“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just mention Shamgar and Jael; it contrasts their impact with the reality of the time, highlighting that even heroes couldn't make the main roads safe. This emphasizes the pervasive lawlessness and fear that gripped Israel, forcing people onto dangerous, hidden paths instead of the common highways.
“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Before this song of triumph, Deborah paints a grim picture of Israel's suffering under Canaanite oppression for twenty years. She highlights the pervasive fear and lawlessness; public roads were deserted and dangerous, forcing people onto hidden paths to avoid violence from both enemies and desperate countrymen, showing just how bleak their situation was before God intervened.
Imagine a world where the main roads, once bustling with life, are empty. What does that silence tell us about the people living there?
This verse paints a stark picture of a land gripped by fear and oppression. When 'the highways were unoccupied' and travelers stuck to 'byways,' it wasn't just an inconvenience. It was a sign of deep societal breakdown.
A Land Under Siege
The lack of safe travel meant that normal life had ground to a halt. Trade suffered, communities became isolated, and the constant threat of danger hung over everyone. The 'byways' suggest people moving in secret, trying to avoid the predators, whether they were foreign soldiers or internal lawlessness.
The Root Cause
As Deborah's song continues in Judges, it becomes clear that this devastation wasn't random. It stemmed from Israel's own unfaithfulness to God. When a nation turns away from its covenant, the result is often chaos and vulnerability.
Shamgar and Jael were known figures, yet the land remained in chaos during their times. What does this tell us about true deliverance?
The mention of Shamgar and Jael in this verse is significant. They were both figures of strength and courage in their own right. Shamgar famously slew 600 Philistines with an ox-goad (Judges 3:31), and Jael bravely executed the enemy commander Sisera (Judges 4). Yet, their actions, while heroic, didn't bring lasting peace or a complete end to Israel's suffering.
Individual Valor vs. National Salvation
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This highlights a crucial point: individual acts of bravery, even by powerful leaders, aren't the same as total national deliverance. The ongoing oppression, evidenced by the empty highways, shows that while these heroes made impacts, the systemic issues remained.
Pointing to a Greater Deliverer
Deborah uses their names not to diminish them, but to emphasize the depth of Israel's crisis. The fact that even in the 'days of Shamgar' and 'in the days of Jael' the roads were unsafe underscores that Israel needed more than just a strong warrior or a courageous woman. They needed a divine intervention that only God could provide, which ultimately came through Deborah and the subsequent victory.
The mention of Shamgar and Jael highlights the deep-seated, prolonged oppression Israel faced. It wasn't just one event, but a systemic breakdown of safety and security, making travel perilous and illustrating the dire need for God's intervention.
c. 13th century BC
Shamgar's Judgeship
Shamgar, son of Anath, served as a judge in Israel, known for a singular act of valor against the Philistines. His time, however, did not bring full deliverance.
c. 13th century BC
Jael's Presence in the Land
Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, was a significant figure, possibly a leader among her people. While she later played a crucial role, her era also suffered from oppression.
Early 12th century BC— this verse
Canaanite Oppression Under Jabin
The Israelites endured twenty years of harsh oppression by Jabin, king of Canaan, who ruled from Hazor with his general Sisera. This period saw widespread devastation and fear.
Early 12th century BC
Sisera's Military Campaign
Sisera commanded Jabin's formidable army, including 900 iron chariots. His military actions likely contributed to the breakdown of order and safety across the land.
Early 12th century BC
Jael Kills Sisera
Following the Battle of Tabor, Jael famously killed the fleeing Canaanite general Sisera. This act was a pivotal turning point in Israel's struggle for freedom.
Early 12th century BC
Deborah's Leadership and Victory
Prophetess Deborah rallied the Israelites, leading them to a decisive victory over Sisera's forces. This triumph marked the end of Jabin's long oppression.
This passage in Leviticus directly foretells the desolation and abandonment of roads as a consequence of disobedience, echoing the same imagery of deserted highways found in Judges 5:6.
Lamentations 1:4This verse describes Jerusalem's roads being deserted because no one comes to the appointed feasts, illustrating a similar consequence of societal breakdown and fear, mirroring the condition in Judges.
Isaiah 33:8The prophet Isaiah laments that the 'ways are desolate' and 'travelers cease,' painting a picture of a land under duress, which directly parallels the sense of insecurity and emptiness described in Judges 5:6.
Zechariah 7:14This prophecy speaks of the land being desolate because people were scattered and scattered, unable to travel freely, which resonates with the fear and isolation implied by travelers sticking to byways in Judges.
2 Chronicles 15:5This historical account describes a time of great upheaval where 'there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in,' capturing the pervasive insecurity that would lead people to abandon main roads for safer, albeit less-traveled, paths.
jfbJudges 5:6: "In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways."
6-8. The song proceeds in these verses to describe the sad condition of the country, the oppression of the people, and the origin of all the national distress in the people's apostasy from God. Idolatry was the cause of foreign invasion and internal inability to resist it.
bensonJudges 5:6: "In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways."
Jdg 5:6. In the days of Shamgar, &c. — In this and the two following verses Deborah, to give the Israelites a just sense of their deliverance, and excite them to greater thankfulness, represents the miseries to which the Canaanites had reduced them by twenty years’ oppression; their public roads or high-ways were deserted for fear of robbers or viol…
The verse doesn't just mention Shamgar and Jael; it contrasts their impact with the reality of the time, highlighting that even heroes couldn't make the main roads safe. This emphasizes the pervasive lawlessness and fear that gripped Israel, forcing people onto dangerous, hidden paths instead of the common highways.
Before this song of triumph, Deborah paints a grim picture of Israel's suffering under Canaanite oppression for twenty years. She highlights the pervasive fear and lawlessness; public roads were deserted and dangerous, forcing people onto hidden paths to avoid violence from both enemies and desperate countrymen, showing just how bleak their situation was before God intervened.
Before this song of triumph, Deborah paints a grim picture of Israel's suffering under Canaanite oppression for twenty years. She highlights the pervasive fear and lawlessness; public roads were deserted and dangerous, forcing people onto hidden paths to avoid violence from both enemies and desperate countrymen, showing just how bleak their situation was before God intervened.
"“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways." — The verse doesn't just mention Shamgar and Jael; it contrasts their impact with the reality of the time, highlighting that even heroes couldn't make the main roads safe. This emphasizes the pervasive…
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Last reviewed October 2026