My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Yahweh!
- BSB My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
- NKJV My heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the Lord!
- NASB “My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the Lord!
- NLT My heart is with the commanders of Israel, with those who volunteered for war. Praise the Lord!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Deborah's heart goes out in praise to the leaders who volunteered willingly.
Overview
She blesses those commanders who offered themselves freely for the Lord's cause. Wholehearted, voluntary service is honored as the fruit of God's grace. The call to bless Yahweh keeps the focus on Him as the source of every faithful response.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Judg 5:2Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
- 2 Cor 8:17For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.
- 2 Cor 9:5Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
- 2 Cor 8:12For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
- 2 Cor 8:3–4For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
- 1 Chr 29:9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 5:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.