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
Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ​
2
He came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me as wife.”
3
Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me; for she pleases me well.” ​
4
But his father and his mother didn’t know that it was of the LORD; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel. ​

The Lion and the Secret Honey

5
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and behold, a young lion roared against him. ​
6
The Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat; and he had nothing in his hand: but he didn’t tell his father or his mother what he had done. ​
7
He went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well.
8
After a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ​
9
He took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave to them, and they ate: but he didn’t tell them that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.

The Wedding Feast and the Riddle

10
His father went down to the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. ​
11
When they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12
Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing; ​
13
but if you can’t declare it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, that we may hear it.”
14
He said to them, “Out of the eater came out food. Out of the strong came out sweetness.” They couldn’t in three days declare the riddle. ​

Samson's Wife Reveals the Secret

15
On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you called us to impoverish us? Is it not so?” ​
16
Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, “You just hate me, and don’t love me. You have told a riddle to the children of my people, and haven’t told it to me.” He said to her, “Behold, I haven’t told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?”
17
She wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed him severely; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. ​
18
The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” He said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have found out my riddle.” ​

Samson's Vengeance and Abandonment

19
The Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and struck thirty men of them, and took their plunder, and gave the changes of clothing to those who declared the riddle. His anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. ​
20
But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend. ​

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.

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