Judges 4:2
in Judges 4So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
KJV
And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
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This verse in Judges 4
Commentary
7 notes on this verseJabin king of Canaan - Probably a descendant of the Jabin mentioned Jos 11:1, etc., who had gathered together the wrecks of the army of that Jabin defeated by Joshua. Calmet supposes that these Canaanites had the dominion over the tribes of Naphtali, Zebulun, and Issachar; while Deborah judged in Ephraim, and Shamgar in Judah.
This site's exposition
Israel again did evil
on Judges 4:1-3
This is the fourth of the seven times the book says it, at 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6 and 13:1. The oppressor reigns in Hazor, the city Joshua 11:10-11 says Joshua took and burnt with fire, and readers differ over whether Jabin is a throne name carried by a later king or a house rebuilt on the old ground, with Adam Clarke taking the second man for a descendant of the first. Nine hundred chariots of iron answers Judges 1:19, where Judah could not drive out the valley because the inhabitants had chariots of iron, and the phrase falls four times in the whole Bible, at Joshua 17:16, Judges 1:19, and twice in this chapter. The cry of verse 3 is the third of six in the book, after 3:9 and 3:15.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Of the Gentiles - So called, because it was much frequented and inhabited by the Gentiles; either by the Canaanites, who being beaten out of their former possessions, seated themselves in those northern parts; or by other nations coming there for traffick, whence Galilee, where this was, is called Galilee of the Gentiles.
, by way of reprisal) " into the hands of a woman; " that is, [1.] The world would ascribe the victory to the hand of Deborah: this he might himself foresee. [2.] God (to correct his weakness) would complete the victory by the hand of Jael, which would be some eclipse to his glory.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the Lord sold them,....
But it seems, in process of time, the city was rebuilt, the power regained, the loss retrieved, and, by degrees, the king of Hazor becomes able to tyrannize over Israel, who by sin had lost all their advantage against the Canaanites. This servitude was longer than either of the former, and much more grievous.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
See Jos 11:1 note. Since the events there narrated, Hazor must have been rebuilt, and have resumed its position as the metropolis of the northern Canaanites; the other cities must also have resumed their independence, and restored the fallen dynasties. Harosheth (identified by Conder with El Harathlyeh, see Jdg 4:6) is marked by the addition of the Gentiles, as in Galilee of the nations Gen 14:1; Isa 9:1. The name Harosheth signifies workmanship, cutting and carving, whether in stone or wood Exo 31:5, and hence, might be applied to the place where such works are carried on. It has been conjectured that this being a great timber district, rich in cedars and fir-trees, and near Great Zidon Jos 11:8, Jabin kept a large number of oppressed Israelites at work in hewing wood, and preparing it at Harosheth for transport to Zidon; and that these woodcutters, armed with axes and hatchets, formed the soldiers of Barak’s army.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּמְכְּרֵ֣ם | vaiyimkerem | and he sold them | H4376 → | 80 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּיַד֙ | beyad | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יָבִ֣ין | yavin | Jabin | H2985 → | 8 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| כְּנַ֔עַן | kenaan | Canaan | H3667 → | 94 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מָלַ֖ךְ | malakh | he reigned | H4427 → | 348 times |
| בְּחָצ֑וֹר | bechatzor | in Hazor | H2674 → | |
| וְשַׂר־ | vesar- | and [was] [the] commander of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| צְבָאוֹ֙ | tzevao | army his | H6635 → | 485 times |
| סִֽיסְרָ֔א | sisra' | Sisera | H5516 → | 21 times |
| וְה֥וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יוֹשֵׁ֖ב | yoshev | [was] dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בַּחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת | bacharoshet | in Harosheth | H2800 → | 3 times |
| הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ | hagoyim | Haggoyim | H1471 → | 561 times |
וַיִּמְכְּרֵ֣םand he sold them
vaiyimkeremH4376 →80 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּיַד֙in [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
יָבִ֣יןJabin
yavinH2985 →8 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
כְּנַ֔עַןCanaan
kenaanH3667 →94 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מָלַ֖ךְhe reigned
malakhH4427 →348 times
בְּחָצ֑וֹרin Hazor
bechatzorH2674 →
וְשַׂר־and [was] [the] commander of
vesar-H8269 →421 times
צְבָאוֹ֙army his
tzevaoH6635 →485 times
סִֽיסְרָ֔אSisera
sisra'H5516 →21 times
וְה֥וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
יוֹשֵׁ֖ב[was] dwelling
yoshevH3427 →1079 times
בַּחֲרֹ֥שֶׁתin Harosheth
bacharoshetH2800 →3 times
הַגּוֹיִֽם׃Haggoyim
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
1 Samuel 12:9But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of…
it leads to
- Judges 10:7
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites,
- Judges 13:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
- Judges 3:12
Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 32:18
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
- Judges 10:7
Through
Judges 4:13he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
it leads to
- Judges 4:2–3
So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
- Judges 4:2–3
Through
Psalms 83:9Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
it leads to
- Isaiah 9:4
For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.
- Isaiah 9:4
Through
Joshua 11:1Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
it leads to
- Joshua 11:10
At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.
- Joshua 10:3–4
Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
- Joshua 11:10
Where this verse is studied
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.