Discovery BoxJudges 4:15-21 
Context4:15 The Lord routed 1 Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. 2 Sisera jumped out of 3 his chariot and ran away on foot. 4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died 4 by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! 5
4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor 6 and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 7 4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, 8 my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera 9 stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’” 4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. 10 She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground 11 while he was asleep from exhaustion, 12 and he died.
1 tn Or “caused to panic.”
2 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Heb “got down from.”
4 tn Heb “fell.”
5 tn Heb “was left.”
6 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
7 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
8 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
11 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
12 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
