Judges 5:12
in Judges 5‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song: Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam.
KJV
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
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This verse in Judges 5
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(Judges 5:12) Rise, rise Deborah; rise, speak the Song. It is noteworthy that in Hebrew it is read 'exspergisce,' that is, 'exspergisce' in the spirit of prophecy. Therefore, by the voices of the aforementioned teachers, Deborah is urged to be 'exspergisce' in the spirit of prophecy and praise, and not to cease from praising God. Hence, it follows: Speak the Song. Rise, Barak, and take your captives, son of Abinoam. In Hebrew, it is said: 'Praedare praedam, tuam fili Abinoem.'
This site's exposition
Awake, awake, sing a song
on Judges 5:12-13
The song calls on itself to wake. Its "take hold of your captives" shares a phrase with Psalm 68:18, "You have led captives away", which Paul quotes of Christ at Ephesians 4:8. Verse 13 sets "the survivors" against "the mighty", so the poem states plainly that the smaller party won.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Awake, Awake, Deborah!" Increase righteousness, establish the people, arise for the glory of God and the salvation of the people. "Gathering strength, arise Barak!" Arise and establish [the people] as was said to Moses, "Stand by me." David likewise said, "Our feet stand in your …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Awake - Stir up thyself and all that is within thee, to admire and praise the Lord. This work needs and well deserves the utmost liveliness and vigour of soul. Lead captivity captive - How could this be done, when there was none of them left? chap. iv, 16.
Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song, &c.
These she would have led in chains after Barak, when he made his public entry into his own city, to grace his triumphs; not as if it should be any pleasure to him to trample upon his fellow-creatures, but thus he must give glory to God, and serve that great purpose of his government which is to look upon those that are proud and to abase them.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The wells which are at a little distance from towns in the East, are, in unsettled times, places of danger. But in peace they are scenes of pleasant and joyous resort.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 340: “'Magnificat'” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1860)
proposed
ANY OF THE SAINTS of God are as mournful as if they were captives in Babylon, for their life is spent in tears and sighing. They will not chant the joyous psalm of praise, and if there be any that require of them a song, they reply, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" But, my brethren, we are not captives in Babylon; we do not sit down to weep by Babel's streams; "the Lord hath broken our captivity, he hath brought us up out of the house of our bondage.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 340: “'Magnificat'” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1860)
proposed
ANY OF THE SAINTS of God are as mournful as if they were captives in Babylon, for their life is spent in tears and sighing. They will not chant the joyous psalm of praise, and if there be any that require of them a song, they reply, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" But, my brethren, we are not captives in Babylon; we do not sit down to weep by Babel's streams; "the Lord hath broken our captivity, he hath brought us up out of the house of our bondage. We are freemen; we are not slaves; we are not sold into the hand of cruel taskmasters, but we that have believed do enter into rest:" Hebrews 4:3. Moses could not give rest to Israel; he could bring them to Jordan, but across the stream he could not conduct them; Joshua alone could lead them into the lot of their inheritance, and our Joshua, our Jesus, has led us into the land of promise. He hath brought us into a land which the Lord our God thinketh on; a land of hills and valleys; a land that floweth with milk and honey; and though the Canaanites still be in the land, and plague us full sore, yet is it all our own, and he hath said unto us, "All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's:" 1 Corinthians 3:21-23. We are not, I say, captives, sold under sin; we are a people who sit every man under his own vine and his own fig-tree, none making us afraid. We dwell in "a strong city, salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks:" Isaiah 26:1. We have come unto Zion, the city of our solemnities, and the mourning of Babylon is not suitable to the palace of the great King, which is beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth. "Let us serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with singing:" Psalm 100:2.
Lead thy captivity captive - Make those captives who have formerly captivated us.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Deborah incites Barak to carry off as his prey the captive Canaanites and their sheep and cattle (their “captivity”).
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Awaken, awaken. The inference is, "awaken to praise," as plainly indicated. "Intensify your singing." However, the Rabbis remark, 17 Pesachim,:b. because she was self lauditory and said, "Until I rose, Devorah," 18 Thereby favoring herself over the leaders who preceded her.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Battle formations. Menachem interprets "strategists, military tactitians." 13 Meaning “the battle formations organized by strategists and tactitians.” He relates this to "The locust has no king, yet he advances entirely 'in formation'." 14 Mishlei,:27. The meaning is 'battle formations." Another interpretation, 15 Both interpretations appear in Targum Yonasan.
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. 3 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
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עוּרִ֤י | ʾuri | awake | H5782 → | 80 times |
| עוּרִי֙ | ʾuri | awake | H5782 → | 80 times |
| דְּבוֹרָ֔ה | devorah | O Deborah | H1683 → | 10 times |
| ע֥וּרִי | ʾuri | awake | H5782 → | 80 times |
| ע֖וּרִי | ʾuri | awake | H5782 → | 80 times |
| דַּבְּרִי־ | daberi- | speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| שִׁ֑יר | shir | a song | H7892 → | |
| ק֥וּם | kum | arise | H6965 → | 628 times |
| בָּרָ֛ק | barak | O Barak | H1301 → | 13 times |
| וּֽשֲׁבֵ֥ה | ushaveh | and take captive | H7617 → | |
| שֶׁבְיְךָ֖ | shevyekha | captive[s] your | H7628 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אֲבִינֹֽעַם׃ | ʾavinoam | Abinoam | H42 → | 4 times |
עוּרִ֤יawake
ʾuriH5782 →80 times
עוּרִי֙awake
ʾuriH5782 →80 times
דְּבוֹרָ֔הO Deborah
devorahH1683 →10 times
ע֥וּרִיawake
ʾuriH5782 →80 times
ע֖וּרִיawake
ʾuriH5782 →80 times
דַּבְּרִי־speak
daberi-H1696 →1141 times
שִׁ֑ירa song
shirH7892 →
ק֥וּםarise
kumH6965 →628 times
בָּרָ֛קO Barak
barakH1301 →13 times
וּֽשֲׁבֵ֥הand take captive
ushavehH7617 →
שֶׁבְיְךָ֖captive[s] your
shevyekhaH7628 →
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אֲבִינֹֽעַם׃Abinoam
ʾavinoamH42 →4 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
Ephesians 5:14So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- Isaiah 52:1
Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 13:11–12
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Isaiah 26:19
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her…
- 1 Thessalonians 5:6
So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.
- Isaiah 60:1
Through
Ephesians 4:8This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”
it leads to
- Psalms 68:18
You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
- Colossians 2:15
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
- Psalms 68:18
Through
Psalms 68:18You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
it leads to
- Ephesians 4:8–10
This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”
- Ephesians 4:8–10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 340: “'Magnificat'” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on the Song of Deborah; 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; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Procopius of Gaza, COMMENTARY ON JUDGES 5.12.