Long before a sense of peace was established, a paralyzing fear gripped the land of Israel, completely halting normal daily life. During the era of recent leaders like Shamgar and Yael, the threat of enemy forces loomed large. The primary approach among commentators is that although Shamgar was a judge who brought a measure of relief to the Israelites, his success was only partial and fell short of providing true security. Yael is remembered alongside him either because she also served as a judge during this difficult era [רש״י, מצודת דוד, אלשיך], or because she was a prominent woman who loved God and managed to bring about some level of rescue. However, the complete and sweeping salvation the nation desperately needed did not arrive until Deborah took up the mantle of leadership [רד״ק].
The physical reality of this terror was most evident on the nation's travel routes. Movement across the land essentially stopped [מצודת ציון]. Large merchant caravans completely avoided the main highways due to the overwhelming dread of enemy attacks, a view shared by the primary approach among commentators. This fear trickled down to every level of society. Even individual travelers who attempted to use narrow, quiet trails found themselves unable to walk in safety [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. When people had absolutely no choice but to travel, they were forced to take crooked, winding routes [מצודת ציון]. Instead of taking the direct and established main roads, travelers had to hide, detouring through remote side villages and selecting hidden paths entirely untouched by the enemy to avoid detection [רש״י, רלב״ג, מצודת דוד, אלשיך].
Beyond the historical reality of physical danger, an allegorical perspective views this era as a time of profound spiritual decline among the people. In this light, the main highways represent the Written Torah, while the narrow paths symbolize the Oral Torah. The image of the people being forced onto crooked, winding routes reflects a distorted approach to studying Torah, one that strayed far from the proper and expected conduct of those devoted to God's word [אהבת יהונתן].