The inhabitants of the villages ceased. — The one Hebrew word for “the inhabitants of the villages” is perâzôn. The rendering of our version is supported by the Chaldee, and by the meaning of the analogous words in Deuteronomy 3:5.1 Samuel 6:18, &c. But this cannot be the meaning in Judges 5:11; and it is far more probable that the LXX. (Cod. B) is right in rendering it “princes” (dunatoi; Vulgate, fortes), though the difficulty of the word is shown by its being simply transliterated (phrazon) in the Alexandrine MS. The meaning probably is “warlike chiefs” (comp. Habakkuk 3:14). Luther renders it “peasants.”
A mother in Israel. — For this metaphor, comp. 2 Samuel 20:19; Job 29:16; Genesis 45:8.