7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.’ ”
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 4:7:
Kupsabiny: “I shall lead Sisera who is in charge of the soldiers of Jabin to come with his soldiers and his carts up to the valley of Kishon to come and fight. I shall fight for you to defeat that man.’ ’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I will bring Sisera, Jabin’s commanding general with his chariots and all his soldiers out to the Kishon river and give [them] into your hand’."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-lure/stir-up Sisera, the leader/[lit. head] of the soldiers of Jabin, to go to Kishon place-where- water -flows together-with his soldiers and chariots. And there I will-cause- you (plur.) -to-win against them.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Yahweh will lure Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the Kishon River, a few miles away. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’ ’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Following are two English oral translations of Judges 4. The first is by Janet Stahl and the second by Bronven Cleaver. Both were produced as part of Cleaver’s PhD dissertation .
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And I will draw out Sisera: Deborah continues to give the message of the LORD. She is quoting words from the LORD. The pronoun I refers to Yahweh and not Deborah. Some languages will prefer indirect speech, saying “He says that he will draw out Sisera.” Draw out renders the same Hebrew verb translated “gather” in verse 4.6. Here it has a slightly different meaning: the LORD will draw out or “lure” the enemy troops into a place where they will be vulnerable. Contemporary English Version has “The LORD will trick Sisera into coming out,” but this rendering may have negative connotations in relation to the LORD. Translators can say “I will lead Sisera out” or “I will entice Sisera.” Good News Translation has “I will bring Sisera.”
The general of Jabin’s army refers to Sisera. The Hebrew word for general is the same one translated “commander” in verse 4.2. Translators should choose one word and use it consistently.
To meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops: The word meet does not occur in the Hebrew but is implicit in the text. This is not a casual meeting. The LORD purposely draws the enemy troops to a place where they can be defeated. By the river Kishon is the place where the battle will occur. The river Kishon runs through the Jezreel Valley toward the sea, entering the Mediterranean near Mount Carmel. Several versions speak of “the Wadi Kishon” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; similarly Revised English Bible) or “the Torrent of Kishon” (New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible [Traduction œcuménique de la Bible]), which are other possible renderings for the Hebrew here. A “wadi” (nachal in Hebrew) is not a standing river, but a dry valley-like area that fills up when there are flash floods. These areas can be very dangerous, and till today people caught in these circumstances may die from drowning or being beaten by the water against the rocky sides. The text does not make this explicit, but it is possible that the very nature of this place may have played a role in the defeat of Sisera’s troops. Perhaps the iron-rimmed chariots could not maneuver well in such a muddy and wet place. In some areas of the world, such as on coral atolls or in some desert areas, rivers may not be known, in which case the translator might say “place where there is a lot of water.”
With his chariots and his troops refers to Sisera’s chariots and fighting men. For chariots see verse 1.19. Chariots may refer here to the soldiers driving the chariots, not just the vehicles themselves.
And I will give him into your hand is the second part of the divine promise, the first being that the LORD will bring Sisera out to do battle with Barak. Once again, the pronoun I refers to the LORD, who promises to give Barak victory over the Israelites’ enemies. The key term hand is used once more. For the idiomatic expression here, see the comments on verse 1.2 and verse 1.4.
A translation example for this verse is:
• I will bring [or, draw] Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, out to the Kishon River to fight with you, along with his chariots and foot soldiers. But I will give you victory over him.’ ”
If indirect speech is needed, the following model may be helpful:
• He said that he would lure the head general of King Jabin’s army, Sisera, into battle against you at the wadi of Kishon. He will come against you with chariots and troops, but the LORD will not allow him to defeat you. You will have the victory.”
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 .
4:7a And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon,
I will bring Sisera the leader of the army of Jabin to the Kishon River with his chariots and his army.
-or-
General Sisera is the leader of King Jabin’s army. God will make him come to the Kishon River with his war carts and his soldiers.
4:7b and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
I will deliver him into your (sing.) power.’ ”
-or-
Then God will help you to defeat him.”
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