by Bobby L. Graham
Someone asks, "Why did Jael give Sisera milk instead of water in Judges 4:19?"
The prophetess, Deborah, had been chosen by God to serve as Israel's fourth judge (more a military leader than an arbiter of cases). Oppression at this time was coming from the Canaanites, led by Sisera the captain of their army. Barak led the army of Deborah. At the beginning of the battle, Barak's men confused/routed the army of Canaan. The army of Sisera fell by the sword that day. Sisera, however, fled on foot from the fighting to the tent of Jael because of the amicable relations between Jabin, a Canaanite king, and Heber, the husband of Jael.
Jael accorded Sisera comforts associated with hospitality, not the usual treatment reserved for an enemy. She covered him with a blanket/rug. When he requested water, she gave him milk, which most likely was agitated milk because of the meaning of the word, something like buttermilk or cream. Without refrigeration, it must have been anything but cold.
The Song of Deborah, recorded in Judges 5, gives other helpful information on this matter. "He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a magnificent bowl, she brought him curds" (Judg. 5:25). The text refers to thick, curdled milk. Older versions described the bowl as being "lordly."
Why did she do this? According to one source, "When Sisera came to Jael's tent, she opened a skin bottle of milk. Fresh milk shaken in such a skin would be curdled by the bacteria left on the inner surface, and would then be served as sour milk (Judg. 4:19; 5:25) or hema, which is not 'butter.' Called leben in Arabic, it is still served to guests by Bedouins (cf. Gen. 18:8)" (TWOT, 285).
Notice that Jael gave Sisera more than he requested, and she served it to him in grand style. Why? She was most likely trying to make him feel special and secure, because of the treatment she planned to give him later when killing him. She hammered a tent peg into his temple and drove it into the ground on which he lay. Little could Sisera have suspected Jael of her murderous intent after she provided for him in such a magnificent manner. Her act was notable in overcoming the Canaanite enemies, as evidenced in Deborah's Song already mentioned (Judg. 5:24-27).
Yamauchi, Edwin. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Edited by R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.
Author Bio: Bobby actively participates in fill-in preaching, Belize trips, teaching an hour each day at Athens Bible School, and in gospel meeting work. He and his wife, Karen, have three children. He can be reached at bobbylgraham@pclnet.
