Who is jael in the bible

God was faithful and true to His word and gave Barak a decisive victory against the opposing army. Sisera the commander, however, escaped on foot. He needed time to recover, after such a defeat, before having to return to face his king. Jael came out of her tent to meet him and invited him in. Sisera was thirsty and asked for a drink, but instead of giving him water, she gave him a drink of milk and covered him with a blanket.

He asked her to stand guard at the door of the tent and keep his presence secret. Exhausted, but now relaxed and feeling safe, Sisera fell asleep. Barak who was in pursuit of Sisera now appeared. Jael told him that she had the man he was looking for, just as Deborah had prophesied, Sisera had been killed by a woman.

On that day Jabin, the king of Canaan, was subdued by the Israelites until eventually they destroyed him. But the honour for destroying the commander of the opposing army was given to a woman. Jael would have had no choice but to accompany her husband northwards. On the day of battle, she would have been watching and listening for any news. The outcome of this battle would affect everyone. When the defeated Sisera, approached her tent and appealed for help, she had a decision to make.

Defying convention, she invited Sisera into her tent to rest — at that time culturally, the only acceptable men to be invited into her tent would be her husband or father. Jael proved herself to be resourceful and courageous. She, very quickly, formed a plan and used what was available, what she had at hand. This is not a story about physical strength but about strength of commitment to God. A guest, once ritually invited into the home, had to be protected and cared for, even at the expense of everyone else in the house.

But only the chief man of the household could offer ritual hospitality. She covered him with a rug, which suggests that he was afraid and wanted to hide. He asked for water. Exhausted from the battle and his flight, he fell asleep.

He sank, he fell, He lay still at her feet. Faced with a man who was far superior to her in physical strength, Jael used her wits and courage. Whatever her reasons, the Israelites celebrated her as a national heroine, who together with Deborah had saved them from their mortal enemies.

There are extraordinary similarities between the stories of Jael and the young boy David, when he killed the giant Goliath. Both of them. Judges In the last part of the Song of Deborah is a sketch of a third woman, not Israelite like Deborah and Jael but a Canaanite enemy. Why tarry the hoof-beats of his chariots? As the reader knows, he will never return. Jael has killed him. The image of a woman watching at a window had special significance for the people who listened to this story.

It was a common image of the goddess in Canaanite religion. She is the mother of something that is already dead, although she does not realize it. Even the wisest of the princesses around her, the priestesses of the goddess, do not realize the truth.

The text implies that Canaanite religion is also dead, though its followers have not yet realized the fact. What the fighting was about: rich farming land of the Plain of Esdraelon and Jezreel.

Right can defeat might. Though she was a weak woman, Jael triumphed over a seemingly invincible warrior. The story ridiculed the Canaanite warriors: being murdered by a weak woman was a shameful way for a soldier to die. To drive the point home, there was a humiliating element of sexual derision in the story: male sexual symbols such as the hammer and nails were used, but by a woman against a man.

A bee is small, hardly worth noticing, but it can give a nasty sting when it wants. The name ridicules the man. Sisera is not a Semitic name. He may have been one of the legendary Sea Peoples, skilled in military matters and feared wherever they went.

Extra ideas about Jael. Bible Battles. Deborah — the Bible text for her story. The world Deborah lived in. Bible Warriors: Barak. Ancient warfare. But her husband Heber was a businessman and therefore remained on good terms with the Canaanites. Jael and Heber were tinsmiths who made farming utensils, domestic items and weapons. They traveled where they could find work. Their campsite was close to the battlefield because they were making and supplying weapons for the army.

Sisera saw the encampment of Jael and Heber as a refuge after his bloody battle that day. He was running for his life when he runs to the tent of Jael. Jael covered him with a rug, which suggests that he was afraid and wanted to hide. While divine judgment fell upon Sisera, Jael erred in that she did not allow God to designate the means of punishment.

What atrocious crimes have been committed in the name of patriotism! The best value in digital Bible study. No software to install. Try it FREE.