Jael

FACTS... Name: Jael (meaning ?) Source: Judges 4-5 Date: 1380-1050 BC Nationality: unknown Talents/Interests: putting men to sleep and then brutally murdering them Status: wife of Heber the Kenite Claim to fame: killed the Israelite enemy, Sisera

BACKGROUND...

Jael was a woman of unknown nationality, but probably not an Israelite. Her husband was a friend to Jabin, the king of Hazor, whom the Israelites were in bondage to. Jael knew of the war between the Israelites and the Canaanites and knew that the Israelites were trying to capture Sisera, the leader of the Canaanite army. She was a very strong woman, who may have gone against her husband to kill Sisera and accomplish the Lord's purposes.

IN JAEL'S OWN WORDS...

I was in my tent when I heard a man's voice outside. I peeked out and recognized the man immediately. It was Sisera, the enemy of the Israelites; the man that Deborah wanted to see dead. I went out to him and greeted him warmly. I invited him into my tent, even though all men but my husband and father were forbidden to go in. I wanted him to feel as if he was well hidden. Sisera had been running for hours on foot, trying to escape the Israelite army. He asked me for some water. Instead I gave him some milk, hoping it would have a sedative effect. I gave him a blanket, a further aid to slumber. He told me to guard the tent and make sure no one knew of his presence. I assured him he was safe, and within minutes, he was fast asleep.

When his breathing became deep and rhythmic, I yanked a tent peg out of the ground. I picked up the heavy hammer that my husband had used to drive the pegs into the ground. I crept slowly to where Sisera lay. With shaking hands, I placed the tent peg over his temple. Then, with all my might, I took the hammer and drove the peg through his head and right into the ground. I wanted to make sure he wasn't going anywhere...

written by: Deborah Theobald