The content and importance of this verse is underlined by its chiastic structure. On either side of the chiasm is the key term blessed, and at its center stands Jael, the heroine of the story. Thus the focus is clearly on this brave woman and her stunning victory.
Most blessed of women be Jael … is literally “She will be blessed from women Jael….” Blessed is the counterpart of “curse” in verse 5.23, and like that word, has a deuteronomic background. It expresses God’s pleasure with those who obey his Law. The Hebrew verb rendered blessed … be (barak) occurs in a passive form. It expresses a wish that a blessing might come upon Jael. She was faithful to her people and obedient to God and thus deserved God’s blessing. This line may be rendered “May Jael be blessed…” or more explicitly “God bless Jael….” Contemporary English Version says “honor Jael,” and Good News Translation has “fortunate … is Jael,” but these renderings are both weak and do not express the keyword blessed adequately. Most … of women is literally “from women,” which most versions take to be a superlative, meaning Jael is to be more blessed than other women. This praise of Jael is similar to that addressed to Mary, the mother of Jesus in Luke 1.42, who also participated in saving Israel!
For Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, see verse 4.17. This phrase may be a vocative, but more likely it is an emphatic statement of her full name, allowing her to be properly remembered in the community.
Of tent-dwelling women most blessed is literally “from women in the tent she will be blessed.” Like the first line, this is another superlative expression. It means “she is to be more blessed than the women dwelling in tents.” Tent-dwelling describes Jael’s community. She was married to a Kenite, and her people are described as moving from the south to pitch their tents in the north (see verse 4.11). Though probably most Israelites lived in tents, Jael used her skills setting up tents to kill one of Israel’s most important enemies. She also killed him within her own tent. This line may be rendered “Of all the women living in tents, may Jael be the most blessed.” In a way, this may be like saying “Of all the women of our tribe, may Jael be the most blessed.”
Translation examples for this verse are:
• “May she be more blessed than any woman,
more than any woman in her clan,
Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite.
• “O Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite,
may God bless you more than any other woman,
more than all women living in tents.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .