Judges 4:13
in Judges 4he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, unto the river Kishon.
KJV
And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.
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This verse in Judges 4
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
they shewed Sisera that Barak
on Judges 4:12-13
Sisera hears and brings every chariot he has down from Harosheth to the Kishon, which puts iron wheels into a riverbed at the foot of Tabor. The prose account gives no reason for what becomes of them, and the song in chapter 5 gives two: 5:20 says the stars in their courses fought against Sisera, and 5:21 says the river of Kishon swept them away. Both accounts of the one battle stand in the book, the narrative keeping the mechanism out of sight while the poem names it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Sisera gathered together all his chariots,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the river of Kishon--The plain on its bank was chosen as the battlefield by Sisera himself, who was unconsciously drawn thither for the ruin of his army.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
From Charoshes Hagoyim to Kishon stream. He mobilized them to proceed to the stream of Kishon from Charoshes Hagoyim where he was stationed.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Has not the Lord gone out before you: It is like its translation (in the Targum) - "did not the angel of the Lord go out before you to make you successful."
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּזְעֵ֨ק | vaiyazek | and he summoned | H2199 → | 73 times |
| סִֽיסְרָ֜א | sisra' | Sisera | H5516 → | 21 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| רִכְבּ֗וֹ | rikhbo | chariotry his | H7393 → | 119 times |
| תְּשַׁ֤ע | tesha' | nine | H8672 → | |
| מֵאוֹת֙ | meot | hundred<s> | H3967 → | 581 times |
| רֶ֣כֶב | rekhev | chariot[s] of | H7393 → | 119 times |
| בַּרְזֶ֔ל | barzel | iron | H1270 → | 76 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אִתּ֑וֹ | ʾito | [was] with him | H854 → | 929 times |
| מֵחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת | mecharoshet | from Harosheth | H2800 → | 3 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֖ם | hagoyim | Haggoyim | H1471 → | 561 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| נַ֥חַל | nachal | [the] wadi of | H5158 → | 141 times |
| קִישֽׁוֹן׃ | kishon | Kishon | H7028 → | 6 times |
וַיַּזְעֵ֨קand he summoned
vaiyazekH2199 →73 times
סִֽיסְרָ֜אSisera
sisra'H5516 →21 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
רִכְבּ֗וֹchariotry his
rikhboH7393 →119 times
תְּשַׁ֤עnine
tesha'H8672 →
מֵאוֹת֙hundred<s>
meotH3967 →581 times
רֶ֣כֶבchariot[s] of
rekhevH7393 →119 times
בַּרְזֶ֔לiron
barzelH1270 →76 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אִתּ֑וֹ[was] with him
ʾitoH854 →929 times
מֵחֲרֹ֥שֶׁתfrom Harosheth
mecharoshetH2800 →3 times
הַגּוֹיִ֖םHaggoyim
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
נַ֥חַל[the] wadi of
nachalH5158 →141 times
קִישֽׁוֹן׃Kishon
kishonH7028 →6 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 4:7And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
it leads to
- Psalms 83:9–10
Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
- Judges 5:21
The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
- Ezekiel 38:10–16
This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
- 1 Kings 18:40
Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
- 1 Samuel 24:10
Behold, this day you have seen with your own eyes that the LORD delivered you into my hand in the cave. I was told to kill you, but I spared you and said, ‘I…
- Psalms 83:9–10
Where this verse is studied
About Judges
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.