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26
ChapterI
killedtheCanaanitewarlordSisera,whofleeingthearmiesofBaraksoughtref-
ugeinhertent.Hewasgreetedhospitably:“AndJaelwentouttomeetSisera,
andsaiduntohim,Turnin,mylord,turnintome;fearnot.Andwhenhehad
turnedinuntoherintothetent,shecoveredhimwithamantle”(Jud.4,18).She
gavehimsomemilk,coveredhimagain,promisedtowatchoverhim,andwhen
thewearymanfellasleep,she“tookanailofthetent,andtookanhammerinher
hand,andwentsoftlyuntohim,andsmotethenailintohistemples,andfastened
itintotheground”(Jud.4,21).Thus,sheratherdrasticallybroketherulesof
hospitality.
Whatevermadeheractinthiscruelmanner–afterall,shewasaKenite,and
thusnotatwarwithSisera–theBiblicalauthorisnotintheleastinterestedin
hermotivation.Moreaboutthat,andherbehaviour,canbelearntfromtheSong
ofDeborahandBarak,sungtoglorifythevictory:
BlessedabovewomenshallJaelthewifeofHebertheKenitebe,blessedshall
shebeaboveallwomeninthetent.
Heaskedwater,andshegavehimmilk,shebroughtforthbutterinalordlydish.
Sheputherhandtothenail,andherrighthandtotheworkmen’shammer;and
withthehammershesmoteSisera,shesmoteoffhishead,whenshehas
piercedandstrickenthroughhistemples.
Atherfeethebowed,hefell,helaydown:atherfeethebowed,hefell:where
hebowed,therehefelldowndead.
(Jud.5,24-27).
Jewishcommentatorsinterpretverse27asanallusiontohermotivation.
Asinglesentencecontainssevenrepetitiveverbformsrelatedtokneeling,fall-
ingandlyingdown,andtheexpression“atherfeet”mayappearas“betweenher
knees”,dependingonthetranslation.Thevocabularymay,therefore,hintat
asexualintercourse;somecommentatorsactuallymaintainthatthevocabulary
indicatesSiserarapedJaelseventimes,andshekilledhimindefenceofherlife
anddignity(Adamiak2006,p.80).Ifitisindeedso,themotiveandJael’ssud-
den,unpremeditatedactionbringstomindemotion-drivenhomicidesstudiedin
themoderntimes,whichfulfillthecriteriafordomesticviolence.
Theabovepersonalityprofilesoffemalekillers,andtheirmotivesforthe
killing,inmanycasesreflecttheimmutablemotivationofhumanactions,and
theveryunderstandablestrugglewithfate,oftenincrisissituation.Itisobvi-
ousthatindividualfactorswhichcruciallyinfluencedtheactofkillingwere
analysedindepthlongbeforeanytheoryoffemalecrimewasformulated.At
issuewerealwaysthetraumaticeventsthat,inconsequence,directlyinflu-
encedthedecisiontocommittheactofhomicide.Theanalysisofmotivation,
whichafterallisanindicatorthatthepersonalityisfulfillingitsfundamental