Bible Strands
Judges 5:10
You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The speaker addresses the Israelite leadership and traveling class during a communal victory song following military campaigns. The moment occurs as the community prepares to publicly recount the LORD's righteous deeds at local watering places.
The words — The Hebrew רֹכְבֵי֩ (ro.khe.Vei) and אֲתֹנ֨וֹת ('a.to.Not) literally mean "O riders of female donkeys," while מִדִּ֛ין (mi.Din) denotes "cloth garments" used as saddle coverings. These terms specifically identify the wealthy, mobile strata of society being summoned to deliberate.
The thread — Donkey-riding appears in Judges 10:4 and Judges 12:14 as a marker of local judges and their families. The instruction to recount divine acts parallels Psalms 105:2, which commands the community to tell of God's wonders.
Why it lands — The text commands privileged travelers to pause their journeys and reflect on the military victories just described. It requires them to attribute their security and status to the LORD's actions rather than to their own wealth or mobility.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
Cross-references
- Judges 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years.
- Judges 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
- Psalms 105:2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.
- Psalms 107:32 Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.
- Psalms 145:5 the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.
- Psalms 145:11 They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might,
- Isaiah 28:6 a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
- Joel 3:12 Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side.