In brief
Jael is the wife of Heber the Kenite, whose tent stood in Israel in the time of the Judges. After his army's defeat before Barak, Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, took refuge with her. She welcomed him, covered him, then killed him with a tent peg while he slept. Thus the word of Deborah was fulfilled, who had announced that Sisera would fall into the hands of a woman. She is remembered for a decisive courage at a time when Israel was oppressed.
What does the name Jael mean?
Jael is a Hebrew name that generally refers to the ibex, an agile mountain animal. The Bible gives no explanation of this name, and the link with this animal remains a common hypothesis and nothing more.
The story of Jael
Israel oppressed by Jabin
Judges 4:1-3After the death of Ehud, the people of Israel again did what displeases the Lord. He sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, whose army commander was Sisera. With his nine hundred iron chariots, he had oppressed Israel for twenty years. The people then cried out to the Lord.
Deborah announces the victory
Judges 4:4-9Deborah, prophetess and judge, summons Barak on behalf of the Lord to go up to Mount Tabor with ten thousand men. Barak agrees on condition that she goes with him. She consents, but tells him that the glory of the victory will not be his, for the Lord will give Sisera into the hand of a woman.
The rout of Sisera
Judges 4:14-17The Lord routs Sisera, all his chariots and the whole camp before Barak. Sisera gets down from his chariot and flees on foot. His whole army falls by the sword. He takes refuge in the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin and the house of Heber.
Jael welcomes, then strikes
Judges 4:18-21Jael goes out to meet Sisera and invites him in. She covers him with a blanket and gives him milk. Sisera asks her to say that no one is there. When he sleeps, exhausted, she takes a tent peg and a hammer and drives the peg through his temple. He dies.
Barak finds Sisera dead
Judges 4:22-24Barak pursues Sisera, and Jael goes out to meet him to show him the man he is looking for: Sisera lies dead, the peg in his temple. That day God subdues Jabin, king of Canaan, before the people of Israel. The power of the king of Canaan then weakens until he is destroyed.
The song of Deborah and Barak
Judges 5:24-27In chapter 5, Deborah and Barak sing of the victory, and the song celebrates Jael as most blessed of women in the tent. The poem in turn describes the fall of Sisera at her feet. Israel thus keeps the memory of Jael's act in a song that we can still read today.
What Jael teaches us
- God uses whom he wills, including a woman of the household, to fulfill his word.
- The word of the Lord announced by Deborah is fulfilled to the letter: Sisera falls into the hands of a woman.
- God can reverse the situation of an oppressed people when they cry out to him.
- The decisive action often comes at the hour when it is no longer expected, as with Jael.
- The biblical account tells the facts and the victory God gives his people, without offering violence as a model to imitate.
Key verses
Deborah tells Barak that the Lord will give Sisera into the hands of a woman. The account thus prepared the scene in Jael's tent.
Jael takes a tent peg and a hammer, then strikes the sleeping Sisera. The verse tells the event in a few words, without commenting on it.
In her song, Deborah celebrates Jael as most blessed of women in the tent. Israel's victory is thus publicly recognized.
Sermons about Jael
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jael in the Bible?
Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. When Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin, took refuge in her tent after his defeat, she killed him with a tent peg while he slept. The book of Judges sees in this the fulfillment of Deborah's word.
What does the name Jael mean?
Jael is a Hebrew name that generally refers to the ibex, a mountain animal. The Bible does not explain it, so this link remains a common hypothesis. What matters is the role the account gives her in the deliverance of Israel.
Where can I find the story of Jael in the Bible?
The story of Jael is found in the book of Judges, chapter 4, verses 17 to 22. Chapter 5 takes up the victory in a song of Deborah and Barak, where Jael is celebrated in verses 24 to 27.