Wednesday Bible Study: Sing that Thing!

Scholars believe that the song of Deborah and Barak is much older than the rest of the book in which it ' s embedded. In fact, many believe it is the oldest text in the Bible. Certainly it is the oldest Hebrew poem. Since I don ' t know Hebrew, I can ' t tell you anything about the rhyme and meter, which the translators don ' t attempt to indicate. Of course we don ' t know anything about the music either.  Whether the existence of this more ancient text indicates that it is related to any real events of course we can ' t know, but I point out that the song does not accord with several of the factual details in the preceding chapter. Factual consistency was obviously not much of a concern to the people who compiled the Tanakh. The idea that it is all to be taken literally is a modern Christian invention. That Jael is the most blessed among women for murdering a guest in his sleep is kind of interesting. Sisera ' s army had been destroyed, he was not a danger to anyone, and supposedly he sought refuge with Jael because they were allies. But with the Israelite victory, she evidently saw which side her bread was buttered.5 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead,    when the people willingly offer themselves —    praise theLord!3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!    I, even I, will sing to[a] theLord;   ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs