This phrase from the Song of Deborah (read Judges 5:10) pictures Sisera’s mother wondering why her son had not returned from a battle with the Israelites. But Sisera would not return; he had been killed by a woman named Jael, who drove a tent peg through his head while he was sleep (Judges 4:21).
The windows of houses in bible times were nothing like our modern glass windows. They were crude openings in exterior walls covered with wooden shutters. A person could open these shutters to look outside or to let in a cool breeze.
BIBLICAL WINDOWS
- Michale looked out a window and saw King David dancing before the ark of the covenant as it was brought into Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:16)
- Jazebel watched from a window as Jehu entered Jezreel to begin his reign as the new king of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) (2 Kings 9:30).
- The prophet Daniel prayed three times a day with his windows opened toward Jerusalem (Dan 6:10).
- Eutychus fell asleep and fell to his death from a window during a long sermon by Paul. The apostle resorted him to life (Acts 20:7-12)
JUDGES 5:28 – The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his [Sisera’s] chariot so long in coming?