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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Judges 15:1–8. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here is, I. Samson's return to his wife, whom he had left in displeasure; not hearing perhaps that she was given to another, when time had a little cooled his resentments, he came back to her, visited her with a kid, Jdg 15:1. The value of the present was inconsiderable, but it was intended as a token of reconciliation, and perhaps was then so used, when those that had been at variance were brought together again; he sent this, that he might sup with her in her apartments, and she with him, on his provision, and so they might be friends again. It was generously done of Samson, though he was the party offended and the superior relation, to whom therefore she was bound in duty to sue for peace and to make the first motion of reconciliation. When differences happen between near relations, let hose be ever reckoned the wisest and the best that are most forward to forgive and forget injuries and most willing to stoop and yield for peace' sake.
II.The repulse he met with.
Her father forbade him to come near her; for truly he had married her to another, Jdg 15:2. He endeavours, 1. To justify himself in this wrong: I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her. A very ill opinion he had of Samson, measuring that Nazarite by the common temper of the Philistines; could he think worse of him than to suspect that, because he was justly angry with his wife, he utterly hated her, and, because he had seen cause to return to his father's house for a while, therefore he had abandoned her for ever? Yet this is all he had to say in excuse of this injury. Thus he made the worst of jealousies to patronize the worst of robberies. But it will never bear us out in doing ill to say, "We thought others designed ill." 2. He endeavours to pacify Samson by offering him his younger daughter, whom, because the handsomer, he thought Samson might accept, in full recompence for the wrong. See what confusions those did admit and bring their families to that were not governed by the fear and law of God, marrying a daughter this week to one and next week to another, giving a man one daughter first and then another. Samson scorned his proposal; he knew better things than to take a wife to her sister, Lev 18:18.
III.The revenge Samson took upon the Philistines for this abuse.
Had he designed herein only to plead his own cause he would have challenged his rival, and would have chastised him and his father-in-law only. But he looks upon himself as a public person, and the affront as done to the whole nation of Israel, for probably they put this slight upon him because he was of that nation, and pleased themselves with it, that they had put such an abuse upon an Israelite; and therefore he resolves to do the Philistines a displeasure, and does not doubt but this treatment which he had met with among them would justify him in it (Jdg 15:3): Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines. He had done what became him in offering to be reconciled to his wife, but, she having rendered it impracticable, now they could not blame him if he showed his just resentment. Note, When differences arise we ought to do our duty in order to the ending of them, and then, whatever the ill consequences of them may be, we shall be blameless. Now the way Samson took to be revenged on them was by setting their corn-fields on fire, which would be a great weakening and impoverishing to the country, Jdg 15:4, Jdg 15:5.
1.The method he took to do it was very strange. He sent 150 couple of foxes, tied tail to tail, into the corn-fields; every couple had a stick of fire between their tails, with which, being terrified, they ran into the corn for shelter, and so set fire to it; thus the fire would break out in many places at the same time, and therefore could not be conquered, especially if this was done, as it is probable it was, in the night. He might have employed men to do it, but perhaps he could not find Israelites enough that had courage to do it, and he himself could do it but in one place at a time, which would not effect his purpose. We never find Samson, in any of his exploits, making use of any person whatsoever, either servant or soldier, therefore, in this project, he chose to make use of foxes as his incendiaries. They had injured Samson by their subtlety and malice, and now Samson returns the injury by subtle foxes and mischievous fire-brands. By the meanness and weakness of the animals he employed, he designed to put contempt upon the enemies he fought against. This stratagem is often alluded to to show how the church's adversaries, that are of different interests and designs among themselves, that look and draw contrary ways in other things, yet have often united in a fire-brand, some cursed project or other, to waste the church of God, and particularly to kindle the fire of division in it.
2.The mischief he hereby did to the Philistines was very great. It was in the time of wheat harvest (Jdg 15:1), so that the straw being dry it soon burnt the shocks of corn that were cut, and the standing corn, and the vineyards and olives. This was a waste of the good creatures, but where other acts of hostility are lawful destroying the forage is justly reckoned to be so: if he might take away their lives, he might take away their livelihood. And God was righteous in it: the corn, and the wine, and the oil, which they had prepared for Dagon, to be a meat-offering to him, were thus, in the season thereof, made a burnt-offering to God's justice.
IV.The Philistines' outrage against Samson's treacherous wife and her father.
Understanding that they had provoked Samson to do this mischief to the country, the rabble set upon them and burnt them with fire, perhaps in their own house, Jdg 15:6. Samson himself they durst not attack, and therefore, with more justice than perhaps they themselves designed in it, they wreak their vengeance upon those who, they could not but own, had given him cause to be angry. Instead of taking vengeance upon Samson, they took vengeance for him, when he, out of respect to the relation he had stood in to them, was not willing to do it for himself. See his hand in it to whom vengeance belongs. Those that deal treacherously shall be spoiled and dealt treacherously with; and the Lord is known by these judgments which he executes, especially when, as here, he makes use of his people's enemies as instruments for revenging one upon another his people's quarrels. When a barbarous Philistine sets fire to a treacherous one, the righteous may rejoice to see the vengeance, Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11. Thus shall the wrath of man praise God, Psa 76:10. The Philistines had threatened Samson's wife, that, if she would not get the riddle out of him, they would burn her and her father's house with fire, Jdg 14:15. She, to save herself and oblige her countrymen, betrayed her husband; and what came of it? The very thing that she feared, and sought by sin to avoid, came upon her; she and her father's house were burnt with fire, and her countrymen, whom she sought to oblige by the wrong she did to her husband, brought this evil upon her. The mischief we seek to escape by any unlawful practices we often pull upon our own heads. He that will thus save his life shall lose it.
V.The occasion Samson took hence to do them a yet greater mischief, which touched their bone and their flesh, Jdg 15:7, Jdg 15:8.
"Though you have done this to them, and thereby shown what you would do to me if you could, yet that shall not deter me from being further vexatious to you." Or, "Though you think, by doing this, you have made me satisfaction for the affront I received among you, yet I have Israel's cause to plead as a public person, and for the wrongs done to them I will be avenged on you, and, if you will then forbear your insults, I will cease, aiming at no more than the deliverance of Israel." So he smote them hip and thigh with a great stroke, so the word is. We suppose the wounds he gave them to have been mortal, as wounds in the hip or thigh often prove, and therefore translate it, with a great slaughter. Some think he only lamed them, disabled them for service, as horses were houghed or ham-strung. It seems to be a phrase used to express a desperate attack; he killed them pell-mell, or routed them horse and foot. He smote them with his hip upon thigh, that is, with the strength he had, not in his arms and hands, but in his hips and thighs, for he kicked and spurned at them, and so mortified them, trod them in his anger, and trampled them in his fury, Isa 63:3. And, when he had done, he retired to a natural fortress in the top of the rock Etam, where he waited to see whether the Philistines would be tamed by the correction he had given them.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
7 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Just as those who travel about in the pathless desert tremble at serpents on the ground, and those who travel on the pathways are also terrified of vipers that hide on the paths, so were the Philistines, who traveled on paths and in the pathless desert, terrified of Samson. “To bite the horse’s heels and throw its rider backward.” It was during the great famine, which God had brought upon the Philistines, that Samson burned their crops by means of foxes, for fire was carried on their bodies like a rider on its horse. Then the Philistines keeled over from lack of bread and then fell backwards from lack of nourishment.
But the perfidy of the maiden being thus discovered, he abstained from intercourse with her, and returned to his father's house. The damsel, disturbed in mind, and justly dreading that the wrath of this mighty man would be kindled into fury by this wrong, gave her hand to another man, one whom Samson, relying on his fidelity, had brought with him as his bridesman to his marriage. But neither by this expedient of a marriage did she avoid offence. For when the affair was disclosed, and he was forbidden to return to his wife, and her father said that she was married to another man, but that he might, if he chose, marry her sister, he was exasperated by the affront, and determined to take a public revenge for his domestic injury. Wherefore he took three hundred foxes, and in the heat of summer, when the corn was now ripe in the fields, he tied them together two and two by the tails, and fastened a burning firebrand between them, binding it with a firm knot, and by way of avenging his wrong turned them loose among the sheaves which the Philistines had cut. But the foxes, terrified by the fire, scattered flames whichever way they turned, and burnt the harvest. And the Philistines, incensed by the loss of all their corn in that region, told it to the princes of their land. And they sent men to Timnath, and burnt in the fire the woman who had been faithless to her husband, and her parents and all her house; saying that she had been the cause of this injury and devastation, and ought not to have provoked a man who could avenge himself by a public calamity.
Samson resistless because of his hair is attacked by a lion;
When he killed the wild beast, from its mouth there flowed streams of honey,
And from an ass’s jawbone comes forth a fountain of water:
Folly with water overflows and virtue with sweetness.
Samson catches three hundred foxes and arms them with firebrands,
Which he ties to their tails, and he lets them go into the cornfields
Of the Philistines to burn their crops: thus the fox of false doctrine
Cunningly scatters the flames of heresy over our vineyards.
Samson resistless because of his hair is attacked by a lion;
When he killed the wild beast, from its mouth there flowed streams of honey,
And from an ass’s jawbone comes forth a fountain of water
Folly with water overflows and virtue with sweetness.
Samson catches three hundred foxes and arms them with firebrands,
Which he ties to their tails, and he lets them go into the cornfields
Of the Philistines to burn their crops: thus the fox of false doctrine
Cunningly scatters the flames of heresy over our vineyards.
- "Scenes from Sacred History 17.18"
Let us avoid, then, brothers, let us avoid the pestilential deceits of the insidious foxes [heretics]. Let us avoid the deadly frauds of wicked persons lest, like the foxes which that famous strong man Samson once sent into the Philistines’ fields, bearing torches on their tails that burned up everything with their flames, the foxes of perverse teachings in like manner either get hold of the fruits of our fields by deceitful traps or consume them by burning flames. Let us, therefore, as we read, be simple and clever—that is to say, simple as doves and clever as serpents, so that the cleverness of the serpents might protect the simplicity of the doves.
Now let us see what Samson did when he was injured by his friend in the person of his wife. He took foxes, that is, adulterous friends of whom it is said in the Canticle of Canticles, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that damage the vineyards.” What does it mean, “catch”? It means seize, convict, repress them, lest the vines of the church be destroyed. What else does it mean to catch foxes, except to convict heretics with the authority of the divine law, to fasten and fetter them with the testimony of holy Scripture as with chains? Samson caught the foxes and put torches of fire on their tails after they were coupled. What do the tails of the foxes tied together signify? What are foxes’ tails except the results of heresy (for their first appearance is flattering and deceitful) bound fast, that is, condemned and dragging fire in their trail? Moreover, they destroy the fruits and good works of those who consent to their seductions. People are told, Do not listen to heretics, do not consent to them or be seduced by them. They reply, Why? Has not that one or so and so listened to heretics? Has not that other Christian committed such vices, such adultery, or such robbery? And what evil has befallen him? Those are the first appearances of the foxes, and souls that are seduced pay attention; the fire is behind them. Nothing has happened to him now, it is said. Since nothing has gone before, will nothing be dragged after? He is sure to come to the fire which follows. Do you think further that the heretics drag along the fire with which to burn the fruits of their enemies but are not themselves burned? Doubtless, when the foxes burned the harvest they, too, were burned. This judgment will come back upon the heretics; what they do not see now they have behind them. They delight people with their flattery and show themselves at first free from restraint. But at the judgment of God their tails are bound, that is, they drag fire upon themselves afterwards, since wickedness preceded their punishment.
Then follow the words “Samson was angry because a friend married his wife.” This friend prefigured all heretics. It is a great mystery, my brothers. Heretics who divide the church have wanted to marry the wife of the Lord and carry her away. By departing from the church and the Gospels, they attempt through adulterous wickedness to seize the church, that is, the body of Christ, as their portion. For this reason that faithful servant and friend of the Lord’s bride says, “I betrothed you to one spouse, that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ.” Moreover, through the zeal of faith and a rebuke he touches the person of his wicked companion: “And I fear lest, as the serpent seduced Eve, so your minds may be corrupted from the truth which is in Christ Jesus.” Who are the companions, that is, the heretical deserters who want to seize the Lord’s spouse, unless Donatus, Arius, Manichaeus, and other vessels of error and perdition?
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Summary
Judges 15:5 graphically portrays Samson's devastating act of retribution against the Philistines, employing a unique and widespread method to destroy their vital agricultural resources. By igniting torches attached to foxes and releasing them into the fields, Samson crippled the Philistine economy, burning up their standing grain, harvested shocks, vineyards, and olive groves. This strategic and comprehensive destruction served as his vengeful response to the betrayal concerning his Philistine wife, escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and their oppressors into a cycle of escalating violence.
Context
Literary Context
This verse serves as the climactic execution of Samson's calculated vengeance, stemming from a profound personal slight. The narrative immediately preceding Judges 15:5 establishes the provocation: Samson's return to Timnah to reconcile with his Philistine wife, only to discover her father had given her to his best man (Judges 15:1-2). Feeling deeply dishonored and betrayed, Samson declared his intent to exact revenge, stating, "Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure" (Judges 15:3). Verse 4 then describes his ingenious, albeit cruel, method: capturing 300 foxes, tying them tail-to-tail in pairs with a torch between them, and releasing them into the Philistine fields. Judges 15:5 then vividly portrays the success of this scheme, leading directly to the Philistines' retaliatory burning of Samson's wife and her father (Judges 15:6), further intensifying the cycle of violence that characterizes Samson's interactions with them throughout his judgeship.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Philistines, a powerful "Sea Peoples" group who settled on the southwestern coast of Canaan, were a dominant force during the period of the Judges, frequently oppressing Israel. Their economy was heavily reliant on agriculture, particularly grain (wheat and barley), olives, and grapes, which were staple crops in the fertile Shephelah region, a transitional zone between the coastal plain and the Judean hills where many Philistine cities (like Ekron and Gath) were located. The destruction described in Judges 15:5 was not merely an act of vandalism but a devastating economic assault designed to inflict maximum pain and disruption. Such an attack on food supplies and agricultural infrastructure would have had immediate and long-term consequences for the Philistine population, impacting their ability to feed their people, sustain trade, and support their military. This act underscores the brutal realities of ancient warfare, where targeting an enemy's economic base was a common and effective strategy to weaken and subdue them.
Key Themes
Judges 15:5 powerfully contributes to several key themes within the book of Judges and the broader Samson narrative. Firstly, it exemplifies the theme of Retribution and Vengeance, showcasing Samson's personal and often disproportionate responses to perceived wrongs. This motif is pervasive in a book where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," leading to cycles of violence and anarchy (Judges 21:25). Secondly, it highlights Economic Warfare as a potent tool of conflict, demonstrating how strategic destruction of resources could cripple an enemy. This tactic is also seen elsewhere in biblical narratives, such as the plagues against Egypt affecting their crops and livestock (Exodus 9:23-25 and Exodus 10:12-15). Lastly, this verse underscores Samson's Unique Strength and Cunning, not merely his physical prowess but also his tactical ingenuity in orchestrating a large-scale, destructive operation. While Samson is often portrayed as a flawed deliverer, his acts of immense power, even if driven by personal motives, serve to undermine Philistine dominance, foreshadowing Israel's eventual, albeit circuitous and often violent, liberation from their oppressors.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term (H3940) refers to a "flambeau, lamp, or flame," specifically a "fire-brand" or "torch." In this context, it signifies the incendiary device attached to the foxes, indicating a deliberate and controlled ignition of the fields. The use of "brands" emphasizes the intentionality and the fiery, destructive nature of the act.
This word (H7054) denotes grain that is still growing upright in the field, unharvested. Its destruction means the loss of the future yield, representing a severe blow to the coming harvest and long-term food security for the Philistines.
This term (H1430) refers to sheaves of grain that have already been cut and gathered into piles in the field, awaiting threshing. The destruction of "shocks" indicates the loss of the current, ready-to-process harvest, representing an immediate and critical blow to the Philistine food supply. The inclusion of both "standing corn" and "shocks" underscores the totality and comprehensiveness of the agricultural devastation.
Verse Breakdown
"And when he had set the brands on fire,"
This clause describes the crucial preparatory action by Samson. It implies a deliberate and calculated move, where the torches attached to the foxes were ignited, transforming them into instruments of widespread arson. This highlights Samson's direct agency and the premeditated nature of the destruction he intended to unleash.
"he let [them] go into the standing corn of the Philistines,"
This explains the method of deployment for the 300 foxes, now carrying the lit brands. Releasing them into the "standing corn" (unharvested grain) signifies a targeted attack on the Philistines' primary food source, aiming to destroy the crops before they could be gathered, thereby ensuring maximum economic impact.
"and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn,"
This details the comprehensive outcome of Samson's plan. The fire consumed not only the "standing corn" (future harvest) but also the "shocks" (already harvested and piled grain). This dual destruction ensured that both immediate and future food supplies were annihilated, maximizing the economic and societal impact.
"with the vineyards [and] olives."
This final phrase expands the scope of the destruction beyond just grain. Vineyards (for wine and grapes) and olive groves (for oil, a crucial commodity for food, light, trade, and anointing) were also consumed by the fire. This indicates a complete and devastating assault on all major agricultural sectors, ensuring widespread economic ruin and long-term hardship for the Philistines.
Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices to convey the magnitude and impact of Samson's act. Hyperbole is evident in the sheer scale of the destruction, as 300 foxes unleashed across vast agricultural lands would cause immense, almost unimaginable, devastation. This exaggeration emphasizes the severity of the blow inflicted upon the Philistines. Imagery is powerfully used through the vivid description of fire consuming "standing corn," "shocks," "vineyards," and "olives," painting a clear, sensory picture of scorched earth, widespread ruin, and the acrid smell of burning crops. This detail evokes the horror and totality of the destruction. Furthermore, there is a strong element of Irony in Samson, a judge appointed by God to deliver Israel, employing such destructive and seemingly chaotic methods, often driven by personal vengeance rather than pure divine strategy, yet still serving God's larger purpose of humbling the Philistines. The fire itself can be seen as Symbolism, representing both judgment and consuming wrath, reflecting the intense anger of Samson and foreshadowing the escalating conflict that would ultimately lead to further violence and Philistine retaliation, a cycle of fire meeting fire.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Judges 15:5 serves as a stark illustration of the destructive cycle of vengeance and its far-reaching consequences, a pervasive theme throughout the book of Judges. While Samson's actions were a direct response to a profound personal grievance and the broader Philistine oppression, they were fundamentally driven by a spirit of retribution that often characterized human interactions in a period lacking central spiritual authority and adherence to God's law. This event underscores the theological principle that unchecked anger and personal vengeance lead to escalating conflict and widespread suffering, rather than true justice or lasting peace. It highlights the human tendency to "repay evil for evil," a behavior explicitly warned against in later biblical wisdom literature and New Testament teachings. Ultimately, this passage, like much of Samson's story, points to the profound human need for a divine intervention that transcends cycles of violence and offers a path to reconciliation and true deliverance, a deliverance that cannot be achieved through human strength or cunning alone, but only through God's perfect plan.
Reflection and Application
Samson's fiery act in Judges 15:5 is a powerful, albeit disturbing, reminder of the destructive potential of unchecked anger and the self-perpetuating cycle of retribution. While Samson was indeed a deliverer for Israel, his personal grievances often fueled his actions, leading to devastating consequences not only for his enemies but also, indirectly, for his own people. For us today, this passage challenges us to examine the roots of our own anger and how we respond to perceived injustices or betrayals. Do we seek personal vengeance, or do we trust in a higher, divine justice? The widespread destruction of crops and livelihoods serves as a vivid metaphor for how our own destructive emotional responses—bitterness, resentment, and a desire for "an eye for an eye"—can lay waste to relationships, opportunities, and our inner peace. It calls us to a higher standard, to break cycles of harm by choosing forgiveness, seeking reconciliation, and trusting in God's ultimate sovereignty and justice, rather than allowing bitterness and a desire for retribution to consume us and those around us. This passage compels us to consider the long-term spiritual and relational costs of vengeance, urging us toward the path of grace and peace offered in Christ.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Samson justified in his actions, given the Philistine oppression and the betrayal he experienced?
From a purely human perspective, Samson's actions were a direct, albeit extreme, response to a significant personal betrayal and the ongoing Philistine oppression of Israel. The Philistines had given his wife to another man after he had already paid the bride-price, a profound insult that violated social and legal norms of the time. Moreover, Samson was raised as a Nazirite, set apart by God to begin the deliverance of Israel from Philistine domination (Judges 13:5). In this sense, his acts, however personally motivated, served God's larger purpose of weakening the Philistines and initiating their downfall. However, from a theological and ethical standpoint, the Bible often presents Samson as a flawed hero whose actions are frequently driven by personal passion and vengeance rather than pure obedience to God's revealed will. While God used him in His sovereign plan, Samson's methods often involved violence and retribution, which stand in stark contrast to later biblical teachings on forgiveness, love for enemies, and turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). The narrative in Judges describes what happened, but it doesn't necessarily endorse every aspect of Samson's character or actions as morally ideal or exemplary for believers.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Samson, despite his immense strength and his divinely appointed role as a judge, ultimately represents a flawed and temporary deliverer, whose acts of deliverance were often intertwined with personal vengeance and destructive power. His burning of the Philistine crops, while effective in inflicting economic harm, was an act of retribution that only escalated the cycle of violence and suffering. In stark contrast, Jesus Christ is the perfect and ultimate Deliverer, whose mission was not to destroy but to save, not to exact vengeance but to offer reconciliation and redemption. While Samson's power was used to burn and lay waste to the Philistines' livelihood, Christ's power was supremely demonstrated in His self-sacrifice on the cross, where He bore the judgment for humanity's sins, effectively "burning up" the record of our debt and triumphing over the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:14-15). Unlike Samson, who acted out of personal slight and a desire for payback, Christ willingly laid down His life out of perfect love and obedience to the Father's will (John 10:18). The destructive fire Samson unleashed foreshadows the consuming fire of God's holiness and justice, yet Christ, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, absorbed that divine wrath, offering redemption and a way out of the endless cycle of human retribution. Thus, Samson's story, including this act of fiery destruction, points forward to the profound need for a Savior who would bring not just temporary relief from oppression, but eternal salvation and true spiritual peace through a perfect, non-retributive sacrifice (Hebrews 9:28).