The Meaning of Judges 5:17 Explained

Judges 5:17

KJV: Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.

YLT: Gilead beyond the Jordan did tabernacle, And Dan -- why doth he sojourn in ships? Asher hath abode at the haven of the seas, And by his creeks doth tabernacle.

Darby: Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he abide with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, settling down by his landings.

ASV: Gilead abode beyond the Jordan: And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, And abode by his creeks.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Gilead  abode  beyond  Jordan:  and why did Dan  remain  in ships?  Asher  continued  on the sea  shore,  and abode  in his breaches. 

What does Judges 5:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 5:12-23 - The Stars In Their Courses
This noble psalm contains memorable sentences. The "captivity" phrase in Judges 5:12 is quoted in Psalms 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8; and in the latter is applied to the ascension of our Lord. He led in captivity those evil powers which had for so long held mankind in captivity. Let us not fear death, or the grave, or Hades. They have been bound to the chariot-wheels of our Lord, and their keys hang at his girdle, Revelation 1:18.
Levies and reinforcements poured in from the hill-country of Ephraim, once owned by Amalek, Judges 12:15; from little Benjamin; from the northern tribes: but the main brunt of the war of liberation fell on Zebulun and others adjacent to the plain of Esdraelon, one of the great battlefields of history. Megiddo stands to the south of this famous site and has given its name to the last momentous struggle of Armageddon. Clearly Deborah refers to a terrific storm that broke, perhaps at night, upon the plain, flooding the river Kishon and the adjacent lands, so that Sisera's chariots were rendered useless. O my soul, thou, too, mayest tread under foot thy foes, Judges 5:21, r.v., margin; but be sure never to refuse, as Meroz did, to respond when God needs thy help, Judges 5:23. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 5

1  The Song of Deborah and Barak

What do the individual words in Judges 5:17 mean?

Gilead beyond the Jordan stayed and Dan why did remain on ships Asher continued at the seashore and by his inlets stayed
גִּלְעָ֗ד בְּעֵ֤בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ שָׁכֵ֔ן וְדָ֕ן לָ֥מָּה יָג֖וּר ؟ אֳנִיּ֑וֹת אָשֵׁ֗ר יָשַׁב֙ לְח֣וֹף יַמִּ֔ים וְעַ֥ל מִפְרָצָ֖יו יִשְׁכּֽוֹן

גִּלְעָ֗ד  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
בְּעֵ֤בֶר  beyond 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵבֶר  
Sense: region beyond or across, side.
הַיַּרְדֵּן֙  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
שָׁכֵ֔ן  stayed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
וְדָ֕ן  and  Dan 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּן 
Sense: the 5th son of Jacob, the st of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.
לָ֥מָּה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יָג֖וּר  did  remain 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גּוּר 
Sense: to sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely.
؟ אֳנִיּ֑וֹת  on  ships 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֳנִיָּה  
Sense: ship.
אָשֵׁ֗ר  Asher 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָשֵׁר  
Sense: son of Jacob and Zilpah.
יָשַׁב֙  continued 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
לְח֣וֹף  at  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֹוף  
Sense: seashore, coast, shore.
יַמִּ֔ים  seashore 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וְעַ֥ל  and  by 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
מִפְרָצָ֖יו  his  inlets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִפְרָץ  
Sense: landing place.
יִשְׁכּֽוֹן  stayed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 5:17?

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