Judges 5 · Verse 26

Judges 5:26

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.
Judges 5:26, King James Version

Judges 5:26 in other translations

BSBShe reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
WEBShe put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer. With the hammer she struck Sisera. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.
ASVShe put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head; Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
YLTHer hand to the pin she sendeth forth, And her right hand to the labourers' hammer, And she hammered Sisera--she smote his head, Yea, she smote, and it passed through his temple.
DARBYShe put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; And she smote Sisera, she struck through his head, Shattered and pierced through his temples.
BBEShe put out her hand to the tent-pin, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; and she gave Sisera a blow, crushing his head, wounding and driving through his brow.
WebsterShe 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 struck through his temples.

What does Judges 5:26 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 5:24-27

24-27. is a most graphic picture of the treatment of Sisera in the tent of Jael.

Read the full comment on Judges 5:24-27 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 26 She smote off his head - The original does not warrant this translation; nor is it supported by fact. She smote his head, and transfixed him through the temples. It was his head that received the death wound, and the place where this wound was inflicted was the temples. The manner in which Jael despatched Sisera seems to have been this: 1. Observing him to be in a profound sleep she took a workman's hammer, probably a joiner's mallet, and with one blow on the head deprived him of all sense. 2. She then took a tent nail and drove it through his temples, and thus pinned him to the earth; which she could not have done had she not previously stunned him with the blow on the head. Thus she first smote his head, and secondly pierced his temples.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 5:24-31

Jael had a special blessing. Those whose lot is cast in the tent, in a low and narrow sphere, if they serve God according to the powers he has given them, shall not lose their reward. The mother of Sisera looked for his return, not in the least fearing his success. Let us take heed of indulging eager desires towards any temporal good, particularly toward that which cherishes vain-glory, for that was what she here…

Read the full comment on Judges 5:24-31 →

Judges 5:26 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.

יָדָהּ֙ya.Dahhand herH3027
לַיָּתֵ֣דlai.ya.Tedto the pegH3489
תִּשְׁלַ֔חְנָהtish.Lach.nahthey stretched outH7971
וִֽימִינָ֖הּvi.mi.Nahand right [hand] herH3225
לְהַלְמ֣וּתle.hal.Mutto a hammer ofH1989
עֲמֵלִ֑ים'a.me.LimworkmenH6001
וְהָלְמָ֤הve.hal.Mahand she struckH1986
סִֽיסְרָא֙si.se.Ra'SiseraH5516
מָחֲקָ֣הma.cha.Kahshe shatteredH4277
רֹאשׁ֔וֹro.Shohead hisH7218
וּמָחֲצָ֥הu.ma.cha.Tzahand she smashedH4272
וְחָלְפָ֖הve.chal.Fahand she piercedH2498
רַקָּתֽוֹ\׃ra.ka.Totemple hisH7541

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

Cross references for Judges 5:26

  • 1 Samuel 17:49-51

    And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

  • Judges 4:21

    Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

  • 2 Samuel 20:22

    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.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
with the. Heb. She hammered. she smote off.Or rather, "she smote his head, then she struck through and pierced his temples:" which is more consonant to the original, and to fact, as it does not appear that she smote off his head.
1Sa 17:49-51; 2Sa 20:22

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

Context

  • Judges 5:25

    He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

  • Judges 5:26

    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.

  • Judges 5:27

    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.

Read all of Judges 5

Judges 5:26 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Su mano tendió á la estaca, y su diestra al mazo de trabajadores; y majó á Sísara, hirió su cabeza, llagó y atravesó sus sienes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Elle a étendu sa main vers le pieu, et sa droite vers le marteau des ouvriers; elle a frappé Sisera, elle lui a brisé la tête, elle lui a fracassé et transpercé la tempe.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ihre Hand streckte sie aus nach dem Pflocke und ihre Rechte nach dem Hammer der Arbeiter; und sie hämmerte auf Sisera, zerschmetterte sein Haupt und zerschlug und durchbohrte seine Schläfe.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Sinistram manum misit ad clavum, et dexteram ad fabrorum malleos. Percussitque Sisaram quærens in capite vulneri locum, et tempus valide perforans: