Judges14

Samson desires a Philistine woman from Timnath, a choice his parents oppose but which is ordained by the Lord to provoke the Philistines. On his journey, he supernaturally slays a lion and later finds honey within its carcass. At his wedding feast, Samson poses a riddle based on this event, which his Philistine companions discover by coercing his wife. Enraged, Samson slays thirty Philistines to fulfill his wager, and his wife is given to another.

Samson Seeks a Philistine Wife

1
Shimshon went down to Timnah, and in Timnah he saw a woman who was one of the P'lishtim. ​
2
He came up and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the P'lishtim. Now get her for me to be my wife."
3
His father and mother replied, "Isn't there any woman from the daughters of your kinsmen or among all my people? Must you go to the uncircumcised P'lishtim to find a wife?" Shimshon said to his father, "Get her for me. I like her." ​
4
His father and mother didn't know that all this came from ADONAI, who was seeking grounds for a quarrel with the P'lishtim. (At that time the P'lishtim were ruling Isra'el.) ​

The Lion and the Secret Honey

5
Shimshon went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they came to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion roared at him. ​
6
The Spirit of ADONAI came powerfully upon Shimshon, and barehanded he tore the lion to pieces as easily as if it had been a young goat. But he didn't tell his father or mother what he had done. ​
7
Then he went down and talked with the woman and found he still liked her.
8
Awhile later, as he was returning to claim his bride, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion and saw that there was now a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ​
9
He scraped the honey out into his hands and went on, eating as he went; and when he came to his father and mother, he gave them some; and they ate too. But he didn't tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.

The Wedding Feast and the Riddle

10
His father went down to the woman, and there Shimshon gave a banquet - this is what the young men used to do. ​
11
When the P'lishtim saw him, they provided thirty companions to be with him.
12
Shimshon said to them, "Let me present you with a riddle. If you can solve it within the seven days of the banquet and tell me the solution, I will give you thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of good clothes. ​
13
But if you can't solve it, you give me thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of good clothes." They answered, "Tell us the riddle, we want to hear it."
14
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came food; out of the strong came sweetness." Three days passed, and they couldn't solve the riddle. ​

Samson's Wife Reveals the Secret

15
On the seventh day, they said to Shimshon's wife, "Coax your husband into telling us the solution to the riddle. Otherwise we'll burn down your father's house and you with it. You two called us here to turn us into paupers, didn't you?" ​
16
Shimshon's wife went to him in tears and said, "You don't love me, you hate me! You told a riddle to my fellow countrymen, and you haven't told me the answer." He said to her, "Look, I haven't even told it to my father and mother! Should I tell you?"
17
But she had been crying throughout the seven days of the banquet; so on the seventh day, because she had kept pressing him, he told her the solution; and she passed it on to her people. ​
18
Then, before sundown on the seventh day, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?" Shimshon answered, "If you hadn't plowed with my young cow, you wouldn't have solved my riddle now." ​

Samson's Vengeance and Abandonment

19
Then the Spirit of ADONAI came over him powerfully. He went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their good clothes, and gave them to the men who had "solved" the riddle. He was boiling with rage, so he went straight up to his father's house, ​
20
and his wife was given to the companion who had been best man at the wedding. ​

Study Notes for Judges 14

Verse 1

Samson’s choice of a Philistine woman immediately signals his disregard for the covenant boundary requiring separation from foreign, idolatrous nations (Deut 7:3). This highlights his character flaw: prioritizing immediate personal desire over spiritual duty.

Verse 3

The parents object on the grounds of religious identity, calling the Philistines 'uncircumcised.' This term was used by Israelites to emphasize the Philistines' status as outsiders to the covenant promises.

Verse 4

This verse provides the theological key to the chapter. Although Samson acts on selfish impulse, the narrator reveals that God is sovereignly orchestrating the events to create conflict and deliver Israel from Philistine oppression.

Verse 5

Timnath was situated in the Shephelah, the border region between Israelite and Philistine territory. The vineyards outside the city were likely wild and dangerous, providing the setting for the lion encounter.

Verse 6

This is the first manifestation of the supernatural strength granted by the Spirit of the LORD, confirming Samson’s divine calling. However, Samson keeps the feat secret, suggesting a pattern of using divine gifts for personal, non-publicized actions.

Verse 8

The discovery of honey in the carcass is the source of the later riddle. By touching the dead lion, Samson violated his Nazarite vow, which strictly forbade contact with any corpse (Num 6:6). He then shares the defiled honey with his parents.

Verse 10

The seven-day feast was the customary length for a wedding celebration. Samson’s making of the feast and the subsequent wager show his integration into Philistine social customs.

Verse 12

The wager of thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of clothes represented a massive financial stake. This suggests the thirty companions were men of wealth and standing, likely selected to guard Samson or spy on him.

Verse 14

The riddle, 'Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness,' is based on his unique, secret experience with the lion and the honey. It is fundamentally unsolvable by those who do not share his secret.

Verse 15

The Philistines instantly resort to threats of violence ('burn thee... with fire') against the wife and her household. This reveals the brutal and desperate nature of Samson’s oppressors and their willingness to use coercion.

Verse 17

Samson’s persistent weakness in the face of feminine emotional pressure ('lay sore upon him') is a fatal flaw that recurs throughout his life story, leading him to betray his secrets.

Verse 18

Samson’s retort, 'If ye had not plowed with my heifer,' is a sardonic idiom meaning, 'If you had not used my wife to discover the answer.' It expresses his anger at their deceitful methods.

Verse 19

The Spirit of the LORD again empowers Samson, leading to the murder of thirty Philistine men in Ashkelon, a major Philistine city far from Timnath. This act of violence fulfills the wager and initiates the major conflict between Samson and the Philistines.

Verse 20

The father-in-law's decision to give the bride to the companion was a profound insult, ending the marriage and setting the stage for Samson's subsequent acts of revenge detailed in the following chapter.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options