Discovery BoxJudges 5:24-27 
Context5:24 The most rewarded 1 of women should be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite!
She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.
5:25 He asked for water,
and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for a king, 2
she served him curds.
5:26 Her left 3 hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
She “hammered” 4 Sisera,
she shattered his skull, 5
she smashed his head, 6
she drove the tent peg through his temple. 7
5:27 Between her feet he collapsed,
he fell limp 8 and was lifeless; 9
between her feet he collapsed and fell limp,
in the spot where he collapsed,
there he fell limp – violently murdered! 10
1 tn Or “blessed.”
2 tn Or “for mighty ones.”
3 tn The adjective “left” is interpretive, based on the context. Note that the next line pictures Jael holding the hammer with her right hand.
4 tn The verb used here is from the same root as the noun “hammer” in the preceding line.
5 tn Or “head.”
6 tn The phrase “his head” (an implied direct object) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 tn Heb “she pierced his temple.”
8 tn Heb “he fell.” The same Hebrew expression occurs two more times in this verse.
9 tn Heb “and he lay.
10 tn Or “dead, murdered.”
