11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
[AD 420] Jerome on Judges 5:11
(Judges 5:11) Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates and obtained the leadership. The people of the Lord went down to the gates, that is, to the gates of the house of the Lord, because with the Lord blessed and praised at the place of victory, they descended into the house of the Lord to praise the Lord there, offering prayers and sacrifices to Him. But as for the tribe of Issachar, that they were the teachers of the other tribes is shown in the Book of Chronicles, where it says: Of the sons of Issachar, there were men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs; and all their brethren followed their command (1 Chronicles 12:32). And the reason these scholars are called asses is shown in the book of Genesis where it says: Issachar, a strong donkey lying down between the borders, saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant, and he bowed his shoulder to bear the burden and became a servant under tribute (Gen. XLIX, 14, 15). The donkey is called strong in the Book of Genesis because of the strength of the law, since it carried the law on its shoulder and gave tribute, that is, imparted the teaching of the law to the other tribes. In the Book of Judges, they are called donkeys, because they were weakened and humiliated, and remained weak, oppressed by the yoke of the nations, and only satisfied with the law of God.