judges 5 Check out the horse hooves

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Judges 5:19 “Kings came, they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
they took no plunder of silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord against the mighty.’​

This is from that easy English site.

Nature’s powers, which fought for Israel’s people, defeated the army from Canaan. There was a very strong storm. And there was a sudden flood of water from the sky. This was what led to the success. It was not because of Israel’s 10 000 soldiers. The kings of Canaan did not get any possessions that people would normally take from the battle. Instead, they used their horses to escape. These were the horses that they would otherwise have used in the battle. In Bible times, people often fought battles on the plain called Megiddo. The book called Revelation refers to this as Armageddon. This is the place where people will fight the last great battle. In the poem, we read ‘March on, my spirit! Be strong!’ This is the cry of success. The song refers in a bad way to Meroz. This was a town that belonged to the Israelites. It was in the area where Naphtali’s tribe lived. It was probably in the area where the battle happened. But its people did not help the Israelites. So the song refers to it in a bad way.

This is from GodVine.

They took no gain of money - They expected much booty in the total rout of the Israelites; but they were defeated, and got no prey; or, if applied to the Israelites, They fought for liberty, not for plunder.

They fought from heaven - The angels of God came to the assistance of Israel: and the stars in their orbits fought against Sisera; probably some thunder storm, or great inundation from the river Kishon, took place at that time, which in poetic language was attributed to the stars.

The river of Kishon swept them away - This gives plausibility to the above conjecture, that there was a storm at this time which produced an inundation in the river Kishon, which the routed Canaanites attempting to ford were swept away.

Horses hoofs - Their horses, in which they put most confidence, had their hoofs, which are their support and strength, broken, either by dreadful hail - stones, or rather, by their swift and violent running over the stony grounds, when they fled with all possible speed from God and from Israel. Pransings - Or because of their fierce or swift courses. Mighty ones - Of their strong and valiant riders, who forced their horses to run away as fast as they could.

The inhabitants of Meroz (a village 12 miles from Samaria) hung back, and gave no help in the day of battle, although it was Yahweh who called them. Hence, the curse pronounced by the Angel of the Lord.

This must have been a horrible battle. The horses broke their hooves? I know they were not shod back then.... but I never heard of a horses hooves breaking. It must have worse than horrible.

Those people in Meroz are in deep trouble. When God calls you to battle.... especially one so horrible that horses will break their hooves to flee.... God will take care of you.... but they didn't trust that....

:coffee:
 
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