Heber חֶ֫בֶר
A Kenite; husband of Jael.
Who is Heber in the Bible?
Heber was a Kenite who lived during the time of the judges and is mentioned in Judges 4 and 5. He had separated from the other Kenites and made a peace treaty with Jabin, the king of Hazor, who was oppressing Israel at that time. Heber's wife, Jael, became central to Israel's deliverance when she killed Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, by driving a tent peg through his temple as he slept in her tent (Judges 4:17-21). Though Heber himself maintained his alliance with Jabin, his wife's actions are celebrated in the Song of Deborah as instrumental in God's victory over Israel's enemies (Judges 5:24). Heber's story illustrates how God's deliverance sometimes comes through unexpected means and people, even within households divided in their loyalties.
Biography
Heber was a Kenite, a descendant of Moses' father-in-law, Hobab. He had separated from the other Kenites and pitched his tent in the plain of Zaanaim, near Kedesh. Heber had made peace with Jabin, the king of Hazor, who was oppressing Israel at that time. Heber's wife, Jael, played a significant role in the defeat of Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army. When Sisera fled from the battle and sought refuge in Jael's tent, she killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple while he slept. Jael's actions are praised in the Song of Deborah for bringing deliverance to Israel. (Jdg.4.11,17; 5.24).
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical bookJudges 4 verses
- Judges 4:11
"Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh."
- Judges 4:17
"Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite."
- Judges 4:21
"But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died."
- Judges 5:24
"Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | חֶ֫בֶר |