Song of Deborah as Polemic 17 23, the reason for the corresponding pronouncement of blessing on Jael is not provided in v. 24 but only in vv. 25-27. For this reason, most in fact see vv. 24-27 as a single rhetorical unit. But while there is no denying that vv. 25-27 must logically be seen as a continuation of v. 24, I have, however, separated the two in the above analysis for the following reasons. First, while the reason for cursing Meroz in v. 23 is relatively straightforward and succinctly put, the reason for the pronouncement of blessing on Jael is less direct and given in much greater detail. Therefore, if vv. 24-27 is taken as a single rhetorical unit, it would result in an imbalance in the final two panels of the larger chiastic structure proposed above since vv. 24-27 would be significantly longer than v. 23. But second, it is also noteworthy that vv. 25-27 actually seems to be structured as some kind of parallel with vv. 28-30. After all, the main character in both these stanzas is a woman, and in both cases, it is the respective woman’s actions or thoughts in relation to Sisera that is in view. Furthermore, if O’Connell is right in that the giving of milk to Sisera by Jael is intended to portray her as a mother figure, then we have in the two stanzas the portrayal of a mother figure who kills and a birth mother who waits (43). And ironically, in this case, it is the mother figure who kills that is celebrated, while the birth mother who waits is mocked for her naïvety. In fact, one can even make a case that, taken together with v. 31a- b, the two panels comprising vv. 25-27 and vv. 28-30 can also be arranged chiastically. For if Jael, by her action, represents those who love YHWH, while Sisera’s mother represents YHWH’s enemies, then the following chiastic structure is possible: A. The triumph of those who love YHWH demonstrated (vv. 25-27). B. The dashed hopes of YHWH’s enemies demonstrated (vv. 28-30). B’. The destruction of YHWH’s enemies proclaimed (v. 31a). A’. The glory of those who love YHWH proclaimed (v. 31b). In any case, what the above seems to show is that vv. 25-27 may in fact function as a hinge stanza that is linked both to what immediately precedes in v. 24 and to what immediately follows in vv. 28-30. And to the extent that it functions as a pivot between two subsections of the song that otherwise have no direct relationship with each other, it is (43) O’CONNELL, Judges, 123. While blj can also refer to fat and is not often associated with nursing imagery, Isa 28,9; 60,16 does lend some support to O’Connell’s assertion.