What does Judges 4:10 mean?

The first difficult step for Barak in fulfilling God's call to defeat Sisera and the Canaanite army in battle was recruiting an army. This might have been one of his reasons for insisting that Deborah come along. The presence of a respected spiritual leader would have encouraged more men to join the fight (Judges 4:1–9). As it happens, the outcome suggests that the presence of the well-known prophetess of God made Barak's job much easier.

After returning to his hometown of Kedesh, Barak sends out a call. He seeks men of his tribe, Naphtali, and those of the neighboring tribe of Zebulun. Before long, an enormous army stands at Barak's "heels;" this expression means they come ready to follow his orders and follow him into battle. Scholars note that many languages use certain phrases, even numbers, as metaphors. In English, the phrase "a million" is often meant to mean "very many," as in, "I've worn that shirt a million times." The exact figure "10,000" is seen frequently in the book of Judges, and many of those instances might be that form of poetic license.

Regardless of the exact number of men recruited, the response is extremely positive. An enormous number was sought, and an enormous number was attained. This was great confirmation for Barak that God was engineering this effort.