Juízes 14

ARC · Chapter 14/21

¹E desceu Sansão a Timnatha: e, vendo em Timnatha a uma mulher das filhas dos philisteos,

²Subiu, e declarou-o a seu pae e sua mãe, e disse: Vi uma mulher em Timnatha, das filhas dos philisteos; agora pois, tomae-m'a por mulher.

³Porém seu pae e sua mãe lhe disseram: Não ha porventura mulher entre as filhas de teus irmãos, nem entre todo o meu povo, para que tu vás tomar mulher dos philisteos, d'aquelles incircumcisos? E disse Sansão a seu pae: Tomae-me esta, porque ella agrada aos meus olhos

⁴Mas seu pae e sua mãe não sabiam que isto vinha do Senhor; pois buscava occasião dos philisteos: porquanto n'aquelle tempo os philisteos dominavam sobre Israel.

⁵Desceu pois Sansão com seu pae e com sua mãe a Timnatha: e, chegando ás vinhas de Timnatha, eis que um filho de leão, bramando, lhe saiu ao encontro.

⁶Então o espirito do Senhor se apossou d'elle tão possantemente que o fendeu d'alto a baixo, como quem fende um cabrito, sem ter nada na sua mão: porém nem a seu pae nem a sua mãe deu a saber o que tinha feit

⁷E desceu, e fallou áquella mulher, e agradou aos olhos de Sansão.

⁸E depois de alguns dias voltou elle para a tomar: e, apartando-se do caminho a ver o corpo do leão morto, eis que no corpo do leão havia um enxame de abelhas com mel.

⁹E tomou-o nas suas mãos, e foi-se andando e comendo d'elle; e foi-se a seu pae e a sua mãe, e deu-lhes d'elle, e comeram, porém não lhes deu a saber que tomara o mel do corpo do leão.

¹⁰Descendo pois seu pae áquella mulher, fez Sansão ali um banquete; porque assim o costumavam fazer os mancebos.

¹¹E succedeu que, como o vissem, tomaram trinta companheiros para estarem com elle.

¹²Disse-lhes pois Sansão: Vos darei um enigma a adivinhar: e, se nos sete dias das bodas m'o declarardes e descobrirdes, vos darei trinta lençoes e trinta mudas de vestidos.

¹³E, se m'o não poderdes declarar, vós me dareis a mim os trinta lençoes e as trinta mudas de vestidos. E elles lhe disseram: Dá-nos o teu enigma a adivinhar, para que o ouçamos.

¹⁴Então lhes disse: Do comedor saiu comida, e doçura saiu do forte. E em tres dias não poderam declarar o enigma.

¹⁵E succedeu que, ao setimo dia, disseram á mulher de Sansão: Persuade a teu marido que nos declare o enigma, para que porventura não queimemos a fogo a ti e á casa de teu pae: chamastes-nos vós aqui para possuir o que é nosso, não é assim?

¹⁶E a mulher de Sansão chorou diante d'elle, e disse: Tão sómente me aborreces, e não me amas; pois déste aos filhos do meu povo um enigma a adivinhar, e ainda m'o não declaraste a mim. E elle lhe disse: Eis que nem a meu pae nem a minha mãe o declarei, e t'o declararia a ti?

¹⁷E chorou diante d'elle os sete dias em que celebravam as bodas: succedeu pois que ao setimo dia lh'o declarou, porquanto o importunava; então ella declarou o enigma aos filhos do seu povo.

¹⁸Disseram-lhe pois os homens d'aquella cidade, ao setimo dia, antes de se pôr o sol: Que coisa ha mais doce do que o mel? e que coisa ha mais forte do que o leão? E elle lhes disse: Se vós não lavrasseis com a minha novilha, nunca terieis descoberto o meu enigma.

¹⁹Então o espirito do Senhor tão possantemente se apossou d'elle, que desceu aos ascalonitas, e matou d'elles trinta homens, e tomou os seus vestidos, e deu as mudas de vestidos aos que declararam o enigma: porém accendeu-se a sua ira, e subiu á casa de seu pae

²⁰E a mulher de Sansão foi dada ao seu companheiro que o acompanhava.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Samson marries a Philistine woman against his parents' wishes, kills a lion on the way to the wedding, poses a riddle at the feast, and reacts with violence when his wife reveals the answer to the Philistines.

Explanation

Samson's marriage to a Philistine woman, despite the clear prohibition against intermarriage, is described by the text itself as something that 'was of the LORD,' who used this questionable decision of Samson's as an occasion to confront the Philistines - showing how God can work through complicated circumstances without approving the disobedience itself. The riddle of the lion ('out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness') and its solution through his wife's betrayal reveals the pattern that would repeat throughout Samson's life: his impressive physical strength walked hand in hand with emotional weakness before women who manipulated him. This chapter already establishes the tragic cycle of impulsiveness and personal revenge that would mark his entire career as judge.

Fun facts

The custom of posing riddles at wedding feasts, with clothing wagered as the prize, was a social practice documented in various cultures of the ancient Near East as a form of entertainment among guests.
The honey found in the dead lion's carcass is biologically plausible: bees can build hives in the cavities of bones and dry carcasses in hot climates like that of Israel.

Verse-by-verse explanation

Juízes 14:1Samson goes down to Timnath and sees there a Philistine woman who pleases him.
Juízes 14:2He comes back and asks his parents to arrange this marriage, having already decided he wants that Philistine woman as his wife.
Juízes 14:3His parents are puzzled, asking why he wants to marry an uncircumcised Philistine instead of choosing someone from his own people; Samson insists, saying she is the one who pleases him.
Juízes 14:4The text explains that Samson's desire for a Philistine woman came, without his knowing it, from an opportunity God was using against the Philistines. It is a passage in which the narrative credits God with a plan behind a choice Samson's parents considered wrong.
Juízes 14:5Samson goes down to Timnath with his parents, and as he draws near the vineyards there, a young lion roars and comes toward him.
Juízes 14:6The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Samson with such force that he tears the lion apart with his bare hands, as one would tear a young goat, without telling his parents anything about it.
Juízes 14:7Samson goes down and talks with the woman, who still pleases him well.
Juízes 14:8Days later, returning to get her, Samson turns aside to see the dead lion's carcass and finds a swarm of bees making honey inside it.
Juízes 14:9He scoops out the honey with his own hands, eats it as he walks along, and even gives some to his parents, without telling them where he got it.
Juízes 14:10Samson's father goes down to the woman, and Samson holds a wedding feast there, as was the custom among young men of that time.
Juízes 14:11When they see Samson, the local Philistines choose thirty companions to stay with him during the feast.
Juízes 14:12Samson proposes a riddle to the thirty companions: if they can solve it during the seven days of the feast, he will give them thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.
Juízes 14:13But if they cannot, they must give Samson those same prizes instead; the companions accept the challenge and ask to hear the riddle.
Juízes 14:14Samson's riddle only makes sense to someone who knows the story of the dead lion with the honeycomb inside it, something only he and his parents had seen. This explains why no one can solve it unless his wife pries the answer out of him first.
Juízes 14:15On the seventh day, the companions threaten Samson's wife, saying they will burn her and her father's house if she does not get the secret of the riddle from her husband.
Juízes 14:16His wife weeps before Samson, saying he does not truly love her since he will not even tell her the riddle; Samson answers that he has not told even his own parents, so why would he tell her.
Juízes 14:17She weeps through the seven days of the feast until he gives in and tells her, worn down by so much pressing; she then passes the answer on to the Philistine companions.
Juízes 14:18On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city answer the riddle correctly; Samson realizes at once that they only found it out because they used his wife against him, comparing it to plowing with his heifer.
Juízes 14:19Furious, Samson kills thirty Philistine men in Ashkelon, takes their clothes to pay off the bet, and goes up angrily to his father's house, without returning to his wife.
Juízes 14:20Samson's wife ends up being given to the companion who had attended him at the wedding, leaving the situation even more tense for the next chapter.