Judges 5 8

Judges 5:8 kjv

They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Judges 5:8 nkjv

They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Judges 5:8 niv

God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Judges 5:8 esv

When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Judges 5:8 nlt

When Israel chose new gods,
war erupted at the city gates.
Yet not a shield or spear could be seen
among forty thousand warriors in Israel!

Judges 5 verses

Judges 5 8 Meaning

Judges 5:8 poetically describes Israel's dire state prior to Deborah and Barak's victory over the Canaanites. It asserts that Israel had forsaken the true God for "new gods," a deliberate act of apostasy. The consequence of this spiritual defection was a tangible military and existential crisis: war raged directly "in the gates" of their cities, signifying constant threats and invasions reaching their very heartland. Furthermore, despite potentially having a large populace, Israel found itself remarkably disarmed and utterly vulnerable, lacking even basic defensive "shield or spear" among forty thousand. This verse underscores the divine principle that rebellion against God leads to weakness and societal decay, while allegiance brings protection and strength.

Judges 5 8 Context

Judges 5, known as the Song of Deborah, is a triumphant ode celebrating God's deliverance of Israel from Canaanite oppression under Sisera. It stands in stark contrast to the prose account in Judges 4, offering a poetic and often more vivid narrative. Verse 8 functions as a retrospective lament, depicting the national humiliation and military impotence that resulted from Israel's widespread apostasy before God raised Deborah and Barak. This dire pre-battle situation serves to magnify God's miraculous intervention and the glory of the subsequent victory, emphasizing that deliverance came not from Israel's might but from divine favor in response to repentance and courage. The historical context is the period of the Judges, characterized by cyclical patterns of disobedience, foreign oppression, and eventual, divinely-appointed deliverance.

Judges 5 8 Word analysis

• They chose (בָּחַר bachar): This verb signifies a deliberate act of selection or preference. It highlights Israel's active responsibility in turning away from God, not merely passively falling into idolatry. It suggests a conscious rejection of their covenant relationship with Yahweh.
• new gods (אֱלֹהִים חֲדָשִׁים elohim chadashim):
  • Elohim: While often referring to the one true God, it can also denote foreign deities. Here, it explicitly refers to false gods.
  • Chadashim: Meaning "new" or "fresh." This emphasizes the novelty of their chosen deities, distinguishing them from Yahweh, the ancient, eternal God who had revealed Himself to their ancestors. It carries a polemical tone against polytheism and the attraction to novel, human-invented worship forms over established divine truth.
• then was war (אָז יִלְחַם az yilcham):
  • Az: "Then" or "at that time." It functions as a temporal connector but also implies a cause-and-effect relationship, linking the idolatry directly to the ensuing conflict.
  • Yilcham: "Warred" or "fought." The imperfect tense suggests a continuous or habitual state of warfare. This wasn't an isolated incident but a constant, grinding reality of conflict.
• in the gates (שְׁעָרִים she'arim): City gates were critical, multifaceted areas in ancient Israel—places of legal proceedings, commerce, social gathering, and primary defense points. War "in the gates" is a vivid and stark image: it means the conflict was no longer distant skirmishes on the borders but had reached the very heart and most vulnerable part of their communities, signifying extreme oppression, siege, and internal insecurity.
• was there a shield or spear seen (הֲיִרָא מָגֵן אוֹ רֹמַח ha'yira magen o romach):
  • Ha'yira: An interrogative particle "ha-" combined with "yira" (to be seen/perceived). This forms a rhetorical question, powerfully asserting that neither defensive (shield) nor offensive (spear) weaponry was evident.
  • Magen: A small shield, typically for personal defense.
  • Romach: A larger spear or lance, primarily an offensive weapon.
  • The absence of both types of basic weaponry highlights complete military deprivation, either due to their enemies disarming them (like the Philistines in 1 Sam 13:19-22) or utter neglect and poverty resulting from their unfaithfulness.
• among forty thousand in Israel (בְּאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל be'arbayim elef be'yisrael): "Forty thousand" represents a significant number of fighting men. The point is not that there were only forty thousand men, but that among this considerable segment of the fighting-age male population, no weapons could be found. This starkly portrays a nation disarmed, humiliated, and rendered militarily impotent, underscoring the severity of their oppression and divine judgment.

Judges 5 8 Bonus section

The poetic parallelism often employed in the Song of Deborah subtly highlights the connections within the verse. The choosing of "new gods" in the first half is directly linked to the consequences of "war in the gates" and the weaponlessness in the second. This verse establishes a fundamental principle: spiritual faithfulness impacts material reality, specifically national defense and well-being. The mention of "forty thousand" is a numerical irony—a significant number of men, presumably warriors, are depicted as utterly helpless, contrasting sharply with how a small, God-empowered force could achieve great victories (as demonstrated in Judges 4 and 5). This numerical detail further underscores the depths of Israel's humiliation and impotence before God intervened.

Judges 5 8 Commentary

Judges 5:8 paints a grim tableau of national decay born from spiritual apostasy. Israel's turning to "new gods" was not an innocent or trivial act, but a deliberate abandonment of the Lord, which directly correlated with severe physical and societal consequences. The war raging "in the gates" depicts an immediate, personal threat to every Israelite household, signifying pervasive insecurity and loss of sovereignty. The lack of "shield or spear among forty thousand" illustrates not merely a logistical problem but a state of profound spiritual disarming. This was either the direct result of divine judgment, removing their strength, or an oppressive measure by their enemies facilitated by God allowing them to be delivered into their enemies' hands due to their unfaithfulness. The verse emphasizes that true national security and strength lie in faithfulness to God, not in human military might or innovations. When God is abandoned, vulnerability becomes a national characteristic.