Commentaria in Judices
23. CURSE YE THE LAND OF MEROZ, SAID THE ANGEL OF THE LORD.—Which land is “Meroz” is unknown. Pagninus in the Hebrew Names probably thinks Meroz to be Merom, both because the letters are almost the same, and because Josue chap. 11, verse 7, 120 years before, there fell Jabin king of Asor, predecessor of this Jabin, whose general Sisara was slain by Barac. Moreover Merom, says Adrichomius from St. Jerome, is a lake thirty stadia wide and sixty long, situated as it were midway between Caesarea Philippi and the sea of Galilee, through the middle of which the river Jordan flows. This lake in the time of the melting of the snows flowing down from mount Libanus greatly increases and spreads, and in the summer time is for the most part dried up. Whence it comes about that herbs of divers kinds, shrubs and trees grow up in a wood in that place, which most abounds in lions, bears, leopards and other wild beasts, and affords to kings and princes a pleasant and agreeable hunting.
Cursed are therefore here beyond the rest the inhabitants of the lake Merom, because they did not bring succours to the Nephtalites against Sisara, but rather secretly favoured Sisara, and therefore for the land Merom, that is, high places, it is here called Meroz, that is, secret, because they held secret counsels against the Hebrews with Sisara; otherwise the Angel would not curse them merely for denying succours, since the Rubenites, Danites and Aserites denied the same, verses 16, 17, whom yet he does not curse on that account: wherefore he curses the land of Merom, that it may become the land of Meroz, that is, lean and barren (for meroz signifies leanness), and that by this very word he may intimate that for Merom, that is, loftiness, he calls it Meroz, that is, leanness and barrenness, which by this curse he brought upon it, as David imprecated the same upon the mountains of Gelboe, on account of Saul and Jonathan slain on them, 2 Kings chap. 1:21. Whence the Septuagint here render: Cursed everyone inhabiting it.
SAID THE ANGEL OF THE LORD.—You will ask, who is this Angel? First, the Chaldee thinks it is Barac, who is called Angel because he was sent by God to prepare for Israel the victory over Sisara. Secondly, Procopius thinks it the High Priest. For the priest, especially the high priest, is the Angel of the Lord of hosts, as Malachias says, chap. 2. Thirdly, Cajetan thinks it Debbora. Fourthly, plainly and genuinely Abulensis thinks it was a true Angel, namely Michael, who presided over this war as prince and protector of Israel, Daniel 10. So also Rupert. Arias, however, thinks it was the Angel who suggested and dictated this canticle to Debbora: but it is likely that he was the same who presided over the war, namely St. Michael.
BECAUSE THEY CAME NOT TO THE HELP OF THE LORD,—fighting through His faithful Hebrews against the impious Chanaanites. Whence, explaining, he adds: “To help his most valiant men,” the Hebrew soldiers. The Septuagint in the Royal Codex have: Because they came not to the help, the Lord our helper, the Lord mighty among the fighters.
24. BLESSED AMONG WOMEN BE JAHEL.—In Hebrew minnashim, that is, among women, or above women Jahel. Hence the Archangel Gabriel took his salutation with which he saluted the Blessed Virgin, Luke 1, saying: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.” For Jahel was a type of the Blessed Virgin, as I said chap. 4, verse 28.
25. TO HIM THAT ASKED WATER (Sisara) SHE GAVE MILK (to lull him to sleep, that she might slay him sleeping), AND IN A DISH FIT FOR PRINCES (that is, in a splendid and excellent dish, from which princes are wont to drink, as Sisara was) SHE OFFERED BUTTER,—that is, rich and thick milk; for from this richness of milk, agitated, butter is curdled and made. For Jahel gave not butter, but milk, to the thirsty Sisara asking drink. It is a catachresis.
26. SHE PUT HER LEFT HAND TO THE NAIL,—as to an instrument at hand in her tent. This nail seems to have been of iron; for this is sharper, and is more easily driven and penetrates to the ground. Some however think the nail was of wood, that it might be a type of the cross of Christ, which was of wood. But more fittingly this nail was a type, indeed the idea, of the iron nails by which Christ fixed on the cross pinned Sisara, that is, the devil, to it, taking away all his strength, as I said above from Origen. Hear Rupert here, chap. 7: “The nail of the tabernacle is the very mark of the passion of Christ. She took the nail who, commanded to mortify her members upon earth, carried her cross, crucifying her flesh with its vices and concupiscences. This is then done strongly when the affliction of the flesh is undertaken not for the vanity of human praise, but for the glory of God; not, I say, in the ambition of popular favour, but in the fear of the Lord. Therefore the Psalmist asks: Pierce thou my flesh with thy fear,” Psalm 118.
27. HE ROLLED BEFORE HER FEET,—not by the head, since Jahel had already fixed it to the ground with the nail, but by moving and tossing his feet and sides, as Sisara expired. So Abulensis.
28. HIS MOTHER HOWLED,—the mother of Sisara. Vatablus: wailed, namely, because her son Sisara, triumphing to her after his manner and laden with spoils, did not return.
Whence, from this delay and slowness suspecting that something sinister had befallen him, and forecasting his fate (for her fearful mind presaged this), she lamented. The mother’s lament is poetically introduced here, as is done in tragedy, that the tragic end of Sisara may be better represented.
29. ONE THAT WAS WISER THAN THE REST OF HIS WIVES (namely of Sisara’s) RETURNED THIS ANSWER TO HER MOTHER-IN-LAW (to the mother of Sisara wailing that Sisara did not return),—to soften her grief, and turn the sinister suspicion into a better opinion, namely that he was plundering ample spoils of the enemies, and therefore was slow to return.
31. SO LET ALL THY ENEMIES PERISH, O LORD,—as the impious Sisara perished with all his, though very many and very strong.
BUT LET THEM THAT LOVE THEE SHINE, AS THE SUN SHINETH IN HIS RISING.—The rising sun spreads its golden light, and its most beautiful and most pleasing splendour, which grows gradually till noon, and becomes fairer and stronger. So likewise may the Israelites and the rest who love thee, O Lord, shine forth with all beauty, grace, strength, joy, power, prosperity, victory, felicity and triumph, and, thou ever blessing them, may they increase and advance, so that none may dare or be able to resist them, till they be fully filled and abound with the same gifts, which shall be done in heaven when they shall see the God of gods in Sion, and shall partake of his glory and every good, according to that of Proverbs 4: “The path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.” See what was said there.
For “in his rising,” the Hebrew is bigburatho, that is, in his manliness, that is, in his strength. So the Chaldee: His mercies (of God), he says, shall shine, as the sun is wont to go forth in his strength. The Septuagint, en dynasteia autou, that is, in his might, when, namely, the sun, rising in the bright morning, appears golden-haired, and strongly hurls its rays of splendour far and wide with all its strength as it were, and by them dispels all darkness, and overcomes and illumines all things with its brightness, so that nothing can withstand it. This is what Malachias says, chap. 4:2: “But unto you that fear my name, the sun of justice shall arise.” And Wisdom 3:7: “The just shall shine as the sun.” And Ecclus. chap. 27:12: “A holy man continueth in wisdom as the sun.” See what I noted in those places, as also on Isaias 45:1, on those words: “Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus.” For Cyrus in Persian is the same as sun.
32. AND THE LAND RESTED FORTY YEARS.—Under these forty years are contained the twenty years in which Jabin oppressed the Hebrews, chap. 4:3. See what was said chap. 3, verses 11 and 30. Less rightly, therefore, Josephus: “After,” he says, “Barac, leader of the Israelites, had levelled the city Asor to the ground, he leads…”
Philo the Biblical adds in the Antiquities that Debbora, dying, called the people together, and gave them these last admonitions: “Behold I admonish you as a woman of God, and enlighten you as from the female sex, and hearken to me as to your mother, and attend to my words as ones who are also about to die. Behold I set out to die the way of all flesh, to which you also shall come! only direct your heart to the Lord your God in the time of your life, for after your death you will not be able to repent of those things in which you live. Now therefore, my sons, hearken to my voice while you have time of life and the light of the law, and direct your ways. And while Debbora was speaking these words, all the people lifted up their voice with one accord, and weeping said: Behold now, mother, thou art dying, and leaving thy sons; to whom dost thou commend them? Pray therefore for us, and after thy departure may thy soul be mindful of us for ever.”