Judges 5:6 Meaning and Explanation
“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The song describes the years of oppression, when the roads were too dangerous to travel and people crept along hidden paths.
What Does Judges 5:6 Mean?
Now the poem turns from God's majesty to Israel's misery before the deliverance. In the days of earlier judges and of Jael, enemies so terrorized the land that the main roads stood empty and frightened travellers slipped along back trails to stay safe.
This is what life looks like under bondage: fear shrinks the world and drives people into hiding. The detail prepares us to feel the weight of what God has now undone. He is a God who reopens the roads, who turns a land of dread into a land of rest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Judges 5:6
What does Judges 5:6 mean?
The song describes the years of oppression, when the roads were too dangerous to travel and people crept along hidden paths.