seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Judges 5:11 “Then the people of the Lord
went down to the city gates.
12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[c] staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[d]
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali on the terraced fields
went down to the city gates.
12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[c] staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[d]
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali on the terraced fields
c. Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
d. Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
This is from the enduringword.com site.
The Lord came down for me against the mighty: As she remembered God’s help, Deborah knew that His help came from the tribes of Israel, stirred to join in the battle. Deborah praised the tribes that helped, notably Ephraim, West Manasseh, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali.
Why did you sit among the sheepfolds? Not every tribe was helpful. Reuben, East Manasseh, Dan, and Asher did not join in the battle.
Why did you sit among the sheepfolds? Not every tribe was helpful. Reuben, East Manasseh, Dan, and Asher did not join in the battle.
This is from the easy English site.
The song contains a call to Deborah and Barak. But this does not mean that Deborah did not write the song. She probably did write it. Ancient texts from the Near East often include the name of their authors. Both Deborah and Barak decided to act. They were not content with the situation any more. They read aloud a list of some tribes’ names. First were the tribes who came. Makir in verse 14 means Manasseh’s tribe. Not all the tribes came. They did not all obey. Some did not come. The singers refer to these in a bad way. They do not mention Judah’s tribe and Simeon’s tribe. These tribes lived a long way away and they probably fought the Philistines.
IMHO, Verse 15 brings out an interesting side note. It says.... "In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart." Their ancestor, Reuben, for whom their tribe was named.... would have never thought to "talk about" a battle. It was Reuben [Genesis 37:21]who tried to save Joseph when the brothers wanted to throw him in the pit and leave him for dead.
This is from GodVine on verse 15.
For the divisions of Reuben - Either the Reubenites were divided among themselves into factions, which prevented their co-operation with their brethren, or they were divided in their judgment concerning the measures now to be pursued, which prevented them from joining with the other tribes till the business was entirely settled. The thoughts of heart, and searchings of heart, might refer to the doubts and uneasiness felt by the other tribes, when they found the Reubenites did not join them; for they might have conjectured that they were either unconcerned about their liberty, or were meditating a coalition with the Canaanites.
Is this an example of what people "talk about" overruling what God "says"?
