For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Was Sisera murdered in his sleep?
Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:
Yes, he was fast asleep.
“But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died.” (Judges 4:21)
No, he was awake and standing up.
“She reached out her hand for the tent peg, And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head; And she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.” (Judges 5:26-27)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the website’s track record of inaccurate handling of biblical passages. See the many examples of their error we have responded to here in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions. Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this post, which is what the remainder of the post will do. But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages the Skeptic Annotated Bible cited and see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
- The skeptic tries to pit Judges 4:21 which the skeptics interpret as claiming “Sisera was murdered in his sleep” against Judges 5:26-27 which the skeptics interpret as claiming “Sisera was murdered when he was awake and standing up.”
- The skeptic uses the language of murder to describe the killing Sisera. Sisera was a cruel military commander and he was engaged in warfare during the context of the chapter though he was fleeing the scene. In light of that I don’t see him as being murdered, not according to biblical moral categories, though he was killed.
- The skeptic interpreted Judges 4:21 correctly that it declare the following proposition: “Sisera was murdered in his sleep.” Notice how the verse described Sisera in the following matter: “he was sound asleep and exhausted. “
- The skeptic incorrectly interpreted Judges 5:26-27; the skeptic did not correctly extrapolated from the verse to get the support for their claim that the verse is asserting “Sisera was murdered when he was awake and standing up.”
- Nowhere in this verse does it says Sisera was standing up.
- It did mentioned he was bowing; so he was not standing.
- To hammer a military age male with a tent peg at the temple of the head suggests he wasn’t standing. I’m assuming most females are shorter than military fighting age male who’s a military commander.
- Nor does the verse says Sisera was awake.
- It will be strange to bow between a woman’s feet.
- I think it better fits with Judges 4:21 that Sisera was asleep and Jael came up to Sisera with his head between her feet.
- Judges 5 is a song celebrating military victory; if it uses less literal language it does not conflict the more literal historical narrative account of Judges 4 (where Judges 4:21 supposedly conflict with Judges 5:26-27). Still as we seen above even taken literally there’s not an incompatible account.
- There is no contradiction here. Seems the skeptic needs to learn of How to Handle Bible Contradictions.
- We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity. The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible. In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview. Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”
Thanks for this thorough rebuttal of another one of Steve/Stephen Wells’ baseless allegations.
Minor correction: See minor point 6 of major point 6.
From “with her feet between his head” to “with his head between her feet.”
Wow thanks for that correction! I need to fix the grammatical and syntactical error! How is the temperature today at ROC???
I hope you don’t mind me pointing out the error. Just trying to be helpful. I know these Bible contradiction rebuttals will reach a lot of people via the internet.
RE: today’s temp
ROC is looking at a high of 83F. What’s your high temp for today?
Agreed!!
Thanks Michael for reading this! How are you???
Absolutely no contradiction.
Shalom!
Amen to that, no contradiction! Appreciate your support!
Good point in 4: “In light of that I don’t see him as being murdered, not according to biblical moral categories, though he was killed.”
Besides atheists have no moral grounds on which to claim anyone was “murdered”.
Also good point showing that there is no contradiction in these verses: “It did mentioned he was bowing; so he was not standing.”
Exactly! I agree with what you said: “Besides atheists have no moral grounds on which to claim anyone was “murdered”
There’s no moral foundation with the atheist worldview; it’s bankrupt intellectually in terms of a foundation that provide intelligibility and meaningfulness.
Good point! I see you get presup apologetics which makes my heart rejoice! Hope you are doing well!
copies some of this and pasted it in MindShift’s latest YouTube video
Thank you for sharing this Ray! I appreciate it! How are you Ray from Mewe? (I’m assuming Ray from MeWe…)
What is mindshift?
Their track record isn’t getting any better, is it? 🤨
Good point!! I think this is number 290 that I looked at and the skeptics track records is found wanting!!! God’s Word still stands amen?
Amen. 😉
Skeptics clutch at straws, as this post proves!
Indeed they are grabbing straws!! Amen! It’s amazing how God’s Word still stands doesn’t it??
Awesome! He is God and we are His people. Praise God for His Word!
So well explained. Skeptics will always be just that.
Thanks Bella for reading this. Indeed skeptics going to still be skeptical…but for others I pray this is helpful! Hope you are doing well this week??
This is truly helpful! I hope you are having a great week as well.
This is a detailed response worth reading by the skeptics and critics. This nonsense from atheists online attacking the Bible needs to be exposed
Thanks sister for reading this and the encouragement
You are welcome sir
You have probably noticed that I often put songs by ApologetiX in my posts. I didn’t have call to write about this subject, but I’m glad to share this with you. Elton John’s “Island Girl” has been redone about Jael, “Violent Girl.” https://youtu.be/Ez95-2hVjmg?si=tisYLN80y-4MPwqO
Wow I am impressed by ApologetiX. I never knew they had this song before! Thanks for sharing that Bob. Love you brother, I pray you are persevering with everything going on
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Many thanks for your post. As you say the Judges 5:26-27 is a song and poetic license is allowed over the earlier historical reference.
Thank you so much for reading this!! God bless you!
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