Who was Jabin in the Bible?
King, before Israel had a king
Jabin, a Canaanite king of Hazor, is mentioned in the book of Judges as an oppressor of Israel. Jabin appears in 5 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Jabin?
Jabin, a Canaanite king of Hazor, is mentioned in the book of Judges as an oppressor of Israel. During this time, the Israelites had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and as a result, God allowed Jabin to overpower them. Jabin had a commander named Sisera, who led a powerful army with nine hundred chariots of iron (Jdg.4.2-3). For twenty years, Jabin oppressed the Israelites, until they cried out to the Lord for help (Jdg.4.3). God raised up Deborah, a prophetess and judge, to deliver Israel. Deborah summoned Barak and instructed him to gather an army to fight against Sisera (Jdg.4.6-7). Barak agreed to go only if Deborah would accompany him, to which she consented, but warned that the honor of the victory would go to a woman (Jdg.4.8-9). Deborah and Barak led the Israelite army against Sisera, and with the Lord's help, they defeated the Canaanite forces (Jdg.4.14-16). Sisera fled on foot and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Jael invited him in and covered him with a blanket, but while he slept, she drove a tent peg through his temple, killing him (Jdg.4.17-22). On that day, God subdued Jabin before the Israelites, and they eventually destroyed him (Jdg.4.23-24). The defeat of Jabin and Sisera is also mentioned in Psalm Jdg.83.9 as an example of God's power to deliver His people from their enemies. This account demonstrates the consequences of Israel's disobedience and the importance of crying out to God in times of oppression. It also highlights the role of women, such as Deborah and Jael, in God's plan of deliverance for His people.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Jabin appear in the Bible?
Jabin is referenced in 5 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Judges 4:2
- Judges 4:7
- Judges 4:23
- Judges 4:24
- Psalms 83:9
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Jabin.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Jabin?
Jabin appears in 5 verses across 2 books, most often in Judges, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Jabin?
Judges, Psalms.
Where can I read every verse about Jabin?
This page lists 5 of them. Protos carries all 5, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.


