New King James Version
Judges 5:6
6“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.
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 Living Translation (NLT)“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the days of Jael, people avoided the main roads, and travelers stayed on winding pathways.
Context of Judges 5:6
4“Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water; 5The mountains gushed before the Lord, This Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel. “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways. 7Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. 8They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
Read all of Judges 5Judges 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
People and places in Judges 5:6
Cross-references for Judges 5:6
- Judges 3:31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.
- Judges 4:17However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
- Leviticus 26:22I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.
- 2 Chronicles 15:5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.
- Isaiah 33:8The highways lie waste, The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man.
- Lamentations 1:4The roads to Zion mourn Because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted, And she is in bitterness.
- Lamentations 4:18They tracked our steps So that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For our end had come.
- Micah 3:12Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest.
- Psalms 125:5As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The Lord shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries