They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?
"The governors ... offered themselves willingly"  (Judges 5:9).  In the deplorable weakness and oppression which Israel at that time was enduring, it was a very noble thing indeed that the governors of the various tribes (not all of them, but several of them) responded to Deborah's urgent appeal.  "As Deborah thought of their patriotic devotion, her heart was filled with admiration and she broke out into thanksgiving and praise to Jehovah."[22]