“They fought from heaven,
The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
The river Kishon swept them away,
That ancient river, the river Kishon.”
Earth and heaven combined to destroy their armies. Compare Joshua 10:13. The river Kishon was a river bed that wended its way through the Valley of Esdraelon. But when the rains pelted down in the hills around, and on the plain, it could quickly become a swollen river, overflowing its banks and flooding the plain. Some who have seen it have described the traces of where waters from the hills would make their way into the river in times of heavy rains. It was where Elijah destroyed the worshippers of Baal (1 Kings 18:40).
“The stars in their courses (highways).” Deborah may have had in mind the ‘ten thousands of holy ones' who accompanied Yahweh in Deuteronomy 33:2. Or simply that nature was on their side. The stars are usually seen as affecting events by ceasing to shine (Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10; Joel 3:15). Thus the idea might be that the skies became so blackened with rainclouds that although it was ‘night' the stars could not shine. Clearly then they were ‘responsible' for what happened. The darkness would aid the swift footsoldiers of Israel who knew exactly what they were doing, and who was who. And ‘the ancient river' may possibly suggest that the river was deified in Canaanite eyes (similar to the Nile to Egyptians). That also fought against them, impeding them and sweeping away any caught up in it.
‘Oh my soul, march on with strength.'
For these occasional added comments see Judges 5:2; Judges 5:9. Exulted by what she visualises, Deborah encourages her soul to continued strength. If Yahweh has done this, what can He not do?
“Then did the horse hoofs stamp by reason of their prancings,
The prancings of their strong ones.”
As the horses sought to gallop the waters hindered them, causing them to stamp impatiently, and even rear up. And this too would affect the ‘men of strength' who rode them and tried to drive them on. But they were stamping in defeat. However, if we compare Jeremiah 8:16 the ‘strong ones' may be the horses themselves. Thus it may mean that the behaviour of the horses affected each other.