King James Version
What Does Judges 5:29 Mean?
“Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, answer: Heb. her words”
Context
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. At: Heb. Between dead: Heb. destroyed
28
The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29
Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, answer: Heb. her words
30
Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? every: Heb. the head of a man
31
So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(29) **Her wise ladies.**—Literally, *the wise of her princesses. *There is unconcealed scorn in this, showing that the wisest were most utterly mistaken. Their “wisdom” is the seductive flattery of delusive hopes.
**Answered her.**—The verb is in the singular, implying that one spoke after another. The Vulgate renders it. “One of his wives, wiser than the rest, answered.”
**Yea, she returned answer to herself.**—The meaning of the clause is very uncertain. It may be, “yea, she repeats their answer to herself,” accepting their flattering surmises; or, on the contrary, “but she repeats her words to herself,” entirely unconsoled; or, again—but this is less likely—“yea, she retracted her own (anxious) words.” The anxious foreboding or the inextinguishable hope would be equally true to nature, according to the temperament of the Canaanite princess.
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Judges. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Judges 5:29 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.