Jael lived in the days of the Judges. Reference Library, Anchor Bible Publishers, 1998. Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite forces and so Barak and his men attacked Sisera. Jael or Yael (Hebrew: Yl) is a heroine in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Judges who delivers Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan.After Barak demurs at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turns Sisera over to Jael, killing him by driving a tent peg through his skull after he enters her tent near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. It literally translates to "he shall ascend or go up". She may have just been trying to delay him so that anyone pursuing him could catch up. The Hebrew ya'el means ibex, a nimble, sure-footed mountain goat native to that region. Most blessed among women is Jael, She would have had no settled home, moving from place to place as a way of obtaining food, finding pasture for livestock, or otherwise making a living. She spun the goat hair, wove it, and made the tents. Deborah went on to tell Barak to gather his men for the battle, and Barak responded this way: If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go. Judges 4:8, Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Because men were never allowed to enter a womens tent, no one would think to look for him there. I read the story of Deborah the worshiper and judge and then read further into the story of Jael. [7] Jael, however, sympathized with the Israelites because of the twenty-year period of harsh oppression inflicted on them by Jabin, his commander Sisera, and his nine hundred iron chariots. Deborah agreed, but prophesied that the honor of defeating Jabin's army would then go to a woman. The story of Jael in the Bible is short but it is power-packed with lessons about spiritual warfare. Jal (aka Jal Malli; born Rahel Krebs; 19 August 1979 in Bern, Switzerland) is a Swiss musician who was the frontwoman and lead singer of the band Lunik from 1998 to 2013.. She worked several times with Delerium, co-writing, and singing "After All" on their album Chimera, "Lost and Found" on their album Nuages du Monde, and "Light Your Light" on their 2012 album Music Box Opera. (LogOut/ Her name is Jael. and is the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the sister of Moses and Aaron. Jael or Yael (Hebrew: Yl) is a heroine in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Judges who delivers Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. brave/fearless- Jael had to be brave to take in a man from the opposing nation and give her word to keep him safe, only to kill him! Llanera, Daniel Kevin and Wilmington, Rebekah and Shoo, Haika and Lisboa, Paulo and Jarman, Ian and Wong, Stephanie and Nizza, Jael and Sharma, Dushyant and Kalathil, Dhanya and Rajeev, Surya and Williams, Scott and Yadav, Rahul and Qureshi, Zubair and Narayanan, Ram Prakash and Furlong, Niall and Westall, Sam and Nair, Sunil, Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients in a Regional . Java applications are usually compiled to bytecode, which can execute on any Java virtual machine (JVM), regardless of the computer architecture. She split and struck through his temple. 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If I asked most people to think of a warrior woman mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, I am pretty sure that most minds would go straight to Deborah. She commanded Barak to fight against Jabin's army in the Valley of Jezreel along the Kishon River. Step 4 multiply values of x & y. So it is that we should not play around with sin and iniquity in our lives. Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. Deborah therefore agreed to go along with him but prophesied that there would be no glory for [Barak] in the journey [that he was] taking, for the Lord [would] sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Jael's actions are mentioned in the song. Jael was vigilant Jael was the typical woman taking care of the daily affairs of her home. After Ahab died, Jezebel lived for ten to twenty more years while their sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, ruled consecutively. He remained in her tent though his presence there endangered everyone in the encampment. The story of Jael in the Bible was one that completely shocked me the first time I read it. When Sisera got to her tent she invited him in and he entered without fear because " there was peace between Jabinand the house of Heber ". Jaels primary job, though, was to pitch tents, and she had become an expert in all phases of making, pitching, and striking such dwellings. From the time Sisera entered Jaels camp, each of her moves were calculated and strategic. Her Joy: To be lauded by Deborah and Barak for her part in a decisive victory. I will make Sisera, the commander of King Jabins army, come to you. I also want you to recognise that you are capable of bringing the word that God has given you to pass. If she did not act, King Jabil and the Canaanites would continue their oppressive power over the Israelites. During the time of the Exodus the Kenites acted in kindness to Moses and the Israelites. Thus, Jael is not guilty of failing to provide hospitality. This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. He brought the battlefield to his allys encampment. You have the right to your own mind, no matter what your husband says and does, or where he takes you. These things were made from metal. T here are many great examples of strong women in the Bible to learn from. And if she did not act, Israel would not have been saved. In the narrative about the military heroine Deborah, Yael kills Sisera, the Canaanite general of King Jabin, after he escapes from the battle with Deborah's general, Barak. Turn aside, my lord, she said to him. Jael features in the book of Judges as a heroic woman who killed Sisera, the leader of King Jabin's Canaanite army. (Joshua 20:1-7) Sisera ultimately chooses this tent, this family, this land of protection to flee to for safety after the Canaanites disasterous defeat. It is unknown if Jael, like Rahab, acted out of loyalty to Israel and Israels God, or reacted to Siseras arrogant and domineering behavior. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names translates this name with Ibex. Heber is noticeably absent, probably killed on the battlefield. Reminiscent of the Egyptians plight in the parting of the Red Sea, the Canaanites are slaughtered, with Sisera being the lone survivor. Instead she used things like the fact that he would trust a woman easily. All the Women of the Bible. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the . 4:2). Sisera died (Judges 4:21). The name Jael is pronounced the same as the word for mountain goat, but distinctions in pronunciation were added many centuries after this text was written. Just before the battle had begun a downpour caused the battleground to become deep mud and Deborah took advantage of the circumstances, thus the Israelite foot soldiers were able to overtake the Canaanite iron chariots. Judges 4 and 5. Situations are ever-changing in this life and opportunities pass by quickly. Jael knew who the real enemy was in the fight and she also knew that battles can be very unpredictable. But if you will not go with me, I will not go (Judges 4:8) and Deborah the Judge agreed to go but told Barak But because of your attitude, you will not be honored when Sisera is defeated. Jael (whose tent would have been separate from Heber's) [8] welcomed Sisera into her tent and covered him with a blanket. Jael was married to a Kenanite named Heber, a man descended from Jethro (Moses' father-in-law of the Midianites). I will make Sisera, his chariots, and his army come to the Kishon River. She was the wife of Israelite King Ahab. It so happened that Jael saw him coming, so she went out to meet him and said, Sir, come into my tent. Here are a few tips for when you find yourself in a battle with the enemy of your soul. After Barak demurs at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turns Sisera over to Jael, killing him by driving a tent peg through his skull after he enters her tent near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. Then she tucked him into bed like a baby. As such, Jael shows us that God will use absolutely anybody to bring His will about. Jewish Women's Archive, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jael&oldid=1141698215, Bertie also mentions "Jael, wife of Heber" in. The verb (ya'al) means to profit, benefit or be of any (or much) practical use.Curiously, nouns (ya'al) and (ya'ala) describe the male and female mountain goat respectively.Some scholars insist that these nouns derive from a whole other but unused verb, namely one meaning to ascend. He wasnt just a regular visiting guest. She made him comfortable. First, Sisera should have gone to Hebers tent. But this is not realistic. Works by Gregorio Lazzarini and Artemisia Gentileschi are two examples of an attractive Jael, shown in the act of killing her foe. During Jaels adult life, the Israelites were being horrifically oppressed for over twenty years by the Canaanites King Jabin. And just like the Virgin Mary, she became an unlikely heroine of a prophecy fulfilled. But if you will not go with me, I will not go, But because of your attitude, you will not be honored when Sisera is defeated. You will need to know the difference. Sisera was a warrior. In spiritual warfare, you have to know who the enemy is. The task set before her took a large amount of courage. Where he sank, there he fell dead. She didnt waste a moment thinking, If only I had a sword. She simply took up the tools at hand and did what was being asked of her. Jael showed Sisera great hospitality. She disarmed him with her words of reassurance. of Jael knew who the real enemy was in the fight and she also knew that battles can be very unpredictable. The fact is, if God could use Jael to free the children of Israel and bring peace to their land, He can use you for whatever He has called you to do too. We have to be vigilant and calculated in killing it. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9279-kenites, Jael: Bible, Jewish Womens Archive, Tikva Frymer-Kensky. (Notice the similarity to Lot offering up his daughter in the annals of Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:4-8). In fact, the events are mentioned as taking place in the "days of Jael" - an honour to have the date identified with her - and she is called " the most blessed among women " for her actions. Yes, trouble might come from these people but if that is the case, they are only instruments in the hands of the enemy. Martin Luther was particularly fond of Judith and held her up as an example of virtue and godly living. Barak demurred, saying he would go, provided she would also. Adaptations to windblown deserts include double rows of eyelashes, the ability to close the nostrils, and wide-spreading soft feet. She obeyed Mordecai when he told her to hide her faith and her people (Esther 2:10). According to Jewish tradition, Deborah, Barak, Jael, and Heber are buried near the spring beneath the town of Kedesh. When the Israelites came at Sisera with 10,000 men, Sisera fled. As predicted when Baraks army battled against Siseras, they totally kicked butt- to the point that all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword [and] not a man was left. Note that although the character Jael is feminine, the name Jael is the same as the masculine word for mountain goat, whereas the feminine version of it, Jaalah, belongs to a male character. but not ", Who Was Jael In The Bible? I will help you defeat Sisera there (Judges 4:6b-7). And Deborah prophesies: I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Presumably this hand was that of the Judge Deborah, not an obscure woman living in the high desert amongst the enemy. The Canaanite army was strong. Second, Sisera went to the tent of a woman. The name itself signifies a wild mountain goat apropos for a Bedouins wife whose feet and character stay sturdy amongst the harsh crevices, rocks and unforgiving surroundings of her society. She also knew that Sisera would be killed if captured; therefore, she would kill him and thus cement a friendship with the victor. So the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan. A guest, once ritually invited into the home, had to be protected and cared for, even at the expense of everyone else in the house even at the expense of giving the woman of the house to the guest of honor for his lascivious pleasure. And Jael took Sisera and pushed him onto the ground from the bed. In the heat of the day, the king and Ehud sat together in the parlor, conversing, laughing, and sharing stories. You could even say the fight wasnt fair. Jal was an ally by blood of the Israelitish nation; [Sisera, the general of] their chief oppressor, who had mightily oppressed them for the space of twenty years, now lay defenseless before her; and he was, moreover, one of those whom Israel was bound by the command of Jehovah to extirpate. A woman whose physical strength, faithfulness, patience, and discernment were praised in the very first poem of the Hebrew Bible: The Song of Deborah.. Jael's hands may have been bloodied in the process, but Israel . Jael, however, offered refuge to a fleeing enemy general, NOT ritual hospitality. (The Palm Tree of Deborah is between the cities of Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim (Judges 4:4-5) and Deborah sent a message to Barak, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go and gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Conclusion Satan (the Devil). It was full fat milk in a large bowl. The Israelites were clearly able to see their God, Yahweh, was superior to the Canaanite god, Baal. Israel was at war with the Canaanites. Jael could have easily been included in Hebrews chapter eleven, the so-called Hall of Faith because she was a heroine who snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat in helping Israel defeat a much larger, more experienced, and far superior Canaanite army during the time called the time of the Judges.. During . Jabin's army was led by Sisera (Judg. Israels Judges actually had the responsibility to act as a military leader and thus when war came Deborah led the out-numbered, badly equipped Israelite troops to a miraculous victory. Ephesians 6:12 puts it like this: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. During the battle, the Lord confused Sisera and his army and chariots. The Story of Miriam in the Bible. Common jackals are a little smaller than wolves and are recognizable by their bushy tails. Behold I will throw him down on the ground from the bed on which he sleeps; and if he does not feel it, I know that he has been handed over." Sisera arrived on foot at the tent of Heber on the plain of Zaanaim. But who would have thought that these tent-making tools could become such terrible murder weapons? But as Ive grown in my walk with Christ, Ive come to appreciate that the Bible is about seeing God in the realness of our human experiences. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.. Jael was the typical woman taking care of the daily affairs of her home. In fact, God was going to sell Sisera into the hand of a woman instead, and give her the gloryand that woman (spoiler alert!) A woman who, akin to the Virgin Mary, courageously helped save the Israelite nation despite the oppressive cultural norms for women, and chose Gods people over her own reputation. At the tent of a prophecy fulfilled to delay him so that anyone pursuing him catch! Our People from the bed in him People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names figures! Was being asked of her but who would have thought that these tent-making tools become! Us that God has given you to pass of Jezreel along the River! 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