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Pseudo-Philo retells Jael’s killing of Sisera with details drawn from Judith. Jael adorns herself with jewelry, mixes wine, prays for strength, and pushes Sisera’s body off the bed, just as Judith does to Holofernes.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Judith 13:7
Deuterocanon
6 She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes' head, and took down his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, "Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!" 8 Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head. 9 Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts. Soon afterward she went out and gave Holofernes' head to her maid,
Pseudo Philo Biblical Antiquities 31:7
Classical
7 But Jael took a stake in her left hand and drew near to him, saying, “If the Lord gives me this sign, I will know that Sisera will fall into my hands. I will throw him from the bed where he sleeps onto the ground, and if he does not notice it, I will know that he is handed over.” Jael took Sisera and pushed him from the bed onto the ground, but he did not notice, for he was exceedingly faint. Jael said, “Strengthen my arm this day, O Lord, for your sake and for your people’s sake, and for those who put their trust in you.” And Jael took the stake and set it on his temple and struck with the hammer. As he died, Sisera said to Jael, “Pain has come upon me, Jael, and I die like a woman.” Jael said to him, “Go boast before your father in hell, and tell him that you have fallen into the hands of a woman.” And she finished and killed him, and laid his body there until Barak should return.
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Notes and References
“... Jael ‘adorned herself with jewelry’ (ornavit se ornamento), to which the author adds, ‘now the woman was very beautiful in appearance’ (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 31:3: mulier autem erat bone specie valde) — just as Judith ‘[dressed] herself in all her woman’s finery’ (Judith 12:15) and was ‘beautiful in appearance’ (Judith 8:7). When Jael invites Sisera into her tent, he sees ‘roses scattered on the bed’ and desires her for a wife (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 31:3) — as Holofernes desires to sleep with Judith (Judith 12:12, 16; also 11:22-23). When Sisera asks for a drink, Jael mixes wine with milk so he becomes drunk and falls asleep (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 31:4-6) — as Holofernes drinks wine until he falls asleep (Judith 12:20; 13:2). Once Sisera is asleep, Jael takes a stake in her left hand and prays for a sign, that when she pushes him off the bed onto the ground he will not wake (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 31:7) — as Judith pushes Holofernes’ body off the bed (Judith 13:9). When Sisera does not wake, Jael prays ‘Strengthen in me today, Lord, my arm on account of you and your people and those who hope in you’ (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 31:7) — as Judith prays, ‘Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!’ (Judith 13:7) ...”
Vette, Nathanel
Writing with Scripture: Scripturalized Narrative in the Gospel of Mark
(pp. 96-98) T&T Clark, 2022
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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