Judges 5 · Verse 23

Judges 5:23

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
Judges 5:23, King James Version

Judges 5:23 in other translations

BSB‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
WEB‘Curse Meroz,’ said the LORD’s angel. ‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they didn’t come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
ASVCurse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah. Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, Because they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.
YLTCurse Meroz--said a messenger of Jehovah, Cursing, curse ye its inhabitants, For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty!
DARBYCurse Meroz, saith the Angel of Jehovah; Curse, curse the inhabitants thereof; For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty.
BBEA curse, a curse on Meroz! said the angel of the Lord. A bitter curse on her townspeople! Because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord among the strong ones.
WebsterCurse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly its inhabitants; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

What does Judges 5:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. Curse ye Meroz--a village on the confines of Issachar and Naphtali, which lay in the course of the fugitives, but the inhabitants declined to aid in their destruction.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Curse ye Meroz - Where Meroz was is not known; some suppose it was the same as Merom, nigh to Dotham. The Syriac and Arabic have Merod; but where this was is equally uncertain. It was certainly some city or district, the inhabitants of which would not assist in this war. Curse ye bitterly - ארו ארור oru aror, curse with cursing - use the most awful execrations. Said the angel of the Lord - That is, Barak, who was Jehovah's angel or messenger in this war; the person sent by God to deliver his people. To the help of the Lord - That is, to the help of the people of the Lord. Against the mighty - בגבורים baggibborim, "with the heroes;" that is, Barak and his men, together with Zebulun and Naphtali: these were the mighty men, or heroes, with whom the inhabitants of Meroz would not join.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 5:12-23

Deborah called on her own soul to be in earnest. He that will set the hearts of other men on fire with the love of Christ, must himself burn with love. Praising God is a work we should awake to, and awake ourselves unto. She notices who fought against Israel, who fought for them, and who kept away. Who fought against them. They were obstinate enemies to God's people, therefore the more dangerous. Who fought for…

Read the full comment on Judges 5:12-23 →

Judges 5:23 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.

א֣וֹרוּ'o.rucurseH779
מֵר֗וֹזme.RozMerozH4789
אָמַר֙'a.Marhe saysH559
מַלְאַ֣ךְmal.'Akh[the] angel ofH4397
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֹ֥רוּ'O.rucurseH779
אָר֖וֹר'a.Rorcontinuously <to curse>H779
יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָyo.she.Vei.hainhabitants itsH3427
כִּ֤יkiforH3588
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
בָ֙אוּ֙va.'uthey cameH935
לְעֶזְרַ֣תle.'ez.Ratto [the] help ofH5833
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לְעֶזְרַ֥תle.'ez.Ratto [the] help ofH5833
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
בַּגִּבּוֹרִֽים\׃ba.gi.bo.Rimon the mighty [ones]H1368

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

Cross references for Judges 5:23

  • 1 Corinthians 16:22

    If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.

  • 1 Samuel 18:17

    And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

  • Judges 21:9-10

    For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh–gilead there. And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh–gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

  • Jeremiah 48:10

    Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:9

    For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

  • Nehemiah 3:5

    And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

  • 2 Corinthians 6:1

    We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

  • Judges 4:6

    And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh–naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

  • 1 Samuel 26:19

    Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.

  • Romans 15:18

    For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

  • Judges 13:3

    And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

  • 1 Samuel 17:47

    And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Curse ye.
1Sa 26:19; Jer 48:10; 1Co 16:22
Meroz.This city of Meroz seems to have been, at this time, a place of considerable importance, since something great was expected from it; but probably, after the angel of the Lord had pronounced this curse, it dwindled and like the fig-tree which Christ cursed, withered away; so that we never read of it after this in Scripture.
the angel.
2:1; 4:6; 6:11; 13:3; Mt 25:41
they came.
21:9,10; Ne 3:5
to the help.
1Sa 17:47; 18:17; 25:28; Ro 15:18; 1Co 3:9; 2Co 6:1

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

Context

  • Judges 5:22

    Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

  • Judges 5:23

    Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

  • Judges 5:24

    Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

Read all of Judges 5

Judges 5:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Maldecid á Meroz, dijo el ángel de Jehová: maldecid severamente á sus moradores, porque no vinieron en socorro á Jehová, en socorro á Jehová contra los fuertes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Maudissez Méroz, dit l’Ange de l’ Éternel; maudissez, maudissez ses habitants! car ils ne sont pas venus au secours de l’ Éternel, au secours de l’ Éternel, avec les hommes forts.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Fluchet Meros! spricht der Engel Jehovas, verfluchet seine Bewohner! Denn sie sind nicht Jehova zu Hülfe gekommen, Jehova zu Hülfe unter den Helden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Maledicite terræ Meroz, dixit angelus Domini: maledicite habitatoribus ejus, quia non venerunt ad auxilium Domini, in adjutorium fortissimorum ejus.