Ver. 10. Speak, ye that ride on white asses.] Ye nobles and circuit judges; ye merchants and marketmen, that while durst not be seen abroad for Tories and cut throats, speak out God’s worthy praises for the re-enjoyment of your pristine privileges, that your Malvoy is now become a Salvoy.

Ver. 11. In the places of drawing water.] The water bearers that erst could not draw water, but with the hazard of their lives or liberties, are now freed of that fear. There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord.] Not sing filthy songs and ballads, the scurf of scald heads, as one caileth them, but spiritual songs to God’s glory, and their mutual edification. In the primitive times, happy was he counted who could sing aliquid Davidicum, something of David’s ditties. Tatianus telleth us that the boys and girls, as they sat at their work, were wont to speak of God’s word. And Nicephorus writeth, that the Christians, even as they travelled and journeyed, were wont to sing psalms of praise to God. Then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.] Where was wont to be war, (Judges 5:8) but no law and judgment. Inter arma silent leges. the noise of wars drowneth the voice of laws, (Lamentations 2:9) the law is no more. Eccles. Hist. lib. iii., cap. 37.

Ver. 12. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake.] As the cock clapping first his own sides awakeneth himself, and then calleth up others; so doth Deborah here, and finding haply some indisposition to this duty of praising God, she setteth the thorn to the breast, with the nightingale. Her good soul was unsatisfiable; and, like an earthly angel, she sings perpetual hallelujahs, stirring up others to do the like.

Ver. 13. Then he made him that remaineth,] i.e., Once he made the relics of the Canaanites to rule over the nobles of Israel; but now the Lord hath made me or my people to have dominion over those mighties. Or rather thus, Then he made the residue of Israel to prevail over their oppressors. The Lord made me, a weak woman, to get the better of those nobles and high officials.

Ver. 14. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them.] Deborah, an Ephraimite, was the root and rise of this expedition against the Canaanites, and the Amalakites their auxiliaries. After thee, Benjamin,] i.e., After thee, O Ephraim, came Benjamin. Out of Maehir,] i.e., Out of that half tribe of Manasseh which dwelt within Canaan: for the other half tribe beyond Jordan are afterwards, under the name of Gilead, blamed for their backwardness (Judges 5:17) That handle the pen of the writer.] Scribes and scholars took up arms to help the Lord against the mighty. By “root” some understand Joshua, and others the tribes of Judah and Simeon.

Ver. 15. For the divisions of Reuben.] Who deserted their brethren in this war, there were great thoughts of heart, that is, great heart burnings and inward turmoil of discontent against them: they were very ill thought of, and hardly censured. Others, reading the words thus, In the divisions of Reuben, make this the sense, That the Reubenites are so divided among themselves, and cannot agree upon it to help their brethren against the common enemy; the true cause is their pride and haughtiness of spirit. The truth is, pride is a dividing distemper. Gouty swollen legs keep at a distance. Bladders blown up with wind spurt else from another, they will not close; but if you prick them, you may pack a thousand in a little room. Burr’s Heart Divisions.

Ver. 16. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds?] Minding only thine own wealth and ease. Of the Portuguese it is said, that they are ready to obey any, so they may be rich. The Spaniards, while their lords, were wont to say of them, that they were Pocos y locos, few and foolish. These Reubenites were neither few, but a numerous tribe, nor fools, in their own opinion at least, but of deep reach for their own private ends. Howbeit here they are sharply reproved for their selfishness and baseness of spirit: for that they were toti in se, like the snail, still within doors at home, dressing up their own cabins when the whole ship was in danger of being cast away. For the divisions of Reuben.] See on Judges 5:15. There were great searchings of heart.] Much musing what should be the matter that Reuben was so insensible.

Ver. 17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan,] i.e., Gad and the other half tribe of Manasseh, the degenerate offspring of valiant Machir. And why did Dan remain in ships? &c.] All these are worthily shamed and shented, though they were not without some sorry pleas and pretences. The labouring Church must be some way helped, if it be but by our prayers: precando saepe plus efficitur quam praeliando. Great is the power of prayer.

Ver. 18. That jeoparded their lives.] Or, Devoted, exposed; and are therefore worthily renowned and never enough commended. They that “do worthily in Ephrata,” shall be “famous in Bethlehem.” (Ruth 4:11) What a name hath Seanderbeg, Hunniades, Zisca, the Black Prince, who was so called, not of his colour, but of his dreaded acts in battle! Speed.

Ver. 19. The kings came and fought.] They could combine, but so could not the Israelites. What a shame is it that the great Turk should be heard to say, that he sooner expected that his fingers should be all of one length than that the Christian princes should be all of one mind against him their common enemy. They took no gain of money.] Desiderabile argentum non acceperunt, they served freely without pay, out of their love to the cause, and hopes of making themselves great gainers by the spoils of the Israelites. So George Fransperg, a general in the imperial army, under the conduct of Charles Bourbon, that sacked Rome in the time of Pope Clement VII, carried into Italy thirteen thousand soldiers of Germany, almost all Lutherans, with no other pay but of one crown apiece of his own goods, and a promise to lead them to Rome, where he would hang the Pope, and give them the spoil of the city. Hist. of Council of Trent, 43.

Ver. 20. They fought from heaven.] Where the Lord of hosts hath his Magnleh cheloth, his upper forces, say the Rabbins, as on earth he hath his Matteh cheloth, his lower forces ready prest. And sins unpardoned can soon raise the posse comitatus, all the armies of God against men. The stars in their courses.] Like soldiers that observed both rank and file. Fought against Sisera,] s.c., By their extraordinary influences stirring up storms and tempests. See Joseph. “Antiq.,” lib. v.

Ver. 21. The river of Kishon swept them away.] For fear they ran into this river and there perished; which yet I, a weak woman, have manfully passed over on foot, without such danger: so Vatablus senseth the text, which he thus readeth, O my soul, thou hast trodden (that river) valiantly.

Ver. 22. Then were the horse hoofs broken,] viz., With hasty flight; as afterwards it fell out at the battle of Spurs—so the battle of Terwin was called, where Henry VIII routed the French. Paul. Jov.

Ver. 23. Curse ye Meroz.] So effectual was this curse, that, as the fig tree cursed by our Saviour withered immediately, so this city Meroz now liveth only by fame, there being no mention of it elsewhere in Scripture, in Jerome, Adrichomius, or any other. Neutrality is most odious to Jesus Christ, the angel here mentioned. Solon made a law that none should stand neutal.

Ver. 24. Above women in the tent.] A fit place for women to be found in, but not for the men of Meroz; they should have been active in the field against the Church’s enemies, as she was in her tent. Others that were more remote are blamed: but they are bitterly cursed, and that by the authority of the angel.

Ver. 25. She gave him milk.] See Judges 4:19. Butter in a lordly dish.] Butter to eat, as well as milk to drink. Such are the murderi ng morsels of sin, εχθρων αδωρα δωρα και ιυκ ονησιμα: the giftless gifts of Satan.

Ver. 26. She smote off his head.] Sept., She bored through, or pierced his head; as Ulysses perforated Polyphemus’s eye.

Ver. 27. At her feet he bowed, he fell.] He was soon despatched, and could never tell who hurt him. There now lies the greatness of Sisera: he that had vaunted of his iron chariots, is slain by a woman with one nail of iron. There he fell down dead.] Heb., Destroyed; dead as a door nail, as we say, ταλαιπωρος, miserable, as the Septuagint renders it. Thrice he essayed to rise, but bowed down thrice, and fell again. So did a better man than he, Huldericus Zuinglius, when slain in battle; but he could say what Sisera could not, Age, corpus quidem occidere possunt, animum non possunt. Well, the enemies may kill my body, but cannot come at my soul. Scultet, Annal., p. 348.

Ver. 28. The mother of Sisera.] Per hypotyposin, Mulierum hostilium iactationes cum sarcasmo traducit.

Ver. 29. Her wise ladies.] The wicked’s hopes fail them when at highest, and prove to be “as the giving up of the ghost.” (Job 11:20)

Ver. 30. Have they not sped?] Yes, they are sped, they have their passport, and your hopes hop headless. To every man a damsel or two.] The Hebrew word signifieth, vulvam vel uterum; so they call the Israelitish damsels by way of contempt, as Lavater observeth.

Ver. 31. So let all thine enemies perish, &c.] “Let them be as dung for the earth”; (Psalms 83:10) yes, do thou dung thy vineyard with their dead carcasses. Be as the sun.] Let them do great exploits, live and die with glory. And the land had rest forty years.] Counting from those eighty. (Judges 3:30)

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