And the LORD sold them into the hand of …: For this idiom, see verse 2.14.

Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor: King of Canaan appears to be an old and well known title. However, some scholars doubt that there ever was a king of Canaan, and think that the expression is used here simply to give status to Jabin who was the king of Hazor at that time. Good News Translation calls him “a Canaanite king,” implying that he is one of many kings in the region. For king see verse 1.7; for Canaan see verse 1.1. Reigned renders a word from the same Hebrew root (m-l-k) as the word for king, thus putting heavy emphasis on Jabin’s power and authority. Obviously, from the storyteller’s viewpoint, the more powerful the enemy, the more impressive Israel’s victory will be.

Hazor was a city-state north of the Sea of Galilee, in the region assigned to Naphtali. According to verse 11.10, it was the “head” of many kingdoms. Thus the administrative center of Jabin’s realm was located at this important crossroads of the trade routes running between Damascus and the coast at Sidon.

The commander of his army was Sisera: The storyteller now introduces a new character who will play an important role in this episode. The Hebrew word translated commander (sar) can refer to an official, ruler, or leader, whether political or religious. But in this military context it refers to a general who is head of the troops. An appropriate term should be used, for example, “commander,” “chief,” or “general.” The pronoun his refers back to Jabin, the king. Unlike Ehud who had to rally his men, Jabin already has a full standing army. The word for army is singular in Hebrew, but of course, translators can use a plural term here, for example, “troops” or “soldiers.”

Who dwelt in Harosheth-ha-goiim: As with most main characters in this book, the origins of Sisera are spelled out. His Canaanite origins are reflected in the name of the town in which he lived, Harosheth-ha-goiim, which means “Harosheth of the nations.” The Hebrew word goyim (“nations”) is consistently used in the Old Testament to refer to the nations or peoples who did not recognize Yahweh as Lord (see verse 2.21, verse 23; verse 3.1). Non-Israelites were goyim, that is, “Gentiles” (Good News Translation) or “pagans.” The mention of the word here would have made listeners laugh with contempt. The precise location of this town is not certain, though it probably lies somewhere in the Plain of Sharon. Translators can decide if they want to transliterate this name (Revised Standard Version) or translate it (Good News Translation). However, there is a real advantage to translating it, since the reference to goyim sets the scene for the conflict here.

Models for the translation of this verse are:

• So the LORD gave Jabin, king of Canaan, power over them, and he ruled over them from Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who came from the town of Harosheth-ha-goiim.

• So the LORD made them subject to Jabin, the Canaanite king who ruled in Hazor. The leader of his soldiers was named Sisera, from the town called Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles [or, Pagans].

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 .