה וַיָּנָס בְּרַגְלָיו
KJ: 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.
BN: And YHVH routed Siysra, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword, before Barak; so that Siysra climbed down from his chariot, and ran away on foot.
Chariots, whether of iron or bronze, are not much use in a battle that is taking place on a hillside; chariots need flat ground, and open plains. But mythologically this is correct: the thunder starts, where the lightning starts, on the top of the mountain, and rolls its way downwards into the valley; and if the storm is that powerful, everything in the valley will indeed be "routed".
The defeat of Yazir is now attributable to Barak, but the oracle says that the defeat of Siysra will be achieved by a woman; i.e. the two are not the same thing.
KJ: 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.
Chariots, whether of iron or bronze, are not much use in a battle that is taking place on a hillside; chariots need flat ground, and open plains. But mythologically this is correct: the thunder starts, where the lightning starts, on the top of the mountain, and rolls its way downwards into the valley; and if the storm is that powerful, everything in the valley will indeed be "routed".
The defeat of Yazir is now attributable to Barak, but the oracle says that the defeat of Siysra will be achieved by a woman; i.e. the two are not the same thing.
4:16 U VARAK RADAPH ACHAREY HA RECHEV VE ACHAREY HA MACHANEH AD CHAROSHET HA GOYIM VA YIPOL KOL MACHANEH SIYSRAH LE PHI CHEREV LO NISH'AR AD ECHAD
וּבָרָק רָדַף אַחֲרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְאַחֲרֵי הַמַּחֲנֶה עַד חֲרֹשֶׁת הַגֹּויִם וַיִּפֹּל כָּל מַחֲנֵה סִיסְרָא לְפִי חֶרֶב לֹא נִשְׁאַר עַד אֶחָד
BN: But Barak pursued the chariots, and the army, all the way to Charoshet of the Goyim: and all the soldiers of Siysra fell to the edge of the sword; and not a man of them was left.
Again confirmation that Barak has won the day; again important because of the oracle: because there is one man left, Siysra himself, who ran away at the end of verse 15.
KJ: 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.
Again confirmation that Barak has won the day; again important because of the oracle: because there is one man left, Siysra himself, who ran away at the end of verse 15.
4:17 VE SIYSRA NAS BE RAGLAV EL OHEL YA'EL ESHET CHEVER HA KEYNI KI SHALOM BEYN YAVIN MELECH CHATSOR U VEYN BEIT CHEVER HA KEYNI
וְסִיסְרָא נָס בְּרַגְלָיו אֶל אֹהֶל יָעֵל אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי כִּי שָׁלֹום בֵּין יָבִין מֶלֶךְ חָצֹור וּבֵין בֵּית חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי
KJ: 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.
BN: But Siysra fled on foot to the tent of Ya'el, the wife of Chever the Keyni: for there was peace between Yavin the king of Chatsor and the house of Chever the Keyni.
And now it becomes complex, but also begins to reveal itself. First YA'EL - from the same root YA'AL that I encouraged you to be patient over - (יעל) is given here as female, but there are also Ye'u-El and Ye'i-El (1 Chronicles 5:7 and 9:35, 2 Chronicles 26:11). It would be tempting to make a YAH-EL (see both links) connection here, but there is none; this is YA'AL, and the sacred connection is with that "aliyah" of verse 10, and she is going up, where Barak just came down.
OHEL: In priestess circles, an OHEL is not simply the tent that you put up to sleep in on camping holidays. In Exodus we read about the OHEL MO'ED, where the Tablets of Law were housed in the desert. As the wife of the sheikh it would already be an elaborate tent, more so if it was a priestess' shrine. In Genesis (18:6 and 24:67) we read about OHEL SARAH, where Yitschak took Rivkah to consummate their marriage. The chupah or canopy of today's wedding ceremony is all that remains of that Ohel - the roof, no longer needing its walls, because marriages are no longer consummated quite so publicly. But this begs another question: the priestess serves as sacred hierodule, and many priestesses no doubt performed services outside the formal times of formal ceremony, to help pay the way of a poor, local shrine. Given that, we must ask: how would Siysra be able to go into the tent of the sheikh's wife without someone challenging him, and realising this raises logistical problems in this part of the tale; and given that, we must ask: why anyway would he go there, unless she is already his lover and he needs a hiding-place? If he wants asylum from Chever, after all, he needs to go to Chever - and if she is the priestess, and the OHEL the shrine, then this is precisely where he needs to go to receive asylum from Chever.
CHEVER HA KEYNI: Previously the name Kayin (Cain) was used, and we drew the inference that this confirmed Kayin as the eponymous father of the Keynim; now we have absolute confirmation of this.
SHALOM: And then what do we make of this, given that Chever cut himself off from the Keyni in verse 11?
KJ: 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.
And now it becomes complex, but also begins to reveal itself. First YA'EL - from the same root YA'AL that I encouraged you to be patient over - (יעל) is given here as female, but there are also Ye'u-El and Ye'i-El (1 Chronicles 5:7 and 9:35, 2 Chronicles 26:11). It would be tempting to make a YAH-EL (see both links) connection here, but there is none; this is YA'AL, and the sacred connection is with that "aliyah" of verse 10, and she is going up, where Barak just came down.
OHEL: In priestess circles, an OHEL is not simply the tent that you put up to sleep in on camping holidays. In Exodus we read about the OHEL MO'ED, where the Tablets of Law were housed in the desert. As the wife of the sheikh it would already be an elaborate tent, more so if it was a priestess' shrine. In Genesis (18:6 and 24:67) we read about OHEL SARAH, where Yitschak took Rivkah to consummate their marriage. The chupah or canopy of today's wedding ceremony is all that remains of that Ohel - the roof, no longer needing its walls, because marriages are no longer consummated quite so publicly. But this begs another question: the priestess serves as sacred hierodule, and many priestesses no doubt performed services outside the formal times of formal ceremony, to help pay the way of a poor, local shrine. Given that, we must ask: how would Siysra be able to go into the tent of the sheikh's wife without someone challenging him, and realising this raises logistical problems in this part of the tale; and given that, we must ask: why anyway would he go there, unless she is already his lover and he needs a hiding-place? If he wants asylum from Chever, after all, he needs to go to Chever - and if she is the priestess, and the OHEL the shrine, then this is precisely where he needs to go to receive asylum from Chever.
CHEVER HA KEYNI: Previously the name Kayin (Cain) was used, and we drew the inference that this confirmed Kayin as the eponymous father of the Keynim; now we have absolute confirmation of this.
SHALOM: And then what do we make of this, given that Chever cut himself off from the Keyni in verse 11?
4:18 VA TETS'E YA'EL LIKRA'T SIYSRA VA TO'MER ELAV SURAH ADONI SURAH ELAY AL TIYR'A VA YASAR ELEYHA HA OHELAH VA TECHASEHU BA SMICHAH
וַתֵּצֵא יָעֵל לִקְרַאת סִיסְרָא וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו סוּרָה אֲדֹנִי סוּרָה אֵלַי אַל תִּירָא וַיָּסַר אֵלֶיהָ הָאֹהֱלָה וַתְּכַסֵּהוּ בַּשְּׂמִיכָה
KJ: 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.
BN: And Ya'el went out to meet Siysra, and said to him, "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not". And when he had turned in to her - into her tent - she covered him with a blanket.
Is Ohel Ya'el then a variant of Ohel Sarah, the hierodule's tent? In which case she is one of Devorah's priestesses, acting in her name as a kind of Mata Hari. And is there then a secondary reading of the name Ya'el, not as Yah-El, but as Ya-El, hyphen rather than apostrophe to indicate a compound nound? A "Ya" was a shovel, specifically for taking away ashes from the sacrificial altar (Exodus 27:3, 38:3, Numbers 4:14, 1 Kings 7:40 and 45. This would make Ya-El a kind of female sonderkommando. But for this to work, we need a deeper understanding of the cosmological roles of Chever and Siysrah, and this, alas, we simply do not have from the text which the Redactor has left us.
AL TIYR'A: Why would he fear her - he has come specifically to her for asylum?
TECHASEYHU BA SMICHAH: presumably to hide him (cf 1 Samuel 19:13 where Michal does the same for David).
SMICHAH: Is that from the same root as Rabbinic semicha? No, that word, which means "ordination", is spelled with an initial samech (סמיכה).
Slightly disappointing to find two stories in a row using the same B-movie technique: anti-hero taken into a private space where he can be murdered.
KJ: 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.
Is Ohel Ya'el then a variant of Ohel Sarah, the hierodule's tent? In which case she is one of Devorah's priestesses, acting in her name as a kind of Mata Hari. And is there then a secondary reading of the name Ya'el, not as Yah-El, but as Ya-El, hyphen rather than apostrophe to indicate a compound nound? A "Ya" was a shovel, specifically for taking away ashes from the sacrificial altar (Exodus 27:3, 38:3, Numbers 4:14, 1 Kings 7:40 and 45. This would make Ya-El a kind of female sonderkommando. But for this to work, we need a deeper understanding of the cosmological roles of Chever and Siysrah, and this, alas, we simply do not have from the text which the Redactor has left us.
AL TIYR'A: Why would he fear her - he has come specifically to her for asylum?
TECHASEYHU BA SMICHAH: presumably to hide him (cf 1 Samuel 19:13 where Michal does the same for David).
SMICHAH: Is that from the same root as Rabbinic semicha? No, that word, which means "ordination", is spelled with an initial samech (סמיכה).
Slightly disappointing to find two stories in a row using the same B-movie technique: anti-hero taken into a private space where he can be murdered.
4:19 VA YOMER ELEYHA HASHKIYNI NA ME'AT MAYIM KI TSAM'ETI VA TIPHTACH ET NO'OD HE CHALAV VA TASHKEHU VA TECHASEHU
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ הַשְׁקִינִי נָא מְעַט מַיִם כִּי צָמֵאתִי וַתִּפְתַּח אֶת נֹאוד הֶחָלָב וַתַּשְׁקֵהוּ וַתְּכַסֵּהוּ
KJ: 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.
BN: And he said to her, "Give me, please, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty". And she opened a flagon of milk, and gave him some to drink, and covered him.
"Bottle of milk" is the King James translation, and it is an irresistible anachronism. I am trying to imagine Ya'el and Chever having the milkman deliver every morning, and leaving the empties on the doorstep!
But then, a fascinating question, how did they store milk back then? How do they store it now, in parts of the world that are hot and lack refridgeration? A hole in the gound, bricked-out, and then a bucket of cold water, and the milk placed in a sealed flagon in the water. Still a high risk of bacteria, and the milk won't stay fresh for very long. But we are in cave-territory in this tale, and caves provide refridgeration by their natural temperature (it was storing milk in caves that led to the discovery of cheese - click here).
"Bottle of milk" is the King James translation, and it is an irresistible anachronism. I am trying to imagine Ya'el and Chever having the milkman deliver every morning, and leaving the empties on the doorstep!
But then, a fascinating question, how did they store milk back then? How do they store it now, in parts of the world that are hot and lack refridgeration? A hole in the gound, bricked-out, and then a bucket of cold water, and the milk placed in a sealed flagon in the water. Still a high risk of bacteria, and the milk won't stay fresh for very long. But we are in cave-territory in this tale, and caves provide refridgeration by their natural temperature (it was storing milk in caves that led to the discovery of cheese - click here).
And wait a moment; go back to that last link again: they used beeswax to seal the flagons! Bees, as in Devorah. So we have a tale that starts with the bee-goddess and ends with a drink of milk - and all taking place in the "land of milk and honey"! Elementary,my dear Watson!
What does "covered him" infer? Farmers talk about rams "covering" ewes, and they mean "tupping". Or that he was cold? Or that he actually went to her tent as hierodule to hierophant? Or is she simply hiding him, the way Michal would hide David from Sha'ul's gendarmerie in 1 Samuel 19:14-17? The latter, as the next verse confirms.
KJ: Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
What does "covered him" infer? Farmers talk about rams "covering" ewes, and they mean "tupping". Or that he was cold? Or that he actually went to her tent as hierodule to hierophant? Or is she simply hiding him, the way Michal would hide David from Sha'ul's gendarmerie in 1 Samuel 19:14-17? The latter, as the next verse confirms.
4:20 VA YOMER ELEYHA AMOD PETACH HA OHEL VE HAYAH IM ISH YAVO U SHE'ELECH VE AMAR HA YESH POH ISH VE AMARTA AYIN
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ עֲמֹד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְהָיָה אִם אִישׁ יָבֹוא וּשְׁאֵלֵךְ וְאָמַר הֲיֵשׁ פֹּה אִישׁ וְאָמַרְתְּ אָיִן
KJ: Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
BN: Then he said to her, "Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be, when any man comes and enquires of you, and says, 'Is there any man here?' that you shall say, 'No'."
Then he isn't seeking asylum - and anyway he isn't entitled to asylum as he isn't running from an unintended act of manslaughter - see Numbers 35:6 ff. He is simply seeking a hiding-place.
4:21 VA TIKACH YA'EL ESHET CHEVER ET YETAD HA OHEL VA TASEM ET HA MAKEVET BE YADAH VA TAV'O ELAV BA LA'OT VA TITKA ET HA YATED BE RAKATO VA TITSNACH BA ARETS VE HU NIRDAM VA YA'APH VA YAMOT
KJ: 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.
Then he isn't seeking asylum - and anyway he isn't entitled to asylum as he isn't running from an unintended act of manslaughter - see Numbers 35:6 ff. He is simply seeking a hiding-place.
4:21 VA TIKACH YA'EL ESHET CHEVER ET YETAD HA OHEL VA TASEM ET HA MAKEVET BE YADAH VA TAV'O ELAV BA LA'OT VA TITKA ET HA YATED BE RAKATO VA TITSNACH BA ARETS VE HU NIRDAM VA YA'APH VA YAMOT
וַתִּקַּח יָעֵל אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר אֶת יְתַד הָאֹהֶל וַתָּשֶׂם אֶת הַמַּקֶּבֶת בְּיָדָהּ וַתָּבֹוא אֵלָיו בַּלָּאט וַתִּתְקַע אֶת הַיָּתֵד בְּרַקָּתֹו וַתִּצְנַח בָּאָרֶץ וְהוּא נִרְדָּם וַיָּעַף וַיָּמֹת
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| Artemisia Gentileschi - "Yael and Sisera", 1620 |
BN: Then Ya'el, Chever's wife, took one of the groundpegs of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and crept softly up to him, and hammered the nail into his temples, so that he was nailed to the ground: for he was fast asleep, and weary. And so he died.
There is a moment of post nine-o'clock-watershed story-telling disappointingly missing here; it would have been so much better to have him go to weary sleep first, then come in and nail him, but at the last moment he wakes and struggles - and then go to a commercial break with a cliffhanger.
There is a moment of post nine-o'clock-watershed story-telling disappointingly missing here; it would have been so much better to have him go to weary sleep first, then come in and nail him, but at the last moment he wakes and struggles - and then go to a commercial break with a cliffhanger.
We also have no explanation of her action. Does she know who he is? Is she a supporter of the Beney Yisra-El? Is there a pre-history with them?
Also, from where does the hammer make its mysterious appearance? It isn't generally one of the items of the boudoir, let alone the priestess shrine.
RAKATO: In English this plays out as a pun on the word "temple" - the shrine of the head, so to speak; sadly it doesn't in the Yehudit.
KJ: 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.
RAKATO: In English this plays out as a pun on the word "temple" - the shrine of the head, so to speak; sadly it doesn't in the Yehudit.
4:22 VE HINEH VARAK RODEPH ET SIYSRA VA TETS'E YA'EL LIKRA'TO VA TO'MAR LO LECH VE AR'ECHA ET HA ISH ASHER ATAH MEVAKESH VA YAVO ELEYHA VE HINEH SIYSRA NOPHEL MET VE HA YATED BE RAKATO
וְהִנֵּה בָרָק רֹדֵף אֶת סִיסְרָא וַתֵּצֵא יָעֵל לִקְרָאתֹו וַתֹּאמֶר לֹו לֵךְ וְאַרְאֶךָּ אֶת הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ וְהִנֵּה סִיסְרָא נֹפֵל מֵת וְהַיָּתֵד בְּרַקָּתֹו
KJ: 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.
BN: And it came to pass, as Barak pursued Siysra, that Ya'el came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man who you are seeking". And when he came into her tent, there lay Siysra, dead, with the groundpeg through his temples.
What motive did she have? We have just been told that she is the wife of a man whose people are at peace with each other. So she is either betraying her husband, or, as suggested above, she was an agent of Devorah all along. And the fact that she knows that Barak is pursuing him confirms it. Either way, she has fulfilled the oracle in verse 9.
KJ: So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
What motive did she have? We have just been told that she is the wife of a man whose people are at peace with each other. So she is either betraying her husband, or, as suggested above, she was an agent of Devorah all along. And the fact that she knows that Barak is pursuing him confirms it. Either way, she has fulfilled the oracle in verse 9.
4:23 VA YACHN'A ELOHIM BA YOM HA HU ET YAVIN MELCH KENA'AN LIPHNEY BENEY YISRA-EL
וַיַּכְנַע אֱלֹהִים בַּיֹּום הַהוּא אֵת יָבִין מֶלֶךְ כְּנָעַן לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
BN: And so it was that, on that day, Elohim subdued Yavin the king of Kena'an before the Beney Yisra-El.
ELOHIM: Why Elohim, and not YHVH? The entire text before this leads to this being YHVH, but the underlying mythology disputes it - saying Elohim allows the inclusion of all the cults that were being absorbed into the Omnideity at the time of the Redaction: a very effective sleight-of-hand and quite probably a better explanation of the J-E controversy than the one usually offered. Now the text confirms the disputation. Yet this is the first mention of Elohim in this tale. (I strongly suspect that, rather than the Documentary Hypothesis explanation, the constant shifts between YHVH and Elohim throughout the Tanach may simply have been the Redactor wanting to make everything YHVH, but sometimes those pre-YHVH tales were so deeply embedded in the culture, the change-of-name wasn't going to work; and this the half-way compromise that allowed people to read it as it pleased them, and then let the priestly explainers make the transition over time.)
ELOHIM: Why Elohim, and not YHVH? The entire text before this leads to this being YHVH, but the underlying mythology disputes it - saying Elohim allows the inclusion of all the cults that were being absorbed into the Omnideity at the time of the Redaction: a very effective sleight-of-hand and quite probably a better explanation of the J-E controversy than the one usually offered. Now the text confirms the disputation. Yet this is the first mention of Elohim in this tale. (I strongly suspect that, rather than the Documentary Hypothesis explanation, the constant shifts between YHVH and Elohim throughout the Tanach may simply have been the Redactor wanting to make everything YHVH, but sometimes those pre-YHVH tales were so deeply embedded in the culture, the change-of-name wasn't going to work; and this the half-way compromise that allowed people to read it as it pleased them, and then let the priestly explainers make the transition over time.)
4:24 VA TELECH YAD BENEY YISRA-EL HALOCH VE KASHAH AL YAVIN MELECH KENA'AN AD ASHER HICHRIYTU ET YAVIN MELECH KENA'AN
וַתֵּלֶךְ יַד בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלֹוךְ וְקָשָׁה עַל יָבִין מֶלֶךְ כְּנָעַן עַד אֲשֶׁר הִכְרִיתוּ אֵת יָבִין מֶלֶךְ כְּנָעַן
KJ: 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.
BN: And the hand of the Beney Yisra-El prospered, and prevailed against Yavin the king of Kena'an, until they had destroyed Yavin king of Kena'an.
None of which answers the questions that have been raised at the mythological level. But wait a while longer.
This needs more work on who Yavin and Chever might really have been, cosmologically. Or perhaps the answer to that will be found in the next chapter, which records the Song of Devorah and Barak. As I have commented repeatedly, we always have to read this text at two levels simultaneously: the original songs, tales, historical accounts, fictions, legends and so forth, which have been redacted into the versions before us; and the agenda of the Redactor, which was to create a unified national history and culture, based on this anthology. Clearly the Song of Devorah and Barak had become a part of national culture, and had to be included; but it was not intrinsically or inherently a Yahwist or a Yisra-Eli song, able to be part of the their liturgy without modification, or explanation, or the fabrication of an acceptable context. So the chapter we have just read may be total invention, or itself an adaptation, or the original unchanged: we cannot know. Or we can only know by reading it in parallel with the Song, which we will now do.
pey break
None of which answers the questions that have been raised at the mythological level. But wait a while longer.
This needs more work on who Yavin and Chever might really have been, cosmologically. Or perhaps the answer to that will be found in the next chapter, which records the Song of Devorah and Barak. As I have commented repeatedly, we always have to read this text at two levels simultaneously: the original songs, tales, historical accounts, fictions, legends and so forth, which have been redacted into the versions before us; and the agenda of the Redactor, which was to create a unified national history and culture, based on this anthology. Clearly the Song of Devorah and Barak had become a part of national culture, and had to be included; but it was not intrinsically or inherently a Yahwist or a Yisra-Eli song, able to be part of the their liturgy without modification, or explanation, or the fabrication of an acceptable context. So the chapter we have just read may be total invention, or itself an adaptation, or the original unchanged: we cannot know. Or we can only know by reading it in parallel with the Song, which we will now do.
pey break
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