Commentary for Judges 5:26

To batter the exhausted Sisera, who was exhausted, totally fatigued.

Her hand, etc.: Meanwhile she herself reached out her left hand to take the tent pin and reached out her right to take a hammer that is called, a toilers' striker - on account of people toiling in their work and striking with it to do their work.

Her hand reached (tishlachenah) for the tent pin: It is like tishlach (the singular conjugation, and not the plural, which tishlachenah would otherwise be). And the [final letters] nun and hay are extra - as [in] (Judges 3:23), "misdaronah"; (Judges 3:22), "parshedonah" - even though this is not customary. And my master, my father, may his memory be blessed, explained,"tishlachenah," [as] her [left] hand and her right hand sent out (such that the verb is understandably conjugated in the plural) for the tent pin and the hammer. She required her left hand for the tent peg; and her right, for the hammer. And it attributed sending to the hands because they performed the act. And similar to this is (Ecclesiastes 2:10), "And everything that my eyes requested"; (Proverbs 7:11), "her feet did not reside at home"; (Psalms 78:72) "and he led them with the skill of his palms." But if you say that tishlachenah is singular, there is no need for all this. As the explanation is that her [left] hand and her right hand were extended for the sake of the tent peg and the hammer. And my teacher, my brother, Rabbi Moshe, may his memory be blessed, explained it [as] lacking (though having the meaning as if it had) the comparative [letter] kaf - as [in] (Proverbs 17:22), "A joyful heart is brightness," the understanding of which is, "is like brightness." And likewise did he explain, "her hand," [as,] "like her hand." And it is in the way of a question: Since it stated (Judges 5:24), "More blessed than women is Yael," it said that she is more fitting for blessing than other women, as she did this powerful act that other women do not do. For acts of power are not done by women, but rather by men. Hence it said by way of a question, "Do the other women send out [their hands] - like her hand - for the tent peg, and the right hand for the worker's hammer (halmut)?" And halmut is the name of the tool with which working craftsmen strike.

Penetrated. From חִיקּוּי, "penetration".

And she struck Sisera: She struck and broke Sisera and removed his head. She attacked him with striking and wounding, and pierced his temple from side to side with the pin.

She machakah his head: She removed his head. It is from the usage, machak, in the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed (Bava Batra 89a) - "We do not flatten (mochakim) [produce] in a place that they heap [it]." And a machak is a tool that we pass over a measure to remove everything above it.

Inflicted grievous injury. From מַחַץ, "injury".

And she smashed: It is from [the same usage as] (Isaiah 30:26), "and the crushing of its wound."

Impaled. It emerged from the other side.

And she chalfah: She passed the tent peg through his temple. And so did Yonatan translate (in the Targum), "she passed it through his temple." Or, "and she chalfah," can be from [the same usage as] (Job 11:10), "yachalof and confine," which is an expression of cutting off.