Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
Then sang Deborah and Barak ... on that day. Nothing is said respecting the authorship of this noble triumphal ode; but modern criticism has established it, by a chain of strong circumstantial evidence, to be beyond a doubt an effusion of the patriotic and pious mind of Deborah herself. The freshness of feeling that pervades the entire composition-the strong hate evinced toward the enemy, as of one smarting under his insults and oppression-the details given respecting the severity and extent of his tyrannical exactions, and the reign of terror existing in the country-the names and number of the confederate tribes that obeyed the war-summons of Barak-the ascent of the Canaanite hosts, with, their defeat, and the course of their disastrous flight-the description given of the different situations of Jael and of Sisera's mother-indicate the intense interest and accurate knowledge of a contemporary.
Further, the selection of topics that form the burden of the song-the slight notice of the contest, contrasted with the manifest delight shown in describing the rout of the enemy-the praise lavished upon Jael and her deed, with the graphic picture of the rapidly varying emotions of Sisera's mother-afford unmistakeable proof that the author of this beautiful poem was a woman, who appears, from the use of the first person (Judges 5:7), to have been the prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth. 'How much art a song of the early times before David may possess in the midst of its simplicity is shown by this noble song of victory, which unites a really grand design with a regularly beautiful execution, and is a model of a genuine song of victory of nearly eight centuries before Pindar' (Ewald). The mode in which it was sung was most probably that adopted by Hebrew women in celebrating public deliverances (Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 18:6), Deborah, as leader, giving forth the tuneful utterances, echoed by a chorus of female singers, in presence of Barak and his victorious troops on their return from the triumphant pursuit.