TRV
Translation
King James Version
But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
Complete Jewish Bible
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."
Berean Standard Bible
But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
American Standard Version
but if ye cannot declare it unto me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
World English Bible Messianic
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.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
But if you cannot declare it mee, then shall yee giue mee thirty sheetes and thirtie change of garments. And they answered him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may heare it.
Young's Literal Translation
and if ye are not able to declare it to me, then ye have given to me thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments.' And they say to him, `Put forth thy riddle, and we hear it!'
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 6,923 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Judges 14 verses 10–20
10 ¶ So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?
16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And 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.
We have here an account of Samson's wedding feast and the occasion it gave him to fall foul upon the Philistines.
I. Samson conformed to the custom of the country in making a festival of his nuptial solemnities, which continued seven days, Jdg 14:10. Though he was a Nazarite, he did not affect, in a thing of this nature, to be singular, but did as the young men used to do upon such occasions. It is no part of religion to go contrary to the innocent usages of the places where we live: nay, it is a reproach to religion when those who profess it give just occasion to others to call them covetous, sneaking, and morose. A good man should strive to make himself, in the best sense, a good companion.
II. His wife's relations paid him the accustomed respect of the place upon that occasion, and brought him thirty young men to keep him company during the solemnity, and to attend him as his grooms-men (Jdg 14:11): When they saw him, what a comely man he was, and what an ingenuous graceful look he had, they brought him these to do him honour, and to improve by his conversation while he staid among them. Or, rather, when they saw him, what a strong stout man he was, they brought these, seemingly to be his companions, but really to be a guard upon him, or spies to observe him. Jealous enough they were of him, but would have been more so had they known of his victory over the lion, which therefore he had industriously concealed. The favours of Philistines have often some mischief or other designed in them.
III. Samson, to entertain the company, propounds a riddle to them, and lays a wager with them that they cannot find it out in seven days, Jdg 14:12-14. The usage, it seems, was very ancient upon such occasions, when friends were together, to be innocently merry, not to spend all the time in dull eating and drinking, as bishop Patrick expresses it, or in other gratifications of sense, as music, dancing, or shows, but to propose questions, by which their learning and ingenuity might be tried and improved. This becomes men, wise men, that value themselves by their reason; but very unlike to it are the infamous and worse than brutish entertainments of this degenerate age, which send nothing round but the glass and the health, till reason is drowned, and wisdom sunk. Now, 1. Samson's riddle was his own invention, for it was his own achievement that gave occasion for it: Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. Read my riddle, what is this? Beasts of prey do not yield meat for man, yet food came from the devourer; and those creatures that are strong when they are alive commonly smell strong and are every way offensive when they are dead, as horses, and yet out of the strong, or out of the bitter, so the Syriac and Arabic read it, came sweetness. If they had but so much sense as to consider what eater is most strong, and what meat is most sweet, they would have found out the riddle, and neither lions nor honey were such strangers to their country that the thoughts of them needed to be out of the way; and the solving of the riddle would have given him occasion to tell them the entertaining story on which it was founded. This riddle is applicable to many of the methods of divine providence and grace. When God, by an over-ruling providence, brings good out of evil to his church and people, - when that which threatened their ruin turns to their advantage, - when their enemies are made serviceable to them, and the wrath of men turns to God's praise, - then comes meat out of the eater and sweetness out of the strong. See Phi 1:12. 2. His water was more considerable to him than to them, because he was one against thirty partners. It was not a wager laid upon God's providence, or upon the chance of a die or a card, but upon their ingenuity, and amounted to no more than an honorary recompence of wit and a disgrace upon stupidity.
IV. His companions, when they could not expound the riddle themselves, obliged his wife to get from him the exposition of it, Jdg 14:15. Whether they were really of a dull capacity, or whether under a particular infatuation at this time, it was strange that none of the thirty could in all this time stumble upon so plain a thing as that, What is sweeter than honey and what stronger than a lion? It should seem that in wit, as well as manners, they were barbarous - barbarous indeed to threaten the bride that, if she would not use means with the bridegroom to let them into the meaning of it, they would burn her and her father's house with fire. Could any thing be more brutish? It was base enough to turn a jest into earnest, and those were unworthy of conversation that would grow so outrageous rather than confess their ignorance and lose so small a wager; nor would it save their credit at all to tell the riddle when they were told it. It was yet more villainous to engage Samson's wife to be a traitor to her own husband, and to pretend a greater interest in her than he had. Now that she was married she must forget her own people. Yet most inhuman of all was it to threaten, if she could not prevail, to burn her and all her relations with fire, and all for fear of losing each of them the value of a shirt and a coat: Have you called us to take what we have? Those must never lay wagers that cannot lose more tamely and easily than thus.
V. His wife, by unreasonable importunity, obtains from him a key to his riddle. It was on the seventh day, that is, the seventh day of the week (as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures), but the fourth day of the feast, that they solicited her to entice her husband (Jdg 14:15), and she did it, 1. With great art and management (Jdg 14:16), resolving not to believe he loved her, unless he would gratify her in this thing. She knew he could not bear to have his love questioned, and therefore, if any thing would work upon him, that would: "Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not, if thou deniest me;" whereas he had much more reason to say, "Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not, if thou insistest on it." And, that she might not make this the test of his affection, he assures her he had not told his own parents, notwithstanding the confidence he reposed in them. If this prevail not, she will try the powerful eloquence of tears: she wept before him the rest of the days of the feast, choosing rather to mar the mirth, as the bride's tears must needs do, than not gain her point, and oblige her countrymen, Jdg 14:17. 2. With great success. At last, being quite wearied with her importunity, he told her what was the meaning of his riddle, and though we may suppose she promised secresy, and that if he would but let her know she would tell nobody, she immediately told it to the children of her people; nor could he expect better from a Philistine, especially when the interests of her country were ever so little concerned. See Mic 7:5, Mic 7:6. The riddle is at length unriddled (Jdg 14:18): What is sweeter than honey, or a better meat? Pro 24:13. What is stronger than a lion, or a greater devourer? Samson generously owns they had won the wager, though he had good reason to dispute it, because they had not declared the riddle, as the bargain was (Jdg 14:12), but it had been declared to them. But he only thought fit to tell them of it: If you had not ploughed with my heifer, made use of your interest with my wife, you would not have found out my riddle. Satan, in his temptations, could not do us the mischief he does if he did not plough with the heifer of our own corrupt nature.
VI. Samson pays his wager to these Philistines with the spoils of others of their countrymen, Jdg 14:19. He took this occasion to quarrel with the Philistines, went down to Ashkelon, one of their cities, where probably he knew there was some great festival observed at this time, to which many flocked, out of whom he picked out thirty, slew them, and took their clothes, and gave them to those that had expounded the riddle; so that, in balancing the account, it appeared that the Philistines were the losers, for one of the lives they lost was worth all the suits of clothes they won: the body is more than raiment. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, both to authorize and to enable him to do this.
VII. This proves a good occasion of weaning Samson from his new relations. He found how his companions had abused him and how his wife had betrayed him, and therefore his anger was kindled, Jdg 14:19. Better be angry with Philistines than in love with them, because, when we join ourselves to them, we are most in danger of being ensnared by them. And, meeting with this ill usage among them, he went up to his father's house. It were well for us if the unkindnesses we meet with from the world, and our disappointments in it, had but this good effect upon us, to oblige us by faith and prayer to return to our heavenly Father's house and rest there. The inconveniences that occur in our way should make us love home and long to be there. No sooner had he gone than his wife was disposed of to another, Jdg 14:20. Instead of begging his pardon for the wrong she had done him, when he justly signified his resentment of it only by withdrawing in displeasure for a time, she immediately marries him that was the chief of the guests, the friend of the bridegroom, whom perhaps she loved too well, and was too willing to oblige, when she got her husband to tell her the riddle. See how little confidence is to be put in man, when those may prove our enemies whom we have used as our friends.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–20. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Judges 14:13 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Judges 14:13 details the formalization of a high-stakes wager between Samson and his thirty Philistine companions during his wedding feast in Timnath. Samson proposes that if they fail to solve his riddle within the seven days of the feast, they must provide him with thirty fine linen garments and thirty changes of festive apparel. Conversely, if they succeed, he is bound to give them the same. This challenge, rooted in Samson's unique experience and cunning, establishes a significant point of tension and sets the stage for the escalating conflict and deception that characterize this pivotal episode in the narrative of Samson's interactions with the Philistines.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Judges 14:13 is rich with literary devices that amplify the narrative's tension and thematic depth. The entire interaction is framed as a Wager/Contest, a classic narrative trope that propels the plot forward by creating clear stakes and opposition. This verse specifically formalizes the terms of this intellectual battle. There is significant Foreshadowing at play; the exorbitant demand for garments, coupled with the Philistines' acceptance, subtly hints at the desperate and deceitful measures they will resort to in order to avoid payment, directly leading to the coercion of Samson's wife and subsequent violence. The situation is also imbued with Irony, as Samson, chosen by God to deliver Israel from Philistine oppression, is here engaging in a social contest that ultimately deepens the conflict rather than resolving it. Furthermore, the "thirty sheets and thirty change of garments" function as powerful Symbolism of wealth, status, and the high cost of the deception and betrayal that will soon unfold within the narrative.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 14:13, though detailing a seemingly mundane social custom, carries profound theological implications. It underscores the pervasive theme in Judges of Israel's spiritual decline and the dire consequences of compromising with surrounding pagan cultures. Samson's choice to marry a Philistine woman and engage in this culturally ambiguous contest reflects a broader pattern of Israel's failure to maintain their distinct identity and purity as God's chosen people. This compromise leads not to liberation, but to entanglement and further oppression. The high stakes of the riddle serve as a microcosm for the larger spiritual battle: Samson's reliance on his own cunning rather than divine wisdom, and the Philistines' eventual resort to deceit, vividly illustrate the destructive nature of human pride and unrighteousness. This episode highlights the dangers of being "unequally yoked" (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the inevitable conflict that arises when God's people compromise their distinct identity for worldly gain or acceptance, ultimately leading to a harvest of negative consequences.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Judges 14:13 serves as a powerful reminder that even seemingly innocuous social engagements can carry profound spiritual and practical consequences, especially when we compromise our values or align ourselves with those who do not share our commitment to truth and integrity. Samson's cleverness, though impressive, was ultimately self-serving and led to a cycle of deceit and violence rather than genuine deliverance or peace. For believers today, this passage challenges us to critically examine our motivations in competitive situations and our willingness to engage in "games" where the rules of integrity might be bent or where our witness for Christ could be compromised. It highlights the crucial importance of seeking and applying divine wisdom, not just human cunning, in our dealings, recognizing that true wisdom comes from God and leads to life and righteousness, not further entanglement or destructive outcomes. The story of Samson reminds us that even divinely gifted individuals can fall prey to their own desires and pride, leading to painful and far-reaching consequences. We are called to live with discernment, understanding that our choices, particularly in relationships and challenges, have ripple effects that impact not only ourselves but also those around us and our ultimate testimony for God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was the wager so valuable?
Answer: The wager of "thirty sheets and thirty change of garments" was extraordinarily valuable in ancient times because these items represented significant wealth, status, and luxury. "Sheets" (Hebrew sadîn) referred to fine linen garments, which were costly to produce due to the labor-intensive process of cultivating flax and weaving the fabric. "Change of garments" (Hebrew ḥălîpôt bĕgādîm) denoted complete sets of festive or ceremonial clothing, not everyday wear, but reserved for special occasions. Owning multiple sets of such high-quality apparel was a clear indicator of affluence and social standing. Samson's demand for such a large quantity underscored the immense difficulty of his riddle and his absolute confidence in its insolubility without insider knowledge, making the potential loss a considerable financial burden for the Philistines. This high value also served to heighten the dramatic tension and pressure on the Philistines to solve the riddle, ultimately leading to their desperate and deceitful measures later in the chapter (Judges 14:15).
Why did Samson propose a riddle at his wedding feast?
Answer: Proposing riddles at feasts was a common cultural custom in the ancient Near East, serving as a popular form of entertainment and an intellectual contest. Samson, known for his extraordinary strength and cunning, utilized this tradition to challenge his thirty Philistine companions. His riddle was based on a unique and personal experience—his encounter with a lion and the subsequent discovery of honey within its carcass (Judges 14:8-9)—making it virtually impossible to solve without direct, privileged knowledge of his secret. By proposing such a riddle with a high-stakes wager, Samson was asserting his dominance and wit over the Philistines, who were oppressing Israel at the time. It was a personal challenge, a display of intellectual superiority, and a strategic move that, while seemingly social, ultimately escalated the deep-seated conflict between him and his Philistine adversaries, setting the stage for further acts of judgment and retaliation.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Judges 14:13 details a moment of human cunning and a high-stakes wager, it subtly points to the ultimate "riddle" and "wager" fulfilled in Christ. Samson, though a flawed and often self-serving deliverer, foreshadows the one true Deliverer who would conquer the enemy and pay the ultimate price. Just as Samson's riddle was unsolvable by human wisdom alone, the mystery of God's redemptive plan was hidden for ages but has been gloriously revealed in Christ (Ephesians 3:9-10). The "wager" in Judges 14:13 involved material garments, but Christ's victory involved the shedding of His own garments and blood, ultimately securing for us the "garments of salvation" and the "robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). Unlike Samson, whose cunning led to further conflict and personal ruin, Jesus, the true wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), perfectly fulfilled the Father's will, not through a riddle that traps and condemns, but through a truth that liberates (John 8:32). His life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection represent the ultimate triumph over sin, death, and the powers of darkness, a victory freely given to all who believe, far surpassing any earthly wager or material gain (Romans 5:8).