In this drawing, Rembrandt chose the moment of extreme violence, that of Jael knocking a nail into the head of the sleeping Sisera. Jael has already delivered a terrible blow, the nail is deep inside Sisera's head, his face is twisted with agony, while the unrelenting Jael raises her arm in order to bring the hammer crashing down yet again on Sisera's shattered skull.

Rembrandt never, it seems, turned this idea into a painting, but kept mulling it over in his head, and it found its way out in a series of drawings.