Judges 4:21

Translations

Modern

But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.

Traditional

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.

Literal

And Jael the wife of Heber took a peg of the tent, and she put the hammer in her hand, and she went to him in secrecy and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground. For he was fast asleep and weary, and he died.

Latin

Tulit itaque Jahel uxor Haber clavum tabernaculi, assumens pariter et malleum: et ingressa abscondite et cum silentio, posuit supra tempus capitis ejus clavum, percussumque malleo defixit in cerebrum usque ad terram: qui soporem morti consocians defecit, et mortuus est.

Original

Hebrew

English

But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.

Notes

Judges 4:21–22

Jael achieved what she intended from the start. A more detailed description of the event is in Judges 5:26–27.

Judges 4:1–5:31

The story of Deborah and Barak, found in both prose (Judges 4) and poetry (Judges 5), describes a major military operation against a significant Canaanite enemy after the initial conquest. Another king named Jabin, who also ruled in Hazor, was defeated earlier by Joshua along with a large northern alliance, and Hazor was burned (see Joshua 11:1–15). Although Joshua 11 and Judges 4–5 are often compared, they have too many differences to be considered accounts of the same battle. Instead, Jabin is likely a dynastic name; it appears in the Mari texts for an even earlier king of Hazor, around 1800 BC.

Theme notes and profiles

Deborah

Events

Deliverance by Barak And Deborahc. 1278 BC

Related verses

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Judges 5:26–27
She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
Psalm 3:7
Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
Judges 3:21
And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.
Judges 3:31
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
1 Samuel 17:43
“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1 Samuel 17:49–50
Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
Judges 15:15
He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.
1 Corinthians 1:19
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

People

Heber: A Kenite; husband of Jael Jael: Wife of Heber; killed Sisera, the Canaanite commander

Glossary

Armageddon Asher (Tribe) Barak Deborah Education Family Life and Relations Hazor Heber Jabin Jael Judges, Book of Kishon Mount Tabor Sisera Song of Deborah Tribe of Naphtali Woman Zaanannim

Topics

Canaanites: Defeated by the Israelites Courage: Personal Bravery: Jael, in Killing Sisera Head: Parts of Mentioned: The Temples Heber: Husband of Jael Homicide: Felonious: Jael Hypocrisy: Jael Jael: Wife of Heber, and the One Who Killed Sisera Kenites: Jael, One of The, Betrays and Kills Sisera Nail: Jael Kills Sisera With Tents: Fastened by Cords to Stakes or Nails Treachery of Jael

Judges 4:21

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