Dating assigned to the Song of Deborah varies widely. Yet this is a critical mesurment due to the song's content. This is the song that tell us the most about Israel before it was a kingdom.
Quite often this song has been placed in the 1100s BCE. However there is one line in the song that betrays this date as being wrong:
The note on Shamgar in 5:6–7 includes two temporal phrases,
“from the days of Shamgar” and “until the rising of Deborah.”
If Shamgar were originally Ðamgar, the name is composed of
participles of !yc and rwg (synonyms for “attack”) meaning “the
charging assailant,” a fitting name for a military hero.
Futher his father's name is Anath. This was the name of a Canaanite deity.
In a fragmentary passage from Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), Syria ‘Anat appears as a fierce, wild and furious warrior in a battle, wading knee-deep in blood, striking off heads, cutting off hands, binding the heads to her torso and the hands in her sash, driving out the old men and townsfolk with her arrows, her heart filled with joy. "Her character in this passage anticipates her subsequent warlike role against the enemies of Baal".
Thus Shamar lived in the days of the Canaanite overlords, before 1200 BCE likely. But according to the song the battle here is AFTER Shamgar!
Reading this song shows a clear overthrow of local chieftans for new rulars. But who would overthrow the lose tribes in the highlands?
The name of the oppressor, Sisera, is the giveaway. Ses-Ra, "servant of Ra". Egyptian armies. But when in Egyptian records is this? A trip to Karnak in Egypt is the final clue.
The records of Sheshonk I are found there. (Shishak in the Hebrew Bible)
He made a campain into Canaan around 925 BCE. (The Egyptian record are fluid as the dates cannot be pointed down perfectly. Thus -/+ 20 years at this point) In this campain he decribes a group of people in a loose alliance in the central highlands and a small group in the Trans-Jordon allied with them. THIS IS THE EXACT DISCRIPTION OF THE TRIBES IN THE SONG OF DEBORAH!
(Some at this point might be confused as Shishak is mentioned at 1st Kings 11:40, 14:25, and 2 Chronicles 12:2-9 in a very different context. But remember these are late late texts!)
Lets consider the Song of Deborah in the 10th century BCE context. (Judges 5: 2-31a)
5:2“Because the leaders took the lead in Israel,
because the people offered themselves
willingly,
be blessed, Yahweh!
This tells us that Israel had tribal leaders.
5:3“Hear, you kings!
Give ear, you princes!
I, even I, will sing to Yahweh.
I will sing praise to Yahweh, the El of
Israel.
She is addressing a group of rulars. New Egyptian rulars?
5:4“Yahweh, when you went forth out of Seir,
when you marched out of the field of
Edom,
the earth trembled, the sky also dropped.
Yes, the clouds dropped water.
5:5The mountains quaked at the presence of
Yahweh,
even Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the
God of Israel.
I have dealt with these lines when we dealt with the appearance of Yahweh as a new god.
5:6“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were
unoccupied.
The travelers walked through byways.
5:7The rulers ceased in Israel.
This refers to the bronze age collapse of Canaanite city states.
They ceased until I, Deborah, arose;
Until I arose a mother in Israel.
This line is an insertation most likely by the Deuteronomist editor.
5:8They chose new gods.
Like Yahweh.
Then war was in the gates.
Was there a shield or spear seen among
forty thousand in Israel?
Is this a somewhat accurate number of the fighting males? If it is then the highlands were well populated. Archeology by Israel Finkelstein and William Dever shows the population of the highlands between 1200-900 grew quite steady and properously.
5:9My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
who offered themselves willingly among
the people.
Bless Yahweh!
Note the Hebrew word used for the tribal chieftians is translated as governers where s the new rulars are called kings and princes who are addressed next>>>>>
5:10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
youwho sit on rich carpets,
and you who walk by the way.
5:11Far from the noise of archers, in the places
of drawing water,
there they will rehearse the righteous acts
of Yahweh,
the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.
Yahweh is clearly replacing El.
“Then the people of Yahweh went down to the
gates.
5:12‘Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives,
you son of Abinoam.’
Barak was likely the general of the Israelite armies.
5:13“Then a remnant of the nobles and the
people came down.
Yahweh came down for me against the
mighty.
NOW PAY ATTENTION! THE NEXT LIST IS THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL IN THE 10TH CENTURY!
5:14Those whose root is in Amalek came out of
Ephraim,
We know where Ephriam came from then
after you, Benjamin, among your peoples.
Benjamin was with Ephriam
Governors come down out of Machir.
This is the Tranjordon area across from Galilee. The name is Egyptian
Those who handle the marshal’s staff
came out of Zebulun.
Interesting
5:15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.
As was Issachar, so was Barak.
They rushed into the valley at his feet.
This ean Barak was only the leader of Issachar
By the watercourses of Reuben,
there were great resolves of heart.
5:16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
To hear the whistling for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
The southern Trans Jordan tribe (name means wolves) probably didn't join them.
5:17Gilead lived beyond the Jordan.
Another tribe that didn't join.
Why did Dan remain in ships?
Dan seems to be a 'Sea-Peoples' likely the Denyens. Too far away for battle
Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,
and lived by his creeks.
Likely they had zero interst in this highland battle as Dan.
5:18Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their
lives to the deaths;
Naphtali also, on the high places of the
field.
Only two tribes are praised here. Machir likely only sent a few men.from across the Jordon.
5:19“The kings came and fought,
then the kings of Canaan fought at
Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.
They took no plunder of silver.
This valley cuts Israel in half and also runs to the see near Mt. Carmel. Good battleground.
5:20From the sky the stars fought.
From their courses, they fought against
Sisera.
Roughly gods.
5:21The river Kishon swept them away,
that ancient river, the river Kishon.
My soul, march on with strength.
5:22Then the horse hoofs stamped because of
the prancings,
the prancings of their strong ones.
Some chariots got caught in the mud. This happened often.
5:23‘Curse Meroz,’ said the messenger of Yahweh.
‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they didn’t come to help Yahweh,
to help Yahweh against the mighty.’
A city in this valley. They were nuetral in the battle.
5:24“Jael shall be blessed above women,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
The Kenites are roughly from the south near Midian.
blessed shall she be above women in the
tent.
5:25He asked for water.
She gave him milk.
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
5:26She put her hand to the tent peg,
and her right hand to the workmen’s
hammer.
With the hammer she struck Sisera.
She struck through his head.
Yes, she pierced and struck through his
temples.
5:27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay.
At her feet he bowed, he fell.
Where he bowed, there he fell down
dead.
This could be a story. If it is real it implies a hand-hand battle and not Sisera being asleep as later editors humerously made a story out of.
5:28“Through the window she looked out, and
cried:
Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice.
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’
5:29Her wise ladies answered her,
Yes, she returned answer to herself,
Of course this is fiction but it is part of near-Eastern literturary works.
5:30‘Have they not found, have they not divided
the spoil?
A lady, two ladies to every man;
to Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,
a spoil of dyed garments embroidered,
of dyed garments embroidered on both
sides, on the necks of the spoil?’
Egyptian
5:31“So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh,
but let those who love him be as the sun
when it rises forth in its strength.”
Now to learn about who their new Egyptian overlord was we will examine this history behind Jeroboam I.