KJV ORIGINAL
She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
She reached for a tent peg with one hand and grabbed a workman's hammer with the other. With the hammer she struck Sisera and crushed his head, piercing right through his skull.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse describes Jael killing the enemy commander Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head with a hammer.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of Deborah's victory song celebrating Israel's defeat of the Canaanite army led by Sisera. After fleeing the battle, Sisera sought refuge in Jael's tent, where she killed him while he slept, fulfilling Deborah's prophecy that a woman would get the glory for Sisera's death. This act secured Israel's victory and brought peace to the land for forty years.
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