The Meaning of Judges 5:19 Explained

Judges 5:19

KJV: The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

YLT: Kings came -- they fought; Then fought kings of Canaan, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; Gain of money they took not!

Darby: "The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Ta'anach, by the waters of Megid'do; they got no spoils of silver.

ASV: The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan. In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: They took no gain of money.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The kings  came  [and] fought,  then fought  the kings  of Canaan  in Taanach  by the waters  of Megiddo;  they took  no gain  of money. 

What does Judges 5:19 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 5:12-23 - The Stars In Their Courses
This noble psalm contains memorable sentences. The "captivity" phrase in Judges 5:12 is quoted in Psalms 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8; and in the latter is applied to the ascension of our Lord. He led in captivity those evil powers which had for so long held mankind in captivity. Let us not fear death, or the grave, or Hades. They have been bound to the chariot-wheels of our Lord, and their keys hang at his girdle, Revelation 1:18.
Levies and reinforcements poured in from the hill-country of Ephraim, once owned by Amalek, Judges 12:15; from little Benjamin; from the northern tribes: but the main brunt of the war of liberation fell on Zebulun and others adjacent to the plain of Esdraelon, one of the great battlefields of history. Megiddo stands to the south of this famous site and has given its name to the last momentous struggle of Armageddon. Clearly Deborah refers to a terrific storm that broke, perhaps at night, upon the plain, flooding the river Kishon and the adjacent lands, so that Sisera's chariots were rendered useless. O my soul, thou, too, mayest tread under foot thy foes, Judges 5:21, r.v., margin; but be sure never to refuse, as Meroz did, to respond when God needs thy help, Judges 5:23. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 5

1  The Song of Deborah and Barak

What do the individual words in Judges 5:19 mean?

Came the kings [and] fought then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo spoils of silver no they took
בָּ֤אוּ מְלָכִים֙ נִלְחָ֔מוּ אָ֤ז נִלְחֲמוּ֙ מַלְכֵ֣י כְנַ֔עַן בְּתַעְנַ֖ךְ עַל־ מֵ֣י מְגִדּ֑וֹ בֶּ֥צַע כֶּ֖סֶף לֹ֥א לָקָֽחוּ

בָּ֤אוּ  Came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מְלָכִים֙  the  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
נִלְחָ֔מוּ  [and]  fought 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
נִלְחֲמוּ֙  fought 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
מַלְכֵ֣י  the  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
כְנַ֔עַן  of  Canaan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
בְּתַעְנַ֖ךְ  in  Taanach 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: תַּעֲנַךְ  
Sense: an ancient Canaanite city conquered by Joshua and allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh although in the territory of Issachar; given to the Kohathite Levites; located on the west of the Jordan and near the waters of Megiddo.
מֵ֣י  the  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
מְגִדּ֑וֹ  of  Megiddo 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְגִדֹּו 
Sense: ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles (0 km) from Mount Carmel and miles (8 km) from Nazareth.
בֶּ֥צַע  spoils 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֶּצַע  
Sense: profit, unjust gain, gain (profit) acquired by violence.
כֶּ֖סֶף  of  silver 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
לֹ֥א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לָקָֽחוּ  they  took 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.