Judges 5 29

Judges 5:29 kjv

Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

Judges 5:29 nkjv

Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself,

Judges 5:29 niv

The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself,

Judges 5:29 esv

Her wisest princesses answer, indeed, she answers herself,

Judges 5:29 nlt

"Her wise women answer,
and she repeats these words to herself:

Judges 5 verses

Judges 5 29 Meaning

Judges 5:29 vividly portrays the dramatic irony of Sisera's mother's profound delusion. Along with her attendants, she attempts to console herself by rationalizing her son's delayed return. They proudly speculate that Sisera is merely preoccupied with dividing immense plunder from his victory over Israel, not knowing he has already met his ignominious end at Jael's hand. This scene serves as a stark contrast between the enemy's proud expectations and the brutal reality of God's triumph.

Judges 5 29 Context

Judges 5:29 is part of the "Song of Deborah and Barak," a triumphant poetic celebration of Israel's victory over Sisera and the Canaanite army, recorded in Judges 4 and 5. The verse is situated within a powerfully ironic narrative section (Judges 5:28-30) that starkly contrasts Jael's heroic act of assassinating Sisera (Judges 4:17-22; 5:24-27) with the anxious, yet self-assured, anticipation of Sisera's mother and her attendants. Historically, this victory liberated Israel from twenty years of severe oppression by Jabin, King of Hazor, and his commander Sisera (Judges 4:3). The scene in verse 29 serves to heighten the drama by allowing the reader a glimpse into the enemy's household, showing their blindness and the full extent of their misplaced hope and arrogance, making God's intervention and Jael's seemingly small act even more potent.

Judges 5 29 Word analysis

• Her wisest ladies: The Hebrew "חֲכָמוֹתֶיהָ" (chakhamoteyha), from the root "חָכָם" (chakham), means "her wise ones" or "her clever women." The term "wise" here is steeped in bitter irony. These women are deemed wise by worldly standards—perhaps adept at understanding war customs, estimating plunder, or offering sagacious counsel—yet their "wisdom" leads them, and Sisera's mother, into profound self-deception concerning Sisera's true fate. Their counsel, rather than providing truth or comfort, reinforces a baseless, cruel fantasy, demonstrating how human wisdom can be utter foolishness in the face of divine purpose.
• answer her: "תַעֲנֶנָּה" (ta'anenah) implies a mutual reassurance or reciprocal support. It suggests they are not merely speaking to her but also affirming her own unspoken anxieties and wishes, contributing to a collective delusion that they wish to be true. This collective reinforcement entrenches the false narrative.
• Indeed, she answers herself: The phrase "אַף הִיא תָּשִׁיב אֲמָרֶיהָ לָהּ" (af hi teshiv amareyha lah) literally means "even she returns her words to her." This emphasizes the intense self-delusion. It's not just the ladies consoling her; she herself is actively constructing and affirming the comforting lie to herself. This highlights the depth of her denial and the power of wishful thinking, even in the face of increasingly long delays. She wants to believe it so strongly that she becomes her own primary source of false hope.
• 'Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?': This is the central question and the essence of their fantasy. The repetition and rhetorical nature ("not... not...") show their assumed certainty that Sisera's delay must be due to the vast spoil, echoing the common practice of dividing war bounty after a victory. This expectation speaks volumes about their presumed triumph and the customs of war at the time.
• 'A girl or two for every man': The Hebrew "רַחַם רַחֲמָתַיִם לְרֹאשׁ גֶּבֶר" (racham rachamatayim l'rosh gever) is grim. "רַחַם" (racham) means "womb" or "girl/woman of childbearing age." The phrase literally translates to "a womb, two wombs for the head of a man." This is chilling, clearly implying that the "spoil" would include enslaved Israelite women, potentially for sexual exploitation or as part of a concubine household. It underscores the horrific intentions of Sisera's army, revealing the dark fate Israelite women would have faced had Sisera won, and intensifying the relief and divine vindication of Jael's act.
• 'Sisera will have colorful garments as spoil, colorful embroidered garments for the neck of the plunderer?': "צֶבַע רִקְמָה צֶבַע רִקְמָתַיִם" (tzeva riqmah tzeva riqmatayim) refers to expensive, intricately dyed and embroidered fabrics. These were luxury goods and valuable markers of status and wealth in the ancient Near East, highly prized as war trophies. The specific mention of "the neck of the plunderer" ("לְצַוְּארֵי שָׁלָל" l'tzavve'arei shalal) implies their desire to see Sisera adorn himself with such lavish items, proudly displaying his spoils and his status as a victorious warrior. The ultimate irony, known to the reader, is that Sisera himself would become spoil—a corpse found by Barak and Deborah, unadorned by victory, but marked by defeat.

Judges 5 29 Bonus section

The scene of Sisera's mother looking out her window, impatiently awaiting her son's return, draws a literary parallel to Sisera's final act: fleeing on foot into Jael's tent. While his mother envisions him riding back laden with spoils, the reality is a desperate, unglamorous end. This also provides a striking counterpoint to other women in Judges: the faithfulness and courage of Deborah and Jael. The contrast is sharp: Jael, who serves the Lord's purpose, is "most blessed among women" (Judg 5:24), while Sisera's mother is left with unfulfilled hopes and eventual sorrow, demonstrating God's sovereign hand in human affairs to uplift the humble and cast down the proud. The anticipation of the "colorful garments" and women as spoil emphasizes the true depravity of Canaanite intentions and implicitly magnifies the righteous judgment that fell upon them.

Judges 5 29 Commentary

Judges 5:29 is a masterwork of dramatic irony, a poignant and devastating portrait of the enemy's complete self-delusion. It invites the reader into the heart of Sisera's palace, where a powerful woman and her 'wise' companions indulge in a cruel fantasy of victory and plunder, including the gruesome detail of taking Israelite women. Their protracted waiting for a hero who will never return, speculating on spoils he will never claim, powerfully underscores the definitive nature of God's victory through Jael's hand. This scene serves to highlight several key themes: the devastating consequence of pride and hubris (Proverbs 16:18), the vanity of worldly desires (Ecclesiastes 2:11), and most importantly, God's justice that turns the wicked's boasts into their ruin (Psalm 76:5). The lamentable longing of Sisera's mother directly contrasts with the celebratory song of Deborah and Barak, powerfully illustrating that while the enemies of God’s people boast in their presumed strength and earthly gain, the true victory belongs to the Lord, whose wisdom far surpasses any human cunning (1 Corinthians 1:27).