LOUDER THAN THE VOICE OF ARCHERS.1 People who in the past feared to walk upon gravel because the gravel emits a sound2 when people walk on it [shall rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, for they can now walk upon the gravel paths securely].
The meaning of ben mishabim (by the watering troughs)3 is that they were afraid to go by the watering troughs because they wanted to avoid the sound that their feet would make (when walking upon the gravel). Now that they can go there and rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, they can walk securely.
EVEN THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF HIS RULERS IN ISRAEL. Also, those who ceased to dwell in unwalled cities and gathered in fortified cities because they feared Sisera, and now sit in unwalled cities that do not have a bolt or doors and dwell in cities that are located the field, they too shall rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord.
Also, the earlier mentioned men that the enemies of Israel fought against and chased back to the city gate (verse 8) and who then closed the doors of the city because the Israelites were afraid to confront their enemies even in places where the Hebrews numbered 40, 000 as earlier noted viz., Was there a shield or spear seen [among forty thousand in Israel ?(v. 8) [shall rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord].
THEN. In the days of Deborah and Barak.
THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD WENT DOWN TO THE GATES. [The people of the Lord went down to be seen at the gates.]4
This interpretation is close to that of Targum Jonathan who interpreted mi-kol me-chatzetzim (Louder than the voice of archers) … (as meaning) in the place of their antagonists who attacked them and took that which was in their hands, in the place of the tax collectors and the residence of bandits, in the back of the water throughs, there they will give thanks for the righteousness of the Lord, for the righteousness of him who was dwelling in unwalled cities in the land of Israel.5 Then the people of God went down from fortified cities to dwell in open cities.6
It is to be noted that Targum Jonathan renders
mechatzetzim (archers) by the term
anasim which means rivals and antagonists. This is the way
Onkelos renders
ba'alei chitzim (archers)
(Gen. 49:23). Onkelos renders
ba'alei chitzim, his adversaries.
1. Rabbi Yosef Kara renders this as follows: "From the sound of the gravel" i.e. because they feared the sound of the gravel. Hence his interpretations.
2. And therby reveal themselves to the enemy.
3. "When [they] went to the river to draw water, [they] feared the sound of the pebbles smoothened by the river,
Kiesels in German (
cailloux in French is of Celtic origin), for their sound is heard when one passes over them, and [they] feared being detected by the heathens. However, now you do not have to worry about this. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to give thanks to His name. Mechatzitzim is … an expression of “pebbles smoothened by the river,” as in
(Lam. 3:16) “and he broke with the stones my teeth.” Rashi, Chabad translation.
4. La-she'arim (to the gates) is to be rendered ba-shearim (at the gates). Israel fought their enemies at the gate of their cities. They no longer hid behind walls.
5. When it was safe to do so.
6. See Targum Jonathan of the Former Prophets: Translation and Notes by Harrington, Daniel J.; Saldarini, Anthony J. Publisher: Michael Glazier. Publication Date: 1987, p. 67.