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Selected Verse: Judges 5:20 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Jud 5:20 |
King James |
They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| the stars in their courses fought--A fearful tempest burst upon them and threw them into disorder. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
| God fought on the side of Israel, and gave them the victory. Josephus relates that, just as the battle began, a violent tempest came on with a great downfall of rain; and a hailstorm, which, driving full in the faces of the Canaanites, so blinded and benumbed them with cold, that they could neither use their bows with effect nor even hold their swords. |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
| For not only did the Israelites fight against them, but he powers of heaven also. "From heaven" is more minutely defined by "the stars from their courses." These words explain the statement in Jdg 4:15, "the Lord discomfited Sisera;" though in our opinion not so clearly as to enable us to define more precisely the natural phenomenon by which God threw the enemy into confusion. In all probability we have to think of a terrible storm, with thunder and lightning and hail, or the sudden bursting of a cloud, which is poetically described as though the stars of heaven had left their courses to fight for the Lord and His kingdom upon earth. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| From heaven - Or, they from heaven, or the heavenly host fought, by thunder, and lightning, and hail - stones, possibly mingled with fire. The stars - Raising these storms by their influences, which they do naturally. Courses - Or, from their paths, or stations. As soldiers fight in their ranks and places assigned them, so did these. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
They fought from heaven - The angels of God came to the assistance of Israel: and the stars in their orbits fought against Sisera; probably some thunder storm, or great inundation from the river Kishon, took place at that time, which in poetic language was attributed to the stars. So our poet sung relative to the storms which dispersed the Spanish armada in 1588: -
"Both winds and waves at once conspire
To aid old England - frustrate Spain's desire."
Perhaps it means no more than this: the time which was measured and ruled by the heavenly bodies seemed only to exist for the destruction of the Canaanites. There may be also a reference to the sun and moon standing still in the days of Joshua. |
15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.