“Through the window she looked out, and cried: Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice. ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’
Parallel Translations
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“Through the window she looked out, and cried: Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice. ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’
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The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
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Through the window she looked forth, and peered, the mother of Sisera, through the lattice: 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Judges 5:28 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Judges 4:15 Yahweh confused Sisera, all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled away on his feet.
- 2 Kings 1:2 Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria, and was sick. So he sent messengers, and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover of this sickness.”
- Proverbs 7:6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
- Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a roe or a young deer. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice.
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!
- James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, feet.
Or, feet.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jdg 5:28 The mother of Sisera looked out at…
Jdg 5:28 The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot [so] long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
Ver. 28. The mother of Sisera.] Per hypotyposin, Mulierum hostilium iactationes cum sarcasmo traducit.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Looked out at a window, expecting to see him…
Looked out at a window, expecting to see him returning; for she concluded that he went forth not so much to fight as to take the spoil.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The mother of Sisera looked out at a window,....…
The mother of Sisera looked out at a window,.... Which perhaps looked towards the high road, in which she expected Sisera to return in his chariot with his victorious army; and she was looking out for him, not through fear of any ill that had befallen him, or suspicion of misfortunte, but through impatience to see him in triumph return, wreathed with laurels:
and cried through the lattice; which is but another word for a window, which was not of glass, that being of a later invention, but made in lattice form, in a sort of network, full of little holes to let in air and light, and look out at; here she stood and cried with a very loud uneasy tone; the word signifies a sort of a groaning howling noise, discovering impatience and uneasiness; and so the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions render it, "she howled"; saying in a whining way:
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why is his chariot so long in coming? she did not doubt at all of victory, and concluded it would soon be obtained, and there would be very little trouble and difficulty in getting it, and therefore wondered his chariot was not in sight:
why tarry the wheels of his chariots? the nine hundred he took with him, of the return of which she made no doubt, only was uneasy until they appeared, that she might be delighted with the glory of the triumph; the Targum is,"why are the runners hindered, who should bring me a letter of the victories?''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Looked out - Expecting to see him returning: for…
Looked out - Expecting to see him returning: for she concluded, that he went forth not so much to fight, as to take the spoil.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 28. Cried through the lattice] This is very…
Verse 28. Cried through the lattice] This is very natural: in the women's apartments in the East the windows are latticed, to prevent them from sending or receiving letters, c. The latticing is the effect of the jealousy which universally prevails in those countries.
Why is his chariot so long in coming?] Literally, Why is his chariot ashamed to come?
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Dr. Lowth has very justly observed, that this is a striking image of maternal solicitude, and of a mind divided between hope and fear.
"The mother of Sisera looked out at a window
She cried through the lattice,
'Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?'
"Immediately, impatient of delay, she prevents the comfort of her companions; elate in mind, and bursting forth into female levity and jactation, impotent to hope for any thing, and drunk with her good fortune,
"Her wise ladies earnestly answered her;
Yea, she immediately returned answer to herself;
'Have they not sped? have they not divided the spoil?'
"We see how consonant to the person speaking is every idea, every word. She dwells not upon the slaughter of the enemies, the number of the captives, the valour and great exploits of the victor, but, burning with the female love of spoils, on those things rather which captivate the light mind of the vainest woman; damsels, gold, garments. Nor does she dwell upon them only; but she repeats, she accumulates, she augments every thing. She seems, as it were, to handle the spoils. dwelling as she does on every particular.
'Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey?
A damsel, yea, two damsels to every man:
To Sisera, a prey of divers colours;
A prey of divers colours of needlework,
Finely coloured of needlework on both sides,
A spoil for adorning the neck.'
To enhance the beauty of this passage, there is, in the poetic conformation of the sentences, an admirable neatness in the diction, great force, splendour, accuracy; in the very redundance of the repetitions the utmost brevity; and, lastly, the most striking disappointment of the woman's hope, tacitly insinuated by that sudden and unexpected apostrophe, 'So let all thine enemies perish, O JEHOVAH! is expressed more fully and strongly by this silence than could have been painted by any colouring of words." See Dr. Lowth, 13th Prelection, Pr 4:18-19.
"We cannot do better," says Dr. Dodd, "than conclude this chapter with the words of Pelicanus: 'Let a Homer, or a Virgil, go and compare his poetry, if he be able, with the song of this woman; and, if there be anyone who excels in eloquence and learning, let him celebrate the praises and learning of this panegyric, more copiously than I am able.'"
FOR other matters relative to this song I must refer to the two translations which immediately follow; and their authors' notes on them.
Dr. Kennicott says, "This celebrated song of triumph is most deservedly admired; though some parts of it are at present very obscure, and others unintelligible in our English version. Besides particular difficulties, there is a general one that pervades the whole; arising as I humbly apprehend, from its being considered as entirely the song of Deborah. It is certain, though very little attended to, that it is said to have been sung by Deborah and BY BARAK. It is also certain there are in it parts which Deborah could not sing, as well as parts which Barak could not sing; and therefore it seems necessary, in order to form a better judgment of this song, that some probable distribution should be made of it; whilst those words which seem most likely to have been sung by either party should be assigned to their proper name; either to that of Deborah the prophetess, or to that of Barak the captain.
"For example: Deborah could not call upon Deborah, exhorting herself to awake, c., as in Jdg 5:12 neither could Barak exhort himself to arise, c., in the same verse. Again, Barak could not sing, Till I, Deborah, arose a mother in Israel, Jdg 5:7 nor could Deborah sing about a damsel or two for every soldier, Jdg 5:30; though, indeed, as to this last article, the words are probably misunderstood. There are other parts also which seem to require a different rendering. Jdg 5:2, For the avenging of Israel, where the address is probably to those who took the lead in Israel on this great occasion, for the address in the next words is to those among the people who were volunteers; as again, Jdg 5:9. Jdg 5:11; Jdg 5:13-15, have many great difficulties. It seems impossible that (Jdg 5:23) any person should be cursed for not coming to the help of JEHOVAH; to the help of JEHOVAH against the mighty. Nor does it seem more probable that Jael should, in a sacred song, be styled blessed above women for the death of Sisera. Jdg 5:26 mentions butter, of which nothing is said in the history in Jdg 4:19; nor does the history say that Jael smote off Sisera's head with a hammer, or indeed that she smote it off at all, as here, Jdg 5:26. Lastly, as to Jdg 5:30, there being no authority for rendering the words a damsel or two damsels, and the words in Hebrew being very much like two other words in this same verse, which make excellent sense here, it seems highly probable that they were originally the same. And at the end of this verse, which contains an excellent compliment paid to the needlework of the daughters of Israel, and which is here put with great art in the mouth of Sisera's MOTHER, the true sense seems to be, the hopes SHE had of some very rich prize to adorn HER OWN NECK." - Kennicott's Remarks, p. 94.
Dr. Hales observes, "That the design of this beautiful ode, which breathes the characteristic softness and luxuriance of female composition, seems to be twofold, religious and political; first, to thank GOD for the recent victory and deliverance of Israel from Canaanitish bondage and oppression; and next, to celebrate the zeal and alacrity with which some of the rulers volunteered their services against the common enemy, and to censure the lukewarmness and apathy of others who stayed at home, and thus betrayed the public cause; and, by this contrast and exposure, to heal those fatal divisions among the tribes, so injurious to the commonwealth. The first verse, as a title, briefly recites the design or subject of the poem, which consists of eight stanzas.
"The first opens with a devout thanksgiving, to which she calls the attention of all, friends and foes.
"The second describes, in the sublime imagery of Moses, the magnificent scenes at Mount Sinai, Seir, c., in the deserts of Arabia, while they were led by the Divine power and presence from Egypt to Canaan.
"The third states their offending afterwards by their apostasies in serving new gods, as foretold by Moses, De 32:16-17, and their consequent oppression by their enemies the insecurity of travelling, and desertion of the villages, during the twenty years that intervened from the death of Shamgar till Jael's exploit, and till Deborah became judge. By this time they were disarmed by the Philistines and Canaanites, and scarcely a sword or a spear was to be seen in Israel. This policy was adopted by the Philistines in Saul's time, 1Sa 13:19, and was probably introduced before, when Shamgar, for want of other weapons, had recourse to an ox-goad, which was only left with them for the purpose of agriculture, 1Sa 13:21.
"The fourth contrasts their present happy state of security from the incursions and depredations of their foes, especially at the watering places, which were most exposed to attacks; owing to the Divine protection which crowned the victory, the zeal and exertions of 'a remnant of the people,' or a part of the tribes, against the enemy, under her conduct; these were the midland tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, including, perhaps, Judah and Simeon, which bordered on Amalek southward, and Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, northward.
"The fifth censures the recreant tribes Reuben and Gad, beyond Jordan eastward; and Dan and Asher, on the Mediterranean Sea westward, who deserted the common cause in consequence of their divisions, and their paltry attachment to their own concerns.
"The sixth records the miraculous defeat of the confederate kings of Canaan, who were swept away by the torrents issuing from the different springs of the river Kishon, swollen by uncommon rains. Meroz was probably a place in the neighbourhood.
"The seventh contains a panegyric on Jael, who is here 'blessed above women,' for attempting an exploit above her sex to perform; and a picturesque description of her giving Sisera buttermilk to drink, which is considered as a great treat at present among the Arabs. Then follows a minute and circumstantial description of her mode of slaying him.
"The eighth affords an admirable representation of the impatience of the mother of Sisera at his delay in returning; her sanguine anticipation of his success; in which she dwells, not upon the greatness of his exploits, or the slaughter of his enemies, but upon the circumstances most likely to engage a light female mind, such as captive damsels, and embroidered garments, or the spoils of victory, which she repeats and exemplifies with much grace and elegance.
"The unexpected and abrupt apostrophe which concludes the poem, So perish all thine enemies, O LORD! tacitly insinuates the utter disappointment of their vain hopes of conquest and spoil more fully and forcibly than any express declaration in words; while it marks the author's piety, and sole reliance upon the Divine protection of His people, and the glorious prospect of a future and greater deliverance, perhaps, by the Sun of righteousness." - New Anal. Chron. p. 324.
Dr. Kennicott's version of the Song
1. Then sang Deborah, and Barak the son of Abinoam, saying: -
2. Deb. For the leaders who took the lead in Israel, Bar. For the people who offered themselves willingly,
Both. BLESS YE JEHOVAH!
3. Deb. Hear, O ye kings! Bar. Give ear, O ye princes!
Deb. I unto JEHOVAH will sing. Bar. I will answer in song to JEHOVAH;
Both. THE GOD OF ISRAEL!
4. Deb. O JEHOVAH, at thy going forth from Seir
At thy marching from the field of Edom, Bar. The earth trembled, even the heavens poured down;
The thick clouds poured down the waters
5. Deb. The mountains melted at JEHOVAH'S presence. Bar. Sinai itself, at the presence of JEHOVAH
Both. THE GOD OF ISRAEL!
6. Deb. In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted. Bar. For they who had gone by straight paths,
Passed by ways that were very crooked.
7. Deserted were the villages in Israel. Deb. They were deserted till I, Deborah, arose;
Till I arose a mother in Israel.
8. They chose new gods! Bar. Then, when war was at the gates,
Was there a shield seen, or a spear,
Among forty thousand in Israel?
9. Deb. My heart is towards the rulers of Israel; Bar. Ye who offered yourselves willingly among the people.
Both. BLESS YE JEHOVAH!
10. Deb. Ye who ride upon white asses;
Ye who sit upon the seat of judgment.
11. Bar. And ye who travel upon the roads,
Talk of Him with the voice of praise. Deb. Let them who meet armed at the watering places
There show the righteous acts of JEHOVAH,
Bar. And the righteousness of the villages of Israel:
Then shall they go down to the gates;
Both. THE PEOPLE OF JEHOVAH!
12. Bar. Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, lead on the song. Deb. Arise, Barak! and lead thy captivity captive,
Barak, thou son of Abinoam.
13. Bar. Then, when the remainder descended after their chiefs,
Jehovah's people descended after me,
Against the mighty.
14. Deb. Out of Ephraim was their beginning at Mount Amalek;
And after thee was Benjamin, against the nations. Bar. From Machir, came masters in the art of war;
And from Zebulun, those who threw the dart.
15. Deb. The princes in Issachar were numbered
Together with Deborah and Barak. Bar. And Issachar was the guard of Barak,
Into the valley sent close at his feet.
Deb. At the divisions of Reuben,
Great were the impressions of heart.
16. Bar. Why sattest thou among the rivulet?
What! to hear the bleatings of the flocks? Deb. For the divisions of Reuben,
Great were the searchings of heart.
17. Bar. Gad dwelt quietly beyond Jordan;
And Dan, why abode he in ships? Deb. Asher continued in the harbour of the seas,
And remained among his craggy places.
18. Bar. Zebulun were the people, and Naphtali, Deb. Who exposed their lives unto the death,
Both. ON THE HEIGHTS OF THE FIELD.
19. Deb. The kings came, they fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan; Bar. At Taanac, above the waters of Megiddo:
The plunder of riches they did not receive.
20. Deb. From heaven did they fight;
The stars, from their lofty stations,
Fought against Sisera.
21. Bar. The river Kishon swept them away,
The river intercepted them; the river Kishon:
It was there my soul trod down strength.
22. Deb. It was then the hoofs of the cavalry were battered.
By the scamperings, the scamperings of its strong
steeds.
23. Bar. Curse ye the land of Meroz,
Said the messenger of JEHOVAH: Deb. Curse ye heavily its inhabitants,
Because they came not for help.
Both. JEHOVAH WAS FOR HELP!
JEHOVAH AGAINST THE MIGHTY!
24. Deb. Praised among women will be Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Among women in the tent will she be praised.
25. Bar. He asked water, she gave him milk;
In a princely bowl she brought it.
26. Deb. Her left hand she put forth to the nail;
And her right hand to the workman's hammer. Bar. She struck Sisera, she smote his head;
Then she struck through, and pierced his temples.
27. Deb. At her feet he bowed, he fell! Bar. At her feet he bowed, he fell!
Both. WHERE HE BOWED.
THERE HE FELL DEAD.
28. Deb. Through the window she looked out and called,
Even the mother of Sisera, through the lattice; Bar. 'Why is his chariot ashamed to return?
Why so slow are the steps of his chariot?'
29. Deb. Her wise ladies answered her;
Nay, she returned answer to herself:
30. Bar. 'Have they not found, divided the spoil;
Embroidery, double embroidery for the captains' heads!
A prize of divers colours for Sisera!' Deb. 'A prize of divers colours of embroidery;
A coloured piece of double embroidery for MY NECK, a
prize!'
Chorus, by Deborah and Barak.
31. So perish all thine enemies, O Jehovah!
Grand Chorus, by the whole procession.
AND LET THOSE WHO LOVE HIM
BE AS THE SUN GOING FORTH IN HIS MIGHT.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Hales's version of the Song
1. Then sang Deborah, and Barak son of Abinoam on (the
victory of) that day, on the avenging of wrongs in Israel:
2. On the volunteering of the people;
Saying, BLESS YE THE LORD!
3. Hearken, O kings, (of Canaan,)
Give ear, O princes, (of the land:)
I, even I, will sing unto the Lord;
I will shout to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4. O Lord, on thy going forth from Seir,
On thy marching from the land of Edom,
The earth quaked, the heavens dropped,
The clouds, I say, dropped water.
5. The mountains melted away
From the presence of the Lord;
Even Sinai himself, from the presence
OF THE LORD THE GOD OF ISRAEL.
6. From the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
To the days of Jael, (through fear of the enemy,)
The highways were unfrequented,
And travellars walked through by-paths.
7. The villages were deserted:
They were deserted till I, Deborah, arose,
Till I arose (to be) a mother in Israel.
8. (The Israelites) had chosen new gods,
Therefore was war in their gates:
Was there a shield or a spear to be seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?
9. My heart it attached to the senators of Israel,
Who volunteered among the people.
10. BLESS YE THE LORD!
Ye that ride upon white asses
Ye that sit in (the gates of) judgment,
Extol (him) ye travellers.
11. (Now freed) from the noise of archers
At the watering places,
Here shall they rehearse the righteousness
OF THE LORD; his righteousness
Towards the villages of Israel:
Now shall the people of THE LORD
Go down to the gates of judgment in safety
12. Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, utter a song (of praise.)
Arise now, Barak; lead thy captivity captive,
Thou son of Abinoam.
13. For (God) made a remnant of the people
Triumph over the nobles of the enemy;
The Lord made me triumph over the mighty.
14. From Ephraim unto Amalek was their root:
Next to thee (Ephraim) was Benjamin among thy people:
From Machir (Manasseh) came down the senators.
And from Zebulun, they that write with the pen of
the scribe.
15. The princes in Issachar (were) with Deborah,
Even Issachar, as well as Barak, (Naphtali,)
He was sent on foot into the valley;
For the divisions of Reuben
(I feel) great griefs of heart.
16. Why abidest thou among the sheepfolds
To hear the bleatings of the flocks?
For the divisions of Reuben
(I feel) great griefs of heart.
17. (Why) abode Gilead (Gad) beyond Jordan;
And Dan remained in his ships?
(Why did) Asher sit in his seaports,
And continue in his creeks?
18. (While) the people of Zebulun hazarded their lives
unto death,
And of Naphtali, in the heights of the field;
19. The kings came, they fought;
The kings of Canaan fought in Taanah,
Near the waters of Megiddo;
But they gained no lucre (thereby.)
20. The stars of heaven fought in their courses;
They fought against Sisera.
21. The torrents of Kison swept them away;
The torrent of Kedummim,
The torrent of Kison. O my soul,
Thou hast trodden down strength!
22. Then were the horsehoofs broken by the gallopings,
The gallopings of their great men.
23. Curse ye Meroz, saith the angel of THE LORD;
Bitterly curse her inhabitants,
Because they came not to the aid of THE LORD;
To the aid of THE LORD among the mighty.
24. Blessed above women be Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Blessed be she above women in the tent.
25. He asked water, and she gave him milk;
She brought forth butter in a lordly bowl.
26. She put her hand to the nail,
And her right hand to the workman's hammer;
And she smote Sisera:
She pierced his head, she penetrated,
And she perforated his temples.
27. Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay
Between her feet; he bowed, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell down slain.
28. The mother of Sisera looked through the window,
And exclaimed through the lattice,
'Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why linger the steps of his steeds?'
29. Her wise ladies answered their mistress
Yea, she returned answer to herself:
30. 'Have they not found,
Have they not divided the spoil?
To each a damsel or two apiece,
To Sisera himself a spoil of divers colours,
A spoil of divers colours embroidered;
Of divers colours embroidered on both sides.
A spoil for (adorning) his neck.'
31. So perish all thine enemies, O LORD!
But let thy friends (rejoice,)
As the sun going forth in his strength.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Other attempts have been made to do justice to this very sublime song, and much yet remains to be done. The best means of ascertaining the sense and import of the various images and allusions contained in it is, in my opinion, the following: 1. Take the Hebrew text as it stands printed in the hemistich form in Kennicott's Hebrew Bible. 2. Collate this text with the Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic versions, and the various readings in Kennicott and De Rossi. 3. Consult the writers in the Critica Sacra. And, 4. Carefully attend to the allusions made to Asiatic customs. I would gladly save my readers all this trouble, but it would extend the commentary beyond the size of the whole book, which would not comport with the brevity which I study.
From this song, as well as from that of Moses, De 32:1-43, we see that the first, as also the best, poets of antiquity were found among the Hebrews; and that the art of poetry was highly cultivated among them many hundreds of years before Greece, or any other country of the world, could boast of ode, or epic, or any kind of poetic composition. The idolizers of Greece and Italy should not forget this: to Hebrew models both Greeks and Romans owe much of their perfection. Why are not these more studied? Why do not we go to the "fountain head?" To all the searchers after the venerable remains of antiquity, especially to poets, I would address the words of the old prophet: -
Dardanidae duri, puae vos a stirpe parentum
Prima tulit tellus, eadem vos ubere laeto
Accipiet reduces: ANTIQUAM EXQUIRITE MATREM.
VIRG. AEn., iii., ver. 94.
Ye valiant sons of Troy, the land that bore
Your mighty ancestors to light before,
Once more their great descendants shall embrace.
Go, seek the ANCIENT MOTHER OF YOUR RACE.
- Pitt.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Jdg 5:28-30. The mother of Sisera looked out at…
Jdg 5:28-30. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window — Expecting to see him returning; for she concluded that he went forth not so much to fight as to take the spoil. Have they not divided the spoil? — That is, it is certain they have got the prey, only they tarry to distribute it, according to every man’s quality and merit. It is scarcely possible to conceive any thing more beautiful or expressive than these verses. No writer, either poet or orator, ever formed a finer image upon any subject. It seems even beyond all that painting could express. No picture could have represented to us so much of the action as these words do. We perfectly see the mother of Sisera waiting for the victorious return of her son, and looking out at a window to behold his triumphant chariot at some distance. We see her rejoicing over the Israelitish captives. We see her, as it were, examining and delighting her eyes with the rich and gorgeous spoils which they had brought home. How does all this heighten, in our imagination, the fall of Sisera, who lies at the same time dead in the tent of Jael, without pomp or attendant, without mother, or sister, or brother, to weep over him, slain by the hand of a woman! This fine conclusion of the relation of Sisera’s fall may be said to have all the beautiful colouring of a Titian, and all the force of a Raphael or Rubens; for no one pencil ever expressed any thing so perfectly.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The scene is changed to the palace of Sisera.
The scene is changed to the palace of Sisera.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain His mother, &c. This poetical imagination is very natural.…
His mother, &c. This poetical imagination is very natural. --- Room. Hebrew, "through the lattices," eshnab, of which the windows then consisted, Proverbs vii. 6. (Calmet) --- Horses. Protestants, "why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain In these verses a sudden transition is made to…
In these verses a sudden transition is made to the mother of the Canaanite general, and a striking picture is drawn of a mind agitated between hope and fear--impatient of delay, yet anticipating the news of victory and the rewards of rich booty.
the lattice--a lattice window, common to the houses in warm countries for the circulation of air.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 28. The mother of Sisera — The poetess passes…
28. The mother of Sisera — The poetess passes from one female character to another — from Jael to Sisera’s mother. This abrupt and striking prosopopoeia is one of the most masterly passages in this truly grand poem. “Who should first suffer anxiety, if not a mother? Of a wife nothing is said; such love thrives not in the harem of a prince. He is his mother’s pride, the great hero who had been hitherto invincible. What she has in him, and what she loses, concerns no other woman.” — Cassel. Never dreaming of defeat, this proud mother confidently awaits her son’s triumphal return, but grows impatient at his long delay, and she and her royal maidens entertain themselves with speculations noticeably characteristic of oriental female vanity.
Lattice-window — Of this character are the windows of all female apartments in the East.
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Royal steeds — The Hebrew word means state chariots, but the preceding word paces shows that the reference is more particularly to the horses that drew the chariots.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 28. For a translation of the verse see p.…
28. For a translation of the verse see p. 54. Out of the window looked cf. 2Sa_6:16; 2Ki_9:30. Lattice, again in Pro_7:6 || window; the rendering comes from LXX. A; cod. B gives ‘a hole in the wall.’
and cried] Only here; in Aramaic the word means ‘shout,’ ‘sound’ the clarion; so we might render cried shrilly. But this cannot be pronounced certain; we should expect a parallel to looked out, as LXX. A (‘considered well’) and Targ. (‘looked attentively’) suggest.
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28–30. The mother of Sisera. The last scene is a fine piece of dramatic irony. The king’s mother is pictured as waiting eagerly for her son’s return; her disappointment is left to the imagination.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (28) The mother of Sisera.—With a bold poetic impetuosity…
(28) The mother of Sisera.—With a bold poetic impetuosity the scene is changed, and the prophetess, with a few broad touches, sets before us the last scene of the strange eventful history. The mother of Sisera and her attendant princesses had looked for the triumph and return of the host as confidently as the ladies of Spain expected the return of the Armada, or as the ladies of Aberdeen sat, “with their fans into their hand,” looking out for the sails of Sir Patrick Spens. We have a similar scene in the Persians of Æschylus, where the great Atossa wails over the miserable flight of her defeated son Xerxes. In that, however, there is more of pity and less of derision, though, no doubt, the spectacle was meant to be pleasing to the victorious Athenians. This exulting description of the cruel but blighted hopes of the women of Sisera’s family is an inimitable touch of genuineness; it shows a woman’s authorship (Ewald).
Looked out at a window.—Watching for the first glimpse of her son’s return. In Eastern courts the queen-mother is a more important person than the wife.
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And cried.—Rather, wailed (Vulgate, ululavit, an onomatopœia, like the Hebrew yabhabh). It is the wail of impatience passing into anxiety.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Jdg_5:28-30
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
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why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
The delayed chariot
The language of this hoping, yet half-despairing and disconsolate mother, has been, I presume, the language of multitudes some time or other in the stern fight of existence and the moral campaign of consecrated life. When God has tarried in His pavilion of cloud, withholding both Himself and His blessings, our hearts have struggled and our lips quivered with wondering desire to know the reason why, until impatience has bubbled over in anxious inquiry, Why is His chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of His chariots? God stays not from us because, like Sisera, He is a dismounted general and a slain warrior: men fall, but He never. He always has a sublime design in His tarrying, a good and satisfactory reason for His delay, which He does not always make known, but leaves us to spell out as best we can for ourselves. He tarries to do us good, and not to taunt; to check our impatience and correct our hurrying spirit, and not to discourage or distress. He will come to us if we only wait long enough: and His coming shall be as the morning--fresh, fragrant, and radiant.
I. Let us look at this text as the language of the universal church. The Church in the wilderness, the Church militant, for nearly nineteen centuries has been breathing fervently the prayer commanded by her Founder--Thy kingdom come. And in her anticipation of the answer and the advent, in her longings after complete victory, universal regeneration, when truth and peace shall sway her sceptre in every land, and the Christ-King shall be enthroned in every heart--I say, in her longings after this glorious era, she plaintively ejaculates, Why is His chariot so long in coming? Why does my Lord delay His coming? The progress of Christianity, the achievements and triumphs of truth, we are told, have been so slow, so few, so limited, for the time in which it has been at work, that our learned doubters and avowed foes have written upon it in big letters, Failure! Well, we are not surprised at that. Had there not been something about it which largely savoured of success, they would not have been so hasty to label it with failure! Moreover, slowness of progress, of growth, is no proof of failure. Are not the greatest works of God and man the result of slow processes? I would ask, must the corn be pronounced a failure because it does not wave in golden harvests after a night and a days growth? Must the old sun be pronounced a failure because it does not march instantaneously, but by degrees, to the meridian? What if Christianity has been slow in its march?--it has been sure. It has been moving in no circle of uncertainty, no region of doubt and ill-based probabilities! It has been making solid headway. And if other systems of religion--false and flashy--have sprung up with the rapidity of the mushroom, they have been as fragile and unenduring.
II. Look at this text as the language of the individual Church desiring and expecting a special visit from heaven. The chilling winds of worldliness have swept over the Church, or the mildew of indifference has fallen on some, and the cankerous rust of idleness on others, while some have become intoxicated with pride, and others poisoned with heresy, numbed with doubt, and wild with the delirium of controversy. So that the Church is bordering on lifelessness, its strength low, its energies exhausted, its influence and glory almost gone. The few in her that have not defiled their garments nor indulged in worldly ease, who are true and loyal, and steadfast and earnest, tremble for the ark of God, and grieve to see it drifting to the fatal rocks; and in agony of soul cry, Why is His chariot so long in coming to our help? Hold on faith, hold on patience, hold on pleading--loosen not your grasp of Omnipotence, your Jacob-like grip on God--cease not to ask, to seek, to knock, to wait: in Jehovahs own time the golden gates will open, the flaming steed will rush out. He who speeds His way through a wilderness of worlds, through untraversed solitudes of space, will steer His glad chariot to your sanctuary and in the midst of the Church, and scatter the gifts of His grace and the benedictions of His love.
III. Look at this text as the language of the penitent sinner seeking and desiring Christ. A penitent soul is one of earths grandest pictures. When the obdurate heart melts and weeps, and the unwilling knees bend in lowly submission, and the prayer uprises to heaven, What must I do to be saved? and the poor sinner is passing through the sharp ordeal of repentance, then it is we read in the mystic language of tears and sighs the plaintive words of my text, Why is His chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of His chariot? Should there be one such penitent soul waiting for the coming of Jesus, listening for the rumbling of His chariot wheels to give him beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, tarry on your knees, tighten your grip of faith, wait! and He that will come shall come; and His arrival shall be all the more welcome and blissful for the delay and the waiting.
IV. Again, we may regard the text as the language of the consecrated but clouded child of God, mourning protracted delay of conscious communion. For a time God has seemed to depart: He has withdrawn His light, His conscious presence. No voice speaks, no face beams, no hands leads, no presence remains; the soul presses, as it thinks, near to Him, but lie is not there; it speaks, but there is no response; it gropes in the distressing darkness, but finds Him not. We should, however, never forget that the halting of Jehovah is not to tantalise, but to test; not to inflict unneeded pain, but to produce great spiritual profit. The hiding of His face is simply for the multiplying of His grace. Suspended communion is intended to do for us what the storm does for the tree, what the fire does for the silver and gold, what the lapidarys wheel does for the jewel. Such absence only makes the heart grow fonder. The longing desire for repossession and renewed fellowship is a pledge of a consecrated heart, and a prophecy that sooner or later He will return.
V. Again, look at this text as the language of Gods afflicted child daily expecting his chariot to take him home. Home, sweet home! what a precious monosyllable! God sometimes keeps His chosen ones a long time in the final fires, in the finishing process--a long time lingering between the two worlds--suffering, dying. With what a spirit of expectant hope and holy calm did Francis Ridley Havergal contemplate and wait for death. There was acute and continued suffering--at times most severe; but the presence of the King was fully realised, and His grace was sufficient for her. She startled her medical adviser on one of his early visits by the emphatic inquiry, Now tell me, doctor, candidly, is there any chance of my seeing Him? Later on she said, Not one thing hath failed, tell them all round: trust Jesus: it is simply trusting Jesus. Spite of the breakers, not a fear. I am just waiting for Jesus to take me in. I thought He would have left me here awhile, but He is so good to take me so soon. I have such an intense craving for the music of heaven. Then, as if longing to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, she said, Why tarrieth His chariot? (J. O. Keen, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 the lattice
the lattice
This is a frame in the window made of crossed wood.
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Why has it taken his chariot so long to come? Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?
Both of these questions mean the same thing. These two statements can be combined. AT: "Why is it taking Sisera so long to arrive home" (See: Parallelism)
taken his chariot ... Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots
Both of these represent Sisera. AT: "taken Sisera ... Why has he" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
chariot
hoof
horse
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.