The Lord chose new wars, and he himself overthrew the gates of the enemies: a shield and spear was not seen among forty thousand of Israel.
יִבְחַר֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים אָ֖ז לָחֶ֣ם שְׁעָרִ֑ים מָגֵ֤ן אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙ וָרֹ֔מַח בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
She also illustrates the wickedness of her people: “the gods chose worthless deities, just as the bread is toxic.” Through this analogy, she reveals their immense folly. Just as one who chooses barley bread over wheat bread is unwise, so too is one who favors false gods over the true God.
The term 'new gods' refers to those pagan deities unfamiliar to the earlier Israelites, who did worship idols but not these recently adopted entities. As for weaponry like shields and spears, Devvora does not claim that the Israelites lacked such items; rather, he notes that they were not utilized—there was neither defense nor offense from the Jews due to a prevailing spirit of timidity and a disregard for the peril and vulnerability of their surroundings.
“They learnt, and chose new gods, and in consequence of this war was opened at the very gates of the city.” The latter part of the verse has a different rendering in Slavonic, specifically “as the bread is yachen.” The translation of the LXX, from which this phrase originates, is inaccurate and does not convey clarity in this context, as the translators interpreted the Hebrew differently than intended. The Hebrew text utilized by the LXX did not include vowel markings, which were not introduced until the fifth century CE. The accurate Hebrew phrasing reads ‘lachem shearim.’ The term ‘lakhem’ signifies war or conflict; the LXX mistakenly read it as ‘lekhem,’ meaning bread. This confusion is understandable, as ‘lachem’ and ‘lechem’ share the same root, which translates to consumpsit or devoured. This concept can apply to both sustenance and battle: one may eat bread, or the sword may devour in warfare. ‘Shearim’ translates to gate; without vowel indications, the LXX misread it as ‘seara,’ which in Russian means barley and in Latin can imply something rough or harsh. Church teachers provided various interpretations of this LXX translation. Blessed Theodoret, for instance, expressed the notion that just as no one would choose barley bread over wheat, so is it foolish to worship idols rather than the true God. While such explanations by teachers and church fathers may lack scholarly support, they were not intended to be critical, as they did not possess the Hebrew text. Instead, they sought to elucidate the LXX translation for their congregations, aiming for moral instruction, which they managed to achieve effectively. It is hard to believe that a later composer, when assembling this song, could have been so inspired to exalt Jehovah that he distinctly illustrated the character of the people and vividly depicted the qualities of certain tribes. In his glorification of Jehovah, Devvora remarks that Israel lacks a king; he laments the rise of idolatry and vice within the Israelites, indicating that the new generation has exceeded the older generations in these sins, which has culminated in the outbreak of war at the very gates of the city.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS