Wesley Corpus

Chapter V Deborah's song begins with praise, ver. 1 - 3. Compares God's present appearance for them with his appearance on mount Sinai, ver. 4 - 5. Describes the condition they were in before, ver. 6 - 8. Calls all the delivered to join in praise, ver. 9 - 13. Commends those tribes that were forward in the war, and censures those that declined the service, ver. 14 - 19. Takes notice how God fought for them, and how Jael slew Sisera, ver. 20 - 30. Concludes with prayer, ver.. 31. Deborah - The composer of this song. The Lord - Give him the praise who hath done the work. The people - Chiefly Zebulun and Naphtali. Offered themselves - When neither Deborah nor Barak had any power to compel them. The princes - You especially that live near, and have evil designs against Israel, know this for your caution, and terror too, if you presume to molest them. God of Israel - Who, as you see by this plain instance, is both able and resolved to defend them from all their enemies. Edom - Seir and Edom are the same place; and these two expressions note the same thing, even God's marching in the head of his people, from Seir or Edom, towards the land of Canaan: while the Israelites were encompassing mount Seir, there were none of the following effects; but when once they had done that, and got Edom on their backs, then they marched directly forward towards the land of Canaan. The prophetess being to praise God for the present mercies, takes her rise higher, and begins her song with the commemoration of the ancient deliverances afforded by God to his people, the rather because of the great resemblance this had with them, in the miraculous manner of them. The earth trembled - God prepared the way for his people, and struck a dread into their enemies, by earth - quakes as well as by other terrible signs. Dropped water - That is, thou didst send storms and tempests, thunder and lightning, and other tokens of thy displeasure upon thine enemies. Melted - Or, flowed, with floods of water powered out of the clouds upon them, and from them flowing down in a mighty stream upon the lower grounds, and carrying down part of the mountains with it.