ON THE surface, the song of Deborah and Barak in Judges 5 is a celebration of a miraculous military victory over a superior enemy. It is that, but it’s much more.
When we dig into the Hebrew and consider the cult of the dead from the surrounding Amorite culture, Judges 5 tells of a supernatural battle between Yahweh and His forces against the small-g gods of the Canaanites. The mentions in Judges 5:13 to “the noble” (Hebrew addirim) and “the mighty” (gibborim; also v. 23) are references to the demonic spirits of the Rephaim (i.e., the Nephilim) worshiped by the pagan neighbors of ancient Israel.
We find more evidence in verse 20:
From heaven the stars fought,
Judges 5:20
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
Stars (kokabim) in the Old Testament often refer to the sons of God, as in Job 38:7–8, the supernatural beings we usually (but inaccurately) call angels.
We also discuss the strange curse on the inhabitants of Meroz, which some have interpreted, because of verse 20, as a biblical reference to extraterrestrials. Simply put, it’s not.
Here’s the link to Dr. Mike Heiser’s article “The Torah’s Teaching on Aliens,” which he jokingly wrote might as well have been a blank page.
Check out our online store! GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials here.
We have merch! Check out our new GHTV and Redwing Saga T-shirts and mugs here.
TRAVEL WITH US TO TURKEY! Join us and our special guests Dr. Judd Burton and Dr. Aaron Judkins as we visit the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and much more. Dates are October 17–November 3, 2023. More information is available at GilbertHouse.org/travel.
JOIN US IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.
Note: Due to schedule conflicts, Doug Van Dorn, Dr. Judd Burton, and Timothy Alberino will join our tour in the spring of 2026.
Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, click here for the Old Testament studies to date, and click here for our studies of the Book of 1 Enoch to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.
Love the new page!! It will be wonderful to see Aaron again at the Prophecy conference in May at Colorado Springs. I’ll see you there also along with Cindy Price!!!
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you in May!