Sisera סִיסְרָא
Canaanite commander defeated by Deborah and Barak.
Who is Sisera in the Bible?
Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army under King Jabin of Hazor, who oppressed the Israelites for twenty years during the time of the judges (Judges 4:2-3). The prophetess Deborah summoned Barak to lead the Israelite forces against him, and though Barak agreed only on condition that Deborah accompany him, she prophesied that the honor of victory would belong to a woman (Judges 4:8-9). When the Lord routed Sisera's army at Mount Tabor, Sisera fled and sought shelter in the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, who killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple as he slept (Judges 4:17-21). Sisera's defeat marks a pivotal moment of deliverance for Israel and exemplifies how God works through unexpected instruments, including women, to accomplish His purposes.
Biography
Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army under King Jabin of Hazor, who oppressed the Israelites for twenty years during the time of the judges (Jdg.4.2-3). Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel, summoned Barak and instructed him to gather an army to fight against Sisera (Jdg.4.4-7). Barak agreed to go only if Deborah accompanied him, to which she consented but prophesied that the honor of the victory would go to a woman (Jdg.4.8-9). In the ensuing battle at Mount Tabor, the Lord routed Sisera's army, and Barak pursued them (Jdg.4.14-16). Sisera fled on foot and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite (Jdg.4.17). Jael welcomed Sisera and gave him a drink, but while he slept, she drove a tent peg through his temple, killing him (Jdg.4.18-21). The victory song of Deborah and Barak celebrates the defeat of Sisera and the role of Jael in his demise (Jdg.5.24-31). The story of Sisera's defeat is also mentioned in 1Sa.12.9 as an example of God's deliverance of Israel from their oppressors and in Psalm 1Sa.83.9 as a prayer for God to defeat Israel's enemies as He did with Sisera. The account of Sisera's downfall highlights the power of God to deliver His people and the role of women in His plan.
In Scripture
3 biblical books ; 1 with study contentJudges 5 verses
- Judges 4:2
"So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim."
- Judges 4:7
"And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”"
- Judges 4:9
"“I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,"
- Judges 4:12
"When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor,"
- Judges 4:13
"he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon."
1 Samuel 1 verse
- 1 Samuel 12:9
"But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them."
Psalms 1 verse
- Psalms 83:9
"Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,"
Study Psalms →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | סִיסְרָא | Sisera , the name of a Canaanitish king and of one of the Nethinim |