Sisera

Biblical Account

Sisera appears in Judges 4 and 5. He was the "captain of the host," that is, the commander-in-chief of the army, of Jabin, the Canaanite king who reigned in Hazor, and he lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles (Harosheth-hagoyim). He commanded nine hundred chariots of iron, and with this army Jabin harshly oppressed Israel for twenty years (Judges 4:2-3).

Deborah, a prophetess and judge, summoned Barak and directed him to lead ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun to Mount Tabor. She declared that "the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" (Judges 4:9). Sisera gathered his army at the river Kishon, but the LORD threw him and his army into confusion, and they were defeated (Judges 4:15). Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, whose house was at peace with Jabin. When he asked for water, Jael gave him milk and covered him with a blanket. Then, while he slept, she drove a tent peg into his temple and killed him (Judges 4:17-21).

The "Song of Deborah" in chapter 5 celebrates this victory in poetry. According to the song, "the stars in their courses fought against Sisera," and the river Kishon swept the enemy away (Judges 5:20-21). The song praises Jael as "blessed above women in the tent" (5:24-27). It closes with the image of Sisera's mother looking out through a window, waiting for a son who does not return (5:28-30).

Significance within Scripture

Sisera's defeat is recalled elsewhere in Scripture as an event in which God delivered oppressed Israel. Samuel states that when Israel forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor (1 Samuel 12:9). Psalm 83:9 prays that God would deal with Israel's enemies as He did "to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison."

Sisera's name does not appear in the New Testament, although Hebrews 11:32 lists Barak among the people of faith.

Ezra 2:53 and Nehemiah 7:55 mention "the children of Sisera" among the temple servants who returned from exile. Whether they had any connection with the Sisera of Judges is unknown.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Differences between chapters 4 and 5: Chapter 4 (prose) records that Jael killed Sisera while he slept. By contrast, the description of his fall in 5:27 can be read as depicting a man who was standing when struck and then collapsed. Some regard this simply as poetic expression, while others hold that differing traditions have been preserved side by side.
• Jael's act: Jael violated both the custom of protecting guests and her household's relationship of peace with Jabin. Many interpreters see her act as the fulfillment of Deborah's prophecy and as God's deliverance, giving weight to the praise in 5:24. Others hold that not every act recorded in Scripture is presented as an example to imitate, and they read this scene as a portrayal of the violent realities of the period of the judges.
• Origin of the name: The name Sisera does not appear to be Semitic, and some scholars connect it with the Sea Peoples. This, however, is uncertain.
• Later embellishments: Sermons often claim that Jael deliberately gave Sisera milk to make him fall asleep, but the text does not state her motive. Rabbinic literature is reported to contain a tradition that descendants of Sisera later studied the Torah in Jerusalem. This is a later story not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Sisera is seldom treated on his own; he usually appears as the antagonist in the story of Deborah, Barak, and Jael. Sermons commonly emphasize the following contrasts:

• Military might, represented by the nine hundred chariots of iron, and God's intervention that overcame it
• The prophecy that the honor would go not to Barak but to a woman, and its fulfillment

In Sunday school lessons on Judges, he is likewise introduced as part of the Deborah narrative. Because this passage describes Deborah leading Israel as a judge, it is also cited by both proponents and opponents in debates over women's ordination.