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The Old Testament Book of Judges recounts the story of Jael and Sisera. Sisera was a cruel Canaanite leader who ruled the Israelites for twenty years. Barak defeated his nine hundred charioteers by a surprise Israelite attack. Sisera escaped and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. She gave the terrified Canaanite sanctuary. When he fell asleep, she drove a tent peg into his brain. The act fulfilled the prediction of Debora, prophetess and Israelite leader, who foresaw that a woman would slay Sisera.
The present plaque is from a series, including the companion plaque, Solomon Turning to Idolatry (also in Walters Art Museum, Baltimore).
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