DAWN

Explanation: Judges 5 contains the victory song of Deborah and Barak. The painting above depicts a featured element in that song -- waiting. But the waiting which Sisera's mother endured was in vain and is poignantly described below in verses twenty-eight through thirty.
The song begins with praise to the LORD for avenging Israel when his people willingly offered themselves for war (1-2). The song calls upon kings and princes to give ear to these praises of God. (3). Addressing the LORD, Deborah and Barak recount the might and majesty of the LORD who went out in Seir, and Edom, and Sinai (4-5). The song then describes the desolate condition of the country in the days of Shamgar and Jael, when the Israelites lived in fear, until Deborah arose as a mother in Israel (6-7). Israel had chosen new gods, and there was war in the gates; but Israel was defenseless (8). But various governors of Israel offered themselves willingly to fight (as in verse 2), and the song calls upon them to speak of the righteous acts of the LORD toward Israel (9-11). Likewise, Deborah and Barak call upon themselves to respond -- Deborah to utter a song and Barak to lead his captives captive (12). It was in this military action that the LORD gave the remnant in Israel dominion over the Canaanite nobles through Deborah (13). Help came from Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (the half tribe of Manasseh on the western side of the Jordan), Zebulun, and Issachar (14-15a). But Reuben, Gilead (the half tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of Jordan), Dan, and Asher stayed home. Nevertheless, Zebulun and Naphtali jeopardized their lives (15b-18). The kings of Canaan, led by Sisera, came and fought. But the stars in their courses fought against Sisera; and the river Kishon swept them away; and the horse hoofs were broken (19-22). And the LORD pronounced a curse on Meroz (a city which was probably near the fighting) because they did not help the LORD against the mighty (23). But a blessing was pronounced upon Jael who gave aid to the LORD by killing Sisera (24-27). The song then describes the anxiety of Sisera's mother about Sisera's long delay in returning home (28-30); and the song closes with a wish that all the LORD's enemies should perish like Sisera but that all who love him would be like the sun which goes forth in its strength (31a). And the land had rest for forty years (31b).

¹ Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

² Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel,
when the people willingly offered themselves.

³ Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;
I, even I, will sing unto the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.

⁴ LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir,
when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
the earth trembled,
and the heavens dropped,
the clouds also dropped water.
⁵ The mountains melted from before the LORD,
even that Sinai
from before the LORD God of Israel.

⁶ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the highways were unoccupied,
and the travellers walked through byways.
⁷ The inhabitants of the villages ceased,
they ceased in Israel,
until that I Deborah arose,
that I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸ They chose new gods;

then was war in the gates:
was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹ My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
that offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless ye the LORD.
¹⁰ Speak, ye that ride on white asses,
ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
¹¹ They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water,
there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD,
even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel:
then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

¹² Awake, awake, Deborah:
awake, awake, utter a song:
arise, Barak,
and lead thy captivity captive,
thou son of Abinoam.

¹³ Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people:
the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.

¹⁴ Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek;
after thee, Benjamin, among thy people;
out of Machir came down governors,
and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
¹⁵ And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
even Issachar, and also Barak:
he was sent on foot into the valley.
For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
¹⁶ Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds,
to hear the bleatings of the flocks?
For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead abode beyond Jordan:
and why did Dan remain in ships?
Asher continued on the sea shore,
and abode in his breaches.
¹⁸ Zebulun
and Naphtali
were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

¹⁹ The kings came and fought,
then fought the kings of Canaan
in Taanach
by the waters of Megiddo;
they took no gain of money.

²⁰ They fought from heaven;
the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

²¹ The river of Kishon swept them away,
that ancient river, the river Kishon.
O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

²² Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings,
the pransings of their mighty ones.

²³ Curse ye Meroz,
said the angel of the LORD,
curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;
because they came not to the help of the LORD,
to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

²⁴ Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be,
blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
²⁵ He asked water,
and she gave him milk;
she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
²⁶ 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.
²⁷ At her feet he bowed,
he fell,
he lay down:
at her feet he bowed,
he fell:
where he bowed,
there he fell down dead.

²⁸ The mother of Sisera looked out at a window,
and cried through the lattice,
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

²⁹ Her wise ladies answered her,
yea, she returned answer to herself,
³⁰ Have they not sped?
have they not divided the prey;
to every man a damsel or two;
to Sisera a prey of divers colours,
a prey of divers colours of needlework,
of divers colours of needlework on both sides,
meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

³¹ So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD:
but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.

And the land had rest forty years.