Judges 5:21

Verse 21. Dragged. Prot. “swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon.”—Cadumim, which the Prot. translate ancient, ( Bible.) means also eastern. The former epithet seems very insignificant. Some assert, that the Cison divided its streams about Mount Thabor, and one part ran towards the east into the lake of Genesareth, which is here designated, while the other empties itself above Carmel into the great sea. But there is no proof of this assertion in the Scripture, nor in Josephus. We read (Judith 7:3,) of a place, which the Syriac properly calls Cadmon, and the Vulg. Chelmon, in this neighbourhood. Instead of Kedumin, Sym. and Theodotion read Kodssim, which the former translates, “the holy vale.” Many of the army ( Calmet.) of the kings, and perhaps of Sisara also, ( Bible.) endeavouring to make their escape, were drowned in the Cison. Calmet.

Ver 22. Broken (ceciderunt) “fell off,” the hoofs being fractured by the hard road, while the riders galloped full speed. Bible.—Some translate the Hebrew “the hoofs of the horses made a sound like that of a hammer beating an anvil, on account of the hurry of the strong ones who push them forward.” Quadrupedante putrem sonitu quatit ungula campum, as Virgil attempts to imitate the sound in verse. Others, “the hoof … was broken by the precipitation ( Calmet.) (Prot. prancings, the prancings of the mighty ones. Bible.) of those who fled.” Formerly, Xenophon observes, the horses were not usually shod with iron. The feet of Bucephalus were consequently much worn. Yet some took the precaution to defend the feet of their horses with brass, (Homer) or iron, in the shape of crescents. Eustathius.—Nero shod his mules with silver; (Sueton.) and Popea, his wife, had shoes of gold for her more delicate beasts. Soleas ex auro quoque induere solebat. Plin. xxxiii. 11.—Yet many excellent horses in Arabia and Tartary are never shod. Tavern. Tirinus. i. B. ii. 5.