~ Pegging queen, sharp and sweet, only seven times ~
Yael’s husband is a friend of Sisera, enemy of the Israelite tribes. When Sisera flees from battle to Yael’s tent, he hopes for shelter. She calls him into her tent, seducing him with promises of hospitality. With warm milk and blankets, she lulls him into a false sense of security before hammering a tent peg into his skull. Like Yehudit, Yael utilizes both ‘female’ and ‘masculine’ ways to protect herself and her people.
One of the rabbinic ways to interpret Yael is as a victim of repeated sexual assault – the seven actions in verse 5:27 “Between her feet he sunk, he fell, he lay; between her feet he sunk, he fell; where he sunk, there he fell down dead” as seven times Sisera harm Yael.
They wonder if she enjoyed this or not. With the help of other interpreters, we like the idea that these are, instead, seven ways that Yael is able to conquer her assailant.We are invested in the notion of Yael as aware of how she is viewed as a woman, uses that to her advantage, and then turns that expectation on its head by taking dominance and (tent-)pegging the life out of Sisera.
🎨 created during Deviant Drash Lishmah class: Fetisheh Toireh
TaNaKh
| Judges 4:12-22 Sisera, meanwhile, had fled on foot to the tent of Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was friendship between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord, come in here, do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. He said to her, “Please let me have some water; I am thirsty.” She opened a skin of milk and gave him some to drink; and she covered him again. He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent. If anybody comes and asks you if there is anybody here, say ‘No.’” Then Yael wife of Heber took a tent pin and grasped the mallet. When he was fast asleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the pin through his temple till it went down to the ground. Thus he died. Now Barak appeared in pursuit of Sisera. Yael went out to greet him and said, “Come, I will show you the man you are looking for.” He went inside with her, and there Sisera was lying dead, with the pin in his temple. | שופטים ד׳:יב׳–כב׳ וְסִֽיסְרָא֙ נָ֣ס בְּרַגְלָ֔יו אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל יָעֵ֔ל אֵ֖שֶׁת חֶ֣בֶר הַקֵּינִ֑י כִּ֣י שָׁל֗וֹם בֵּ֚ין יָבִ֣ין מֶלֶךְ־חָצ֔וֹר וּבֵ֕ין בֵּ֖ית חֶ֥בֶר הַקֵּינִֽי׃ וַתֵּצֵ֣א יָעֵל֮ לִקְרַ֣את סִֽיסְרָא֒ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו סוּרָ֧ה אֲדֹנִ֛י סוּרָ֥ה אֵלַ֖י אַל־תִּירָ֑א וַיָּ֤סַר אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ הָאֹ֔הֱלָה וַתְּכַסֵּ֖הוּ בַּשְּׂמִיכָֽה׃ וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אֵלֶ֛יהָ הַשְׁקִינִי־נָ֥א מְעַט־מַ֖יִם כִּ֣י צָמֵ֑אתִי וַתִּפְתַּ֞ח אֶת־נֹ֧אוד הֶחָלָ֛ב וַתַּשְׁקֵ֖הוּ וַתְּכַסֵּֽהוּ׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלֶ֔יהָ עֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְהָיָה֩ אִם־אִ֨ישׁ יָבֹ֜א וּשְׁאֵלֵ֗ךְ וְאָמַ֛ר הֲיֵֽשׁ־פֹּ֥ה אִ֖ישׁ וְאָמַ֥רְתְּ אָֽיִן׃ וַתִּקַּ֣ח יָעֵ֣ל אֵֽשֶׁת־חֶ֠בֶר אֶת־יְתַ֨ד הָאֹ֜הֶל וַתָּ֧שֶׂם אֶת־הַמַּקֶּ֣בֶת בְּיָדָ֗הּ וַתָּב֤וֹא אֵלָיו֙ בַּלָּ֔אט וַתִּתְקַ֤ע אֶת־הַיָּתֵד֙ בְּרַקָּת֔וֹ וַתִּצְנַ֖ח בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְהֽוּא־נִרְדָּ֥ם וַיָּ֖עַף וַיָּמֹֽת׃ וְהִנֵּ֣ה בָרָק֮ רֹדֵ֣ף אֶת־סִֽיסְרָא֒ וַתֵּצֵ֤א יָעֵל֙ לִקְרָאת֔וֹ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ לֵ֣ךְ וְאַרְאֶ֔ךָּ אֶת־הָאִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ וַיָּבֹ֣א אֵלֶ֔יהָ וְהִנֵּ֤ה סִֽיסְרָא֙ נֹפֵ֣ל מֵ֔ת וְהַיָּתֵ֖ד בְּרַקָּתֽוֹ׃ |
| Judges 5:61 In the days of Shamgar the son of ῾Anat, in the days of Ya᾽el, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through crooked byways. … | שופטים ה׳:ו׳ בִּימֵ֞י שַׁמְגַּ֤ר בֶּן־עֲנָת֙ בִּימֵ֣י יָעֵ֔ל חָֽדְל֖וּ אֳרָח֑וֹת וְהֹלְכֵ֣י נְתִיב֔וֹת יֵלְכ֕וּ אֳרָח֖וֹת עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת׃ |
| Judges 5:24-27 Most blessed of women be Yael, Wife of Heber the Kenite, Most blessed of women in tents. He asked for water, she offered milk; In a princely bowl she brought him curds. Her [left] hand reached for the tent pin, Her right for the workmen’s hammer. She struck Sisera, crushed his head, Smashed and pierced his temple. At her feet he bent, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bent, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down, bereft of life.2 | שופטים ה׳:כד׳–כז׳ מַ֥יִם שָׁאַ֖ל חָלָ֣ב נָתָ֑נָה בְּסֵ֥פֶל אַדִּירִ֖ים הִקְרִ֥יבָה חֶמְאָֽה׃ יָדָהּ֙ לַיָּתֵ֣ד תִּשְׁלַ֔חְנָה וִימִינָ֖הּ לְהַלְמ֣וּת עֲמֵלִ֑ים וְהָלְמָ֤ה סִֽיסְרָא֙ מָחֲקָ֣ה רֹאשׁ֔וֹ וּמָחֲצָ֥ה וְחָלְפָ֖ה רַקָּתֽוֹ׃ |
Talmud
| Nazir 23b The Gemara asks: How is it derived that Yael engaged in sexual intercourse with Sisera? As Rabbi Yoḥanan said: That wicked one, Sisera, engaged in seven acts of sexual intercourse with Yael at that time, as it is stated: “Between her feet he sunk, he fell, he lay; between her feet he sunk, he fell; where he sunk, there he fell down dead” (Judges 5:27). Each mention of falling is referring to another act of intercourse. The Gemara asks: But Yael at least enjoyed the sexual intercourse with him; why is the verse so effusive in her praise? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: All the good of the wicked, i.e., anything good received from wicked people, is nothing other than evil for the righteous, and therefore she certainly derived no pleasure from the act. | נזיר:כג(ב) אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: גְּדוֹלָה עֲבֵירָה לִשְׁמָהּ מִמִּצְוָה שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ. וְהָאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: לְעוֹלָם יַעֲסוֹק אָדָם בְּתוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת אֲפִילּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָן, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָן בָּא לִשְׁמָן? אֶלָּא אֵימָא: כְּמִצְוָה שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ. דִּכְתִיב: ״תְּבֹרַךְ מִנָּשִׁים יָעֵל אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי מִנָּשִׁים בָּאֹהֶל תְּבֹרָךְ״. מַאן נָשִׁים שֶׁבָּאֹהֶל — שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: שֶׁבַע בְּעִילוֹת בָּעַל אוֹתוֹ רָשָׁע בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בֵּין רַגְלֶיהָ כָּרַע נָפַל שָׁכָב וְגוֹ׳״. וְהָא קָא מִתְהַנְיָא מִבְּעִילָה דִילֵיהּ? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כׇּל טוֹבָתָן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים — אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא רָעָה אֵצֶל צַדִּיקִים. |
Medieval Commentary
| Rashi on Judges 5:6:1 In the days of Shamgar ben Anat, in the days of Yael. This teaches that Yael, too, judged Yisrael in her days. | בימי שמגר בן ענת בימי יעל. מלמד שאף יעל שפטה את ישראל בימיה |
Alternate Translations
Everett Fox tr. Judges 5:27; The Early Prophets
[?] Between her legs he bent down, he fell, he lay,
between her legs he bent down, he fell, where he bent down, there he fell, ravaged!
Contemporary Memes
Key:
📌: Pegged/had sex seven different ways/fucked to death
🌈: Gay lovers
💍: Married
We learn that Devorah is the wife of Lapidot and that Yael is the wife of Chever. Chever appears in our story because he is a friend and ally of Sisera—so close, in fact, that when he is in mortal danger, being chased by Barak, he runs to Chever’s encampment, where he finds Yael. The conclusion, if we accept that Yael and Devorah are queer lovers, is that Chever and Sisera are absolutely queer lovers. However, when he enters the tent expecting to find his love, Chever, he actually finds Yael, who is not at all on his side: across a relationship and across a battle-line. Yael hammers Sisera with a tent peg—that is, she pegs him seven different ways, as it is written (Shoftim 5, 27), between her legs (1) he kneeled, (2) he fell, (3) he lay; between her legs (4) he kneeled, (5) he fell; where (6) he kneeled, there (7) he fell destroyed. Finally, it can be concluded that Lapidot and Barak are a thing, since Lapidot means “torches” and Barak means “lightning”; we conclude that Barak lit Lapidot’s fire. The symmetry is also notable: Yael’s husband is banging the general of one side of the conflict, and D’vorah’s husband is banging the other.
