Judges 5:6

Judges 5:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
• New International Version (NIV)“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.

Context of Judges 5:6

4O Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the country of Edom, the earth quaked, the sky poured, the clouds burst, 5and the mountains shook in the presence of the Lord God of Sinai, in the presence of the Lord God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, roads were deserted. Those who traveled took back roads. 7Villages in Israel were deserted— deserted until I, Deborah, took a stand— took a stand as a mother of Israel. 8When the people chose new gods, war broke out inside the city gates. Not a weapon was seen among 40,000 in Israel.

Judges 5:6 word by word

בִּימֵ֞י שַׁמְגַּ֤ר בֶּן־עֲנָת֙ בִּימֵ֣י יָעֵ֔ל חָדְל֖וּ אֳרָח֑וֹת וְהֹלְכֵ֣י נְתִיב֔וֹת יֵלְכ֕וּ אֳרָח֖וֹת עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• In the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of Shamgarשַׁמְגַּרshamgar · ShamgarH8044
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Anathעֲנָת‛ănâth · AnathH6067
• of Jaelיָעֵלyâ‛êl · JaelH3278
• the highwaysאֹ֫רַח'ôrach · wayH734
• were unoccupiedחָדַלchâdal · to ceaseH2308
• and the travellersהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• walkedיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• through bywaysנְתִיבָהnâthîyb nethîybâh nethibâh · pathH5410
• through bywaysעֲקַלְקַל‛ăqalqal · crookedH6128

Cross-references for Judges 5:6

• Judges 3:31After Ehud came Shamgar, son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with a sharp stick used for herding oxen. So he, too, rescued Israel.
• Judges 4:17Meanwhile, Sisera fled on foot toward the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera did this because King Jabin of Hazor and Heber’s family were on peaceful terms.
• Leviticus 26:22I will send wild animals among you. They will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, and make you so few that your roads will be deserted.
• 2 Chronicles 15:5At those times no one could come and go in peace, because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil.
• Isaiah 33:8Highways are deserted. Travelers stop traveling. Agreements are broken. Witnesses are rejected. People are no longer respected.
• Lamentations 1:4“The roads to Zion are deserted. No one comes to the annual festivals. No one passes through any of its gates. Its priests are groaning. Its young women are made to suffer. Zion is bitter.
• Lamentations 4:18⌞The enemy⌟ kept tracking us down, so we couldn’t even go out into the streets. Our end was near. Our time was up. Our end had come.
• Micah 3:12Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees.
• Psalms 125:5But when people become crooked, the Lord will lead them away with troublemakers. Let there be peace in Israel!

Commentaries on Judges 5:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The highways were unoccupied - The land was full of anarchy and confusion, being everywhere infested with banditti. No public road was safe; and in going from place to place, the people were obliged to use unfrequented paths.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Words dcscriptive of a state of weakness and fear, so that Israel could not frequent the highways. It is a graphic description of a country occupied by an enemy.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-11Verses 6-11 Deborah describes the distressed state of Israel under the tyranny of Jabin, that their salvation might appear more gracious. She shows what brought this misery upon them. It was their idolatry. They chose new gods, with new names. But under all these images, Satan was worshipped. Deborah was a mother to Israel, by diligently promoting the salvation of their souls. She calls on those who shared the advantages of this great salvation, to offer…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6During this chaotic and uncertain time, people outside the main walled cities had little security. Even Shamgar (see Judges 3:31) did not ease the suffering of common people. They endured hardships under the Canaanites and their cruel commander, Sisera.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-86-8. The song proceeds in these verses to describe the sad condition of the country, the oppression of the people, and the origin of all the national distress in the people's apostasy from God. Idolatry was the cause of foreign invasion and internal inability to resist it.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 5:6

• Country
• Jael
• Patriotism
• Shamgar

In the dictionaries

• Barak
• Byways
• Deborah
• Ehud
• Fight
• Jabin
• Lattice
• Poetry
• Rehearse
• Searching

Commentaries on Judges 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings