The River Kishon Pays Its Ancient Pledge to the Sea

"The brook Kishon swept them away, that ancient brook" (Judges 5:21). You find that when Israel crossed the Sea, the Israelites of that generation were of little faith. They said, "Just as we are coming up on this side, so the Egyptians are coming up on another side." As it is said, "They rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds" (Psalms 106:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the prince of the Sea, "Spit them out onto the dry land." He said before Him, "Master of the universe, is there a servant whose master gives him a gift and then takes it back from him?" He said to him, "I will give you one and a half times their number." He said before Him, "Is there a servant who makes a claim against his master?" He said to him, "The brook Kishon will be a guarantor for Me." At once it spat them out onto the dry land. For with Pharaoh it is written, "six hundred chosen chariots" (Exodus 14:7), while with Sisera it is written, "nine hundred chariots of iron" (Judges 4:13) [one and a half times as many]. Concerning Sisera it is written, "From heaven they fought" (Judges 5:20); when the stars of heaven came down upon them, they descended to cool themselves in the brook Kishon. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the brook Kishon, "Go and pay your pledge to the Sea." Immediately the brook Kishon swept them into the Sea. This is what is written, "The brook Kishon swept them away, that ancient brook" (Judges 5:21), a brook that was a guarantor from of old. At that hour the fish opened their mouths and said, "And the truth of the LORD endures forever" (Psalms 117:2).