Now that Sisera has been killed, there is a shift in scene. Almost comically, while Sisera lies dead, Barak is still out pursuing him. The Hebrew word hinneh (behold) occurs twice in this verse, drawing attention to the startling discovery that Barak is about to make. As in the Ehud story (verse 3.24-25), these markers are followed by participles, used by the storyteller for dramatic effect. There should be a paragraph break at this point to indicate the change of scene.

And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera: Revised Standard Version has a time clause here, but the Hebrew is more dramatic with “And behold, Barak [was] pursuing Sisera.” We might say “Here comes [or, Look at] Barak!—still chasing after Sisera!” Barak, whose name means “lightning” (see verse 4.6), is reluctant to go to battle in the first place, and here he arrives too late for the fight. For pursued see verse 4.16.

Jael went out to meet him, and said to him: There is great irony here, because these clauses repeat exactly the same words used to describe Jael welcoming Sisera (see verse 4.18). It is possible that Jael also knew Barak, even though the text does not say so. She also seems to know exactly why he has come.

Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking: Jael invites Barak to come into her tent, but she does not announce Sisera’s death. She clearly wants to surprise Barak (and the narrator clearly wants the audience to relish the scene). Come renders the Hebrew verb meaning “go,” but Come is a more logical rendering in this context. We could also say “Come in.” I will show you the man whom you are seeking renders the Hebrew almost word for word. I will show you translates a causative expression in Hebrew, which is literally “I will make you see.” A more natural rendering is “I want you to see” or “I’ll take you to see.” The word man, so prominent in this section (verse 4.20), occurs once again here.

So he went in to her tent is literally “And he came to her.” Revised Standard Version adds the word tent for clarification. It is possible that she has gone further inside the tent and Barak is following her. From this point on, in Hebrew Jael and Barak are referred to by pronominal suffixes rather than full nouns.

And there lay Sisera dead is literally “and behold Sisera falling being dead.” These same words were used to describe King Eglon lying dead on the floor (see verse 3.25). And there renders the Hebrew waw conjunction plus the word hinneh (“behold”). As is often the case, hinneh is followed by a participle to express the surprise of the person (here Barak) who makes the discovery. Lay renders a participle of the key Hebrew verb meaning “fall” (nafal), found throughout the book in similar contexts (for example, verse 3.25; verse 9.40). Dead also renders a Hebrew participle, which probably occurs here in this form because of the word hinneh. Good News Translation adds the phrase “on the ground,” a phrase found in verse 3.25, but not present here. Translators can include this phrase if necessary.

With the tent peg in his temple repeats known information for dramatic effect (see verse 4.21). We can say “and the tent peg [was] through his temple” or “with the tent peg still in his head.” This repetition reminds the reader of a previous judge story, that of Ehud, where the knife remains stuck in Eglon’s fat belly.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• And here comes Barak, still chasing Sisera! Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, “Come in! I’ll show you the man you are looking for.” So he went with her and found Sisera, dead on the ground, the tent peg still through his temple.

• And here is Barak still chasing after Sisera. Jael goes out to meet him and says, “Come with me. I’ll take you to see the man you’re searching for.” So Barak went into the tent with her, and there lay Sisera, dead. The tent peg was still through his head.

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 .