King James Version

Judges 4:21

Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

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Hebrew

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וַתִּקַּ֣חvatiqachand takeלָקַחconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and take”, the next action in the storyH3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.יָעֵ֣לyaelJaelיָעֵלnoun, proper name — “Jael”H3278Jael, a CanaaniteJael.אֵֽשֶׁתesheteachאִשָּׁהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “each”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH802a woman(adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.חֶ֠בֶרcheverHeberחֶבֶרnoun, proper name — “Heber”H2268Cheber, the name of a Kenite and of three IsraelitesHeber.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).יְתַ֨דyetadnailיָתֵדnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “nail”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3489a pegnail, paddle, pin, stake.הָאֹ֜הֶלhaohelthe tentאֹהֶלdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the tent”, the ordinary formH168a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)covering, (dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent.וַתָּ֧שֶׂםvatasemand putשׂוּםconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and put”, the next action in the storyH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַמַּקֶּ֣בֶתhamaqevetthe hammerמַקֶּבֶתdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the hammer”, the ordinary formH4718properly, a perforator, i.e. a hammer (as piercing); also (intransitively) a perforation, i.e. a quarryhammer, hole.בְּיָדָ֗הּbeyadahin handיָדpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “in hand”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),([phrase] be) able, [idiom] about, [phrase] armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, [idiom] bounty, [phrase] broad, (broken-) handed, [idiom] by, charge, coast, [phrase] consecrate, [phrase] creditor, custody, debt, dominion, […וַתָּב֤וֹאvatavoand to comeבּוֹאconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and to come”, the next action in the storyH935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat,…אֵלָיו֙elayvamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).בַּלָּ֔אטbalatin softlyלָאטpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in softly”, the ordinary formH3814properly, muffled, i.e. silentlysoftly.וַתִּתְקַ֤עvatitqaand blowתָּקַעconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and blow”, the next action in the storyH8628to clatter, i.e. slap (the hands together), clang (an instrument); by analogy, to drive (a nail or tent-pin, a dart, etc.); by implication, to become bondsman by handclasping)blow (a trumpet), cast, clap, fasten, pitch (tent), smite, sound, strike, [idiom] suretiship, thrust.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַיָּתֵד֙hayatedthe nailיָתֵדdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the nail”, the ordinary formH3489a pegnail, paddle, pin, stake.בְּרַקָּת֔וֹberaqatvoin templeרַקָּהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “in temple”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7541properly, thinness, i.e. the side of the headtemple.וַתִּצְנַ֖חvatitsnachand fastenצָנַחconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and fasten”, the next action in the storyH6795to alight; (transitive) to cause to descend, i.e. drive downfasten, light (from off).בָּאָ֑רֶץbaaretsin earthאֶרֶץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.וְהֽוּאvehuand as for herהוּאconjunction, pronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.נִרְדָּ֥םnirdamsleepרָדַםverb, niphal, participle, absolute — “sleep”, a verb used as a describing wordH7290to stun, i.e. stupefy (with sleep or death)(be fast a-, be in a deep, cast into a dead, that) sleep(-er, -eth).וַיָּ֖עַףvayaafand flyעוּףconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and fly”, the next action in the storyH5774to fly; also (by implication of dimness) to faint (from the darkness of swooning)brandish, be (wax) faint, flee away, fly (away), [idiom] set, shine forth, weary.וַיָּמֹֽתvayamotand dieמוּתconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and die”, the next action in the storyH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.

Young’s Literal Translation

And Jael wife of Heber taketh the pin of the tent, and taketh the hammer in her hand, and goeth unto him gently, and striketh the pin into his temples, and it fasteneth in the earth — and he hath been fast asleep, and is weary — and he dieth.

World English Bible

Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep; so he fainted and died.

Darby Translation

And Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took the hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it penetrated into the ground; for he had fallen into a deep sleep and was faint; and he died.

Douay-Rheims

So Jahel Haber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and taking also a hammer: and going in softly, and with silence, she put the nail upon the temples of his head, and striking it With the hammer, drove it through his brain fast into the ground: and so passing from deep sleep to death, he fainted away and died.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And Jael the wife of Chaber took a pin of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him, and fastened the pin in his temple, and it went through to the earth, and he fainted away, and darkness fell upon him and he died.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἰαὴλ γυνὴ Χαβὲρ τὸν πάσσαλον τῆς σκηνῆς, καὶ ἔθηκε τὴν σφύραν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν κρύφῇ, καὶ ἔπηξε τὸν πάσσαλον ἐν τῷ κροτάφῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διεξῆλθεν ἐν τῇ γῇ· καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξεστῶς ἐσκοτώθη, καὶ ἀπέθανε.