Gilbert House Fellowship #337: Judges 5

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, 
from their courses they fought against Sisera.

Judges 5:20
Map of the battle (click to enlarge)

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! We will lead our next tour through the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension to Jordan featuring visits to Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, and Petra. Our special guests are Timothy Alberino, Dr. Judd Burton, and Doug Van Dorn!

For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

3 Comments


  1. 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!!!

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