Judges 4 · Verse 9

Judges 4:9

And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Judges 4:9, King James Version

Judges 4:9 in other translations

BSB“I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,
WEBShe said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the journey that you take won’t be for your honor; for the LORD will sell Sisera into a woman’s hand.” Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
ASVAnd she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding, the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
YLTand she saith, ‘I do certainly go with thee; only, surely thy glory is not on the way which thou art going, for into the hand of a woman doth Jehovah sell Sisera;' and Deborah riseth and goeth with Barak to Kedesh.
DARBYAnd she said, I will by all means go with thee, only that it will not be to thine honour upon the way which thou goest, for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
BBEAnd she said, I will certainly go with you: though you will get no honour in your undertaking, for the Lord will give Sisera into the hands of a woman. So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
WebsterAnd she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thy honor; for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

What does Judges 4:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman--This was a prediction which Barak could not understand at the time; but the strain of it conveyed a rebuke of his unmanly fears.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 The Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman - Does not this mean, If I go with thee, the conquest shall be attributed to me, and thou wilt have no honor? Or, is it a prediction of the exploit of Jael? In both these senses the words have been understood. It seems, however, more likely that Jael is intended. The Septuagint made a remarkable addition to the speech of Barak: "If thou wilt go with me I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go; Ὁτι ουκ οιδα την ἡμεραν εν ῃ ευοδοι Κυριος τον αγγελον μετ' εμου, because I know not the day in which the Lord will send his angel to give me success." By which he appears to mean, that although he was certain of a Divine call to this work, yet, as he knew not the time in which it would be proper for him to make the attack, he wishes that Deborah, on whom the Divine Spirit constantly rested, would accompany him to let him know when to strike that blow, which he knew would be decisive. This was quite natural, and quite reasonable, and is no impeachment whatever of Barak's faith. St. Ambrose and St. Augustine have the same reading; but it is found in no MS. nor in any other of the versions. See Jdg 4:14.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 4:4-9

Deborah was a prophetess; one instructed in Divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. She judged Israel as God's mouth to them; correcting abuses, and redressing grievances. By God's direction, she ordered Barak to raise an army, and engage Jabin's forces. Barak insisted much upon her presence. Deborah promised to go with him. She would not send him where she would not go herself. Those who in God's…

Read the full comment on Judges 4:4-9 →

Judges 4:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתֹּ֜אמֶרva.To.merand she saidH559
הָלֹ֧ךְha.Lokhcertainly <to go>H1980
אֵלֵ֣ךְ'e.LekhI will goH1980
עִמָּ֗ךְ'i.Makhwith youH5973
אֶ֚פֶס'E.fesneverthelessH657
כִּי֩kiforH3588
לֹ֨אlo'notH3808
תִֽהְיֶ֜הtih.Yehit will beH1961
תִּֽפְאַרְתְּךָ֗tif.'ar.te.Khahonor yourH8597
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ha.De.rekhthe wayH1870
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhichH834
אַתָּ֣ה'a.TahyouH859
הוֹלֵ֔ךְho.Lekh[are] goingH1980
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
בְֽיַד\־ve.yad-in [the] hand ofH3027
אִשָּׁ֔ה'i.Shaha womanH802
יִמְכֹּ֥רyim.Korhe will sellH4376
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
סִֽיסְרָ֑אsis.Ra'SiseraH5516
וַתָּ֧קָםva.Ta.komand she roseH6965
דְּבוֹרָ֛הde.vo.RahDeborahH1683
וַתֵּ֥לֶךva.Te.lekhand she wentH1980
עִם\־'im-withH5973
בָּרָ֖קba.RakBarakH1301
קֶֽדְשָׁה\׃Ked.shahKedesh towardsH6943

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 4:9

  • 1 Samuel 2:30

    Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

  • Judges 5:24-27

    Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

  • Judges 9:54

    Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

  • Judges 2:14

    And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

  • 2 Samuel 20:21-22

    The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

  • Judges 4:17-22

    Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. …

  • 2 Chronicles 26:18

    And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
notwithstanding.
1Sa 2:30; 2Ch 26:18
sell Sisera.
2:14
into.
17-22; 5:24-27; 9:54; 2Sa 20:21,22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 4:8

    And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

  • Judges 4:9

    And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

  • Judges 4:10

    And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

Read all of Judges 4

Judges 4:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y ella dijo: Iré contigo; mas no será tu honra en el camino que vas; porque en mano de mujer venderá Jehová á Sísara. Y levantándose Débora fué con Barac á Cedes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et elle dit: J’irai bien avec toi; seulement ce ne sera pas à ton honneur dans le chemin où tu vas, car l’ Éternel vendra Sisera en la main d’une femme. Et Debora se leva, et s’en alla avec Barak à Kédesh.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da sprachen sie: Ich will wohl mit dir gehen; nur daß die Ehre nicht dein sein wird auf dem Wege, den du gehst, denn in die Hand eines Weibes wird Jehova den Sisera verkaufen. Und Debora machte sich auf und ging mit Barak nach Kedes.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quæ dixit ad eum: Ibo quidem tecum, sed in hac vice victoria non reputabitur tibi, quia in manu mulieris tradetur Sisara. Surrexit itaque Debbora, et perrexit cum Barac in Cedes.