Judges 14

KJV · Chapter 14/21

¹And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

²And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

³Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

⁴But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

⁵Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

⁶And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

⁷And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

⁸And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

⁹And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

¹⁰So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

¹¹And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

¹²And 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:

¹³But 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.

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵And 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?

¹⁶And 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?

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

📖 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

Judges 14:1Samson goes down to Timnath and sees there a Philistine woman who pleases him.
Judges 14:2He comes back and asks his parents to arrange this marriage, having already decided he wants that Philistine woman as his wife.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 14:7Samson goes down and talks with the woman, who still pleases him well.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 14:11When they see Samson, the local Philistines choose thirty companions to stay with him during the feast.
Judges 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.
Judges 14:13But if they cannot, they must give Samson those same prizes instead; the companions accept the challenge and ask to hear the riddle.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.
Judges 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.