Judges 4:21

Heber Jael

¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ 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.

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.

²² 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.

²³ So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: 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.
KJV: 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.
WEB: Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep; so he fainted and died.
ASV: Then Jael Heber`s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.
DARBY: And Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took the hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it penetrated into the ground; for he had fallen into a deep sleep and was faint; and he died.
BLB: 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.

ÅB: Men Jael, Hebers hustru, tok en teltplugg og gikk sakte inn til ham med en hammer i hånden og slo pluggen gjennom tinningen på ham, så den gikk ned i jorden; for trett som han var, var han falt i tung søvn. Slik døde han.
OTB: Men Jael, Hebers kone, tok en teltplugg og en hammer, og gikk stille til ham mens han lå i dyp søvn, utslitt. Hun drev pluggen gjennom tinningen hans ned i bakken, og han døde.
B1930: Men Jael, Hebers hustru, tok en teltplugg og gikk sakte inn til ham med en hammer i hånden og slo pluggen gjennem tinningen på ham, så den gikk ned i jorden; for trett som han var, var han falt i tung søvn. Således døde han.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Psalms 3:7
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Read in context
Judges 5:26–27
She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
Read in context
1 Corinthians 1:27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
Read in context
Judges 3:21
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
Read in context
1 Corinthians 1:19
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Read in context
Judges 3:31
And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
Read in context
Judges 15:15
And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
Read in context
1 Samuel 17:49–50
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
Read in context