Samson's Marriage, Riddle, and Retaliation
Judges 14:1-20
Jud.14.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בתמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- מבנות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
Parallels
- Judg.14:2 (structural): Immediate continuation of the episode — Samson announces his desire to marry the Timnite woman and his parents object; it picks up the same narrative thread.
- Judg.16:4-5 (thematic): Samson’s later relationship with Delilah (a Philistine woman) repeats the motif of his attraction to Philistine women and the personal/political consequences that follow.
- Judg.13:2-5 (allusion): The birth announcement of Samson frames him as Israel’s deliverer from the Philistines, creating tension between his divinely ordained role and his attraction to Philistine women.
- Num.25:1-5 (thematic): Israelite men consorting with foreign (Moabite) women leads to religious and national crisis — a thematic parallel warning about the dangers of intimate ties with foreign peoples.
- Ezra 9:1-2 (thematic): Postexilic denunciation of Jewish men marrying foreign women highlights a recurring biblical concern with intermarriage and its perceived threat to Israelite covenantal integrity.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.
- Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a woman, a daughter of the Philistines.
Jud.14.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לאביו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- ולאמו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בתמנתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מבנות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ועתה: CONJ
- קחו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- אותה: PRON,3,f,sg,acc
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 24:3-4 (structural): Both passages depict a man seeking a wife with reference to family approval and arrangements; Genesis 24 frames a divinely guided search for a wife from the kin, paralleling the narrative move in Judges where a prospective bride is proposed and parental consent is sought.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): Expresses the Torah's prohibition against marrying the nations of the land; thematically contrasts Samson's choice of a Philistine woman and highlights the issue of Israelite-foreign intermarriage raised by Judges 14:2.
- Ezra 9:2; Ezra 10:2-4 (thematic): Reports the postexilic controversy and corrective action over Israelites marrying foreign women; echoes the same concern over mixed marriages and community identity that Samson's Philistine bride exemplifies.
- Ruth 4:13-17 (allusion): Tells of a foreign (Moabite) woman becoming integrated into Israel and the Davidic line; offers a contrasting perspective on a foreign bride producing positive covenantal outcomes compared with the problematic union in Judges.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 (thematic): Describes Solomon's foreign wives leading him to idolatry and divine judgment; thematically parallels the motif that marriages to foreign women can have dangerous religious and social consequences for Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- He went up and told his father and his mother, and said, "I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now get her for me as a wife."
- He returned and told his father and his mother, "I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now take her for me as a wife."
Jud.14.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ואמו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- האין: PART,interr
- בבנות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אחיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ובכל: CONJ+PREP
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הולך: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- לקחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מפלשתים: PREP+NOUN,prop,pl
- הערלים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אל: NEG
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- אותה: PRON,3,f,sg,acc
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- ישרה: ADJ,f,sg
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 24 (structural): Narrative contrast: a patriarchal concern to secure a wife from one’s own kin (Eliezer sent to Abraham’s family for Rebekah) versus Samson’s choice of a Philistine bride outside Israel.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (verbal): Explicit legal prohibition against intermarriage with Canaanite/foreign peoples to prevent turning to other gods—background law for Israelite objections to Samson’s Philistine bride.
- Ezra 9:2 (thematic): Postexilic complaint about Israelites taking foreign wives and adopting pagan practices—echoes the same social and religious anxiety motivating objections to Samson’s marriage.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (thematic): Account of Nehemiah’s enforcement against marriages to foreign women and the social/religious consequences, paralleling parental opposition and communal concern in Samson’s case.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 (thematic): Example of a prominent Israelite (Solomon) marrying foreign women and being led to idolatry—illustrates the perceived danger underlying the objection to Samson’s Philistine marriage.
Alternative generated candidates
- His father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to the uncircumcised Philistines to take a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
- His father and mother said to him, "Is there not among the daughters of your brothers or among all our people a woman that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Take her for me, for she pleases me well."
Jud.14.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואביו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRONSUF,3,m,sg
- ואמו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- מיהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- תאנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- מבקש: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- מפלשתים: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,pl,abs
- ובעת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההיא: DEM,f,sg
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- משלים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 13:5 (structural): God’s purpose for Samson is stated explicitly: he will begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Connects directly to 14:4’s claim that Samson’s marriage-seeking was ‘of the LORD’ as part of that purpose.
- Judges 3:1-4 (thematic): God deliberately leaves foreign nations among Israel to test and humble them. Echoes 14:4’s note that the Philistines were ruling Israel and that God was working through those circumstances.
- Genesis 50:20 (thematic): Joseph’s words—what men meant for evil God meant for good—mirror the theme that human intentions (Samson’s desire) were being used by God to achieve a divine aim against the Philistines.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (allusion): Prophetic depiction of Assyria as the rod of God’s anger used to punish nations parallels the idea in 14:4 that a foreign power (the Philistines) serves God’s purposes in relation to Israel.
- Acts 2:23 (thematic): Peter’s claim that Jesus was handed over ‘by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge’ reflects the New Testament theme that human actions can fulfill God’s sovereign purposes, like Samson’s marriage‑related actions in 14:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now his father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD, for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
- But his father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD, that he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines; at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
Jud.14.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ואביו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRONSUF,3,m,sg
- ואמו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- כרמי: NOUN,m,pl,constr
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- כפיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אריות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שאג: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
Parallels
- Judges 14:6 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the Spirit enables Samson to seize and kill the lion that had roared at him, directly following the encounter described in 14:5.
- Judges 14:8-9 (structural): Later verses in the same episode: Samson returns to the lion's carcass, finds honey in it, and the incident provides the material for his riddle—directly tied to the lion encounter.
- 1 Samuel 17:34-36 (thematic): David recalls killing a lion and a bear while shepherding—a parallel motif of a young hero confronting and overcoming a wild beast.
- Amos 3:8 (verbal): Uses the image of a roaring lion to signal an impending proclamation or judgment; echoes the roaring-lion motif as an agent of threat or revelation.
- Psalm 22:13 (thematic): The psalmist depicts 'roaring lions' surrounding him, employing similar imagery of roaring lions as hostile threats against an individual.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson went down with his father and his mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. Behold, a young lion roared at him.
- Samson went down with his father and his mother to Timnah. As they came near the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion roared against him.
Jud.14.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותצלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וישסעהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כשסע: CONJ
- הגדי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומאומה: PART
- אין: PART,neg
- בידו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- לאביו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- ולאמו: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 15:14 (verbal): Same hero (Samson) and similar circumstance: 'the Spirit of the LORD came upon him' empowering Samson to slay many despite being unarmed—repeats the motif and language of divine empowerment.
- Judges 3:10 (thematic): Othniel is enabled by 'the Spirit of the LORD' to deliver Israel—parallels the theme of the Spirit coming upon a judge to grant strength/victory.
- Judges 6:34 (thematic): The Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, empowering him for military success—another instance of the Spirit supplying supernatural ability to a deliverer.
- Judges 11:29 (thematic): The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Jephthah before his campaign—parallels the pattern of divine enablement for a judge before decisive action.
- 1 Samuel 16:13 (thematic): After anointing, the Spirit of the LORD comes upon David—illustrates the same theological motif of the Spirit empowering an individual for vocation and success.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one tears a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
- Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one tears a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand; yet he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
Jud.14.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותישר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- Judges 14:1 (structural): Same narrative episode (Samson in Timnah who sees a Philistine woman); provides the immediate context for 14:7 (the initial sighting).
- Judges 14:2 (verbal): Closely related wording and motive — 14:2 explicitly records Samson's desire that the woman 'pleased him,' echoing 14:7's 'she pleased Samson's eyes.'
- Judges 16:4 (thematic): Later account of Samson 'loving' a woman (Delilah); repeats the theme of Samson's repeated attraction to Philistine women that leads to trouble.
- Genesis 29:20 (thematic): Jacob's intense love for Rachel — 'he served seven years for Rachel' because she pleased him — parallels the motif of immediate attraction motivating a man to seek a particular woman.
Alternative generated candidates
- He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased Samson.
- He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased Samson.
Jud.14.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מימים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לקחתה: VERB,qal,inf,3,f,sg
- ויסר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לראות: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- מפלת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- האריה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- עדת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- דבורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בגוית: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- האריה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ודבש: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.14:9 (verbal): Immediate narrative continuation that repeats and expands the detail of the lion's carcass containing bees and honey (same scene, same vocabulary).
- Judg.14:14 (quotation): Samson's riddle—“Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet”—is a direct poetic quotation of the phenomenon described in v.8.
- Judg.14:18 (allusion): When the Philistines extract the riddle's answer, they paraphrase the event (“What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”), explicitly alluding to the incident of the bees and honey.
- Ps.19:10 (thematic): Uses honey as the canonical metaphor for desirability and sweetness (“sweeter also than honey”), echoing the cultural association of honey as prized food that shapes the narrative significance of the honey-from-a-lion image.
Alternative generated candidates
- Some days later, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.
- Some days later, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey was in the carcass of the lion.
Jud.14.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירדהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- כפיו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- אמו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- מגוית: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- האריה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רדה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- הדבש: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Judg.14:8 (verbal): Immediate narrative precursor: describes Samson finding a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s carcass—the source of the honey he takes and conceals in v.9.
- Judg.14:14 (verbal): Samson’s riddle (‘Out of the eater came something to eat…’) directly alludes to the incident of honey in the lion’s carcass described in vv.8–9.
- Judg.14:18 (allusion): The Philistines’ answer to Samson’s riddle (‘What is sweeter than honey? … What is stronger than a lion?’) reflects knowledge of the honey-from-the-eater episode that Samson concealed from his parents.
- Judg.14:20 (thematic): Follows from the same episode and its social consequences: the breach between Samson and his Philistine wife/kinsmen and the escalation of conflict after the riddle and its disclosure.
Alternative generated candidates
- He took some and put it in his hands, and went on, eating as he went. He came to his father and his mother and gave them, and they ate; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass.
- He took it in his hands, went on, ate, and came to his father and his mother, and gave some to them, and they ate; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.
Jud.14.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אביהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- אל: NEG
- האשה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- משתה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כן: ADV
- יעשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- הבחורים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Judg.14:11-17 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the wedding-feast setting is developed (guests, riddles, quarrel), showing the social practice of a multi-day bridal feast and its role in the Samson episode.
- Gen.29:27-28 (thematic): Jacob’s episode preserves the custom of a week-long wedding celebration ('fulfill her week'), paralleling the extended bridal/feasting practices invoked in Judges 14:10.
- 2 Sam.13:23-29 (thematic): Absalom’s sheep-shearing feast (a multi-day social gathering of young men) provides a parallel social setting—youth gatherings around feasts that become occasions for conflict and violence.
- Judg.21:19-25 (thematic): The annual feast and dance at Shiloh (young women coming out to dance) reflects similar communal/wedding-related festal customs and male–youth interactions at celebratory events in Israelite society.
Alternative generated candidates
- So his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so young men do.
- Then his father went down to the woman, and Samson held a feast there, for so young men do.
Jud.14.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כראותם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אותו: PRON,3,m,sg,obj
- ויקחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- מרעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
Parallels
- Judges 14:12 (structural): Same episode—this verse immediately explains the role of the thirty men at the wedding (they are the companions involved in the riddle wager), so it continues the action begun in 14:11.
- Judges 14:19 (verbal): Repeats the number thirty and the motif of taking men/spoil: Samson slays thirty Philistines and takes their garments to pay those who solved the riddle, linking back to the thirty companions and the marriage conflict.
- Judges 14:20 (verbal): Uses the same lexical field of 'companion' (חבר/חברות): Samson’s wife is given to one of his companions, showing the social consequences for the group introduced in 14:11.
- Judges 16:2 (thematic): Displays a similar motif of Samson being surrounded/attended by men who seek to control or entrap him (men of Gaza lie in wait), echoing the dynamic of groups of men gathered around Samson in 14:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- When they saw him, thirty companions took hold of him and were with him.
- When they saw him, they took thirty companions to be with him.
Jud.14.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אחודה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- חידה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- הגד: VERB,hif,inf
- תגידו: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
- אותה: PRON,3,f,sg,acc
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- המשתה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומצאתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- סדינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- חלפת: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Judges 14:18 (quotation): Immediate literary continuation: records the Philistines' answer to Samson's riddle (and their speech), directly tied to the wager set in 14:12.
- Judges 14:19 (structural): Direct narrative consequence: Samson's reaction—he kills thirty men and takes their garments to satisfy his bet—shows how the wager in 14:12 is fulfilled through violence.
- Judges 15:1-3 (structural): Continues the episode's aftermath: Samson's wife is given to another, provoking further conflict with the Philistines that stems from the wedding/riddle episode in ch.14.
- 1 Samuel 18:25-27 (thematic): Parallel motif of a bride-price tied to violent deeds: Saul demands enemy trophies (foreskins) as the condition for marriage, echoing the riddled wager and violent retrieval of garments in Judges 14.
- Genesis 29:27 (thematic): Shared cultural motif of a seven-day wedding feast (the 'seven days of the feast')—Genesis describes fulfilling a seven-day nuptial period, paralleling the seven days specified in Judges 14:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you will tell me the riddle within the seven days of the feast and find it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes."
- Samson said to them, "Let me propose a riddle to you. If you can explain 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."
Jud.14.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- תוכלו: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- להגיד: INF,hiph
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ונתתם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- סדינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- חליפות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- חודה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חידתך: NOUN,f,sg,cons,2,sg,m
- ונשמענה: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Judges 14:12 (verbal): The immediate setup of Samson’s riddle and challenge to the Philistines—offers a wager (thirty linen garments/changes) if they cannot solve the riddle; nearly identical verbal context.
- Judges 14:17 (structural): Continues the episode: Samson’s wife extracts the riddle from him and tells the Philistines, who then answer—shows how the wager is resolved.
- Judges 14:18 (verbal): Records the Philistines’ payment of the wager—they give Samson’s wife thirty linen garments and thirty changes, echoing the exact forfeit specified in 14:13.
- Judges 14:19 (thematic): Describes Samson’s violent reaction after the riddle episode—he kills thirty men and takes their garments to pay the wager, showing the narrative consequence of the forfeit demand.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if you cannot tell it to me, you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes." They said to him, "Propose your riddle—tell us your riddle."
- But if you cannot explain it to me, you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing." They replied to him, "Propose your riddle; let us hear it."
Jud.14.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מהאכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מאכל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומעז: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מתוק: ADJ,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- להגיד: INF,hiph
- החידה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שלשת: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Judges 14:9 (thematic): Describes Samson finding bees and honey in the lion’s carcass—the literal source of the riddle’s imagery (‘out of the eater…’).
- Judges 14:15 (structural): Reports the Philistines’ threat to Samson’s wife on the third day to force the answer—explains why the riddle remained unresolved for three days.
- Judges 14:18 (verbal): Gives the same formulation of the riddle/answer (‘Out of the eater came forth meat…’) as spoken back to Samson—direct verbal parallel.
- Judges 14:19 (thematic): Relates the consequences of the riddle (the wager, Samson’s retaliation and the killing of thirty men), showing how the riddle provokes violent conflict.
Alternative generated candidates
- He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not tell the riddle for three days.
- He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not explain the riddle for three days.
Jud.14.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- השביעי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לאשת: PREP
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- פתי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אישך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- החידה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- פן: CONJ
- נשרף: VERB,nifal,perf,3,m,sg
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביך: NOUN,m,sg,suff+2ms
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הלירשנו: PART
- קראתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- הלא: PART
Parallels
- Judges 14:17 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: after the wife is pressed and weeps, Samson reveals the riddle to her — direct follow‑up to the coercion in v.15.
- Judges 14:18-19 (structural): Direct consequence of the coercion: the wedding guests give the answer to Samson, and the ensuing violence (Samson slays thirty) flows from the betrayal/compulsion.
- Judges 15:6 (thematic): The Philistines burn Samson’s wife and her father (a later episode connected to the riddle dispute) — echoes the explicit threat in 14:15 and shows the realized violence against the household.
- Judges 16:5 (thematic): The Philistines employ Delilah to entrap Samson and learn the secret of his strength — parallel motif of using a woman to extract a man’s secret under coercion or bribery, leading to betrayal.
Alternative generated candidates
- On the seventh day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us; or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you called us here to make us poor?"
- On the seventh day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to tell us the riddle, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?"
Jud.14.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותבך: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רק: PRT
- שנאתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אהבתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- החידה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- חדת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לבני: PREP
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ולי: CONJ+PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- הגדתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- הנה: PART
- לאבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ולאמי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- הגדתי: VERB,hif,perf,1,_,sg
- ולך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אגיד: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
Parallels
- Judg.14.12-14 (structural): The immediate riddle context: Samson poses a riddle to the Philistine guests and sets the wager that provokes the wife's pressure and the subsequent attempt to obtain the answer.
- Judg.14.17 (verbal): Direct continuation: the wife, having pressed Samson, tells the Philistines the answer — the immediate narrative consequence of her complaint and his disclosure.
- Judg.14.18 (thematic): The Philistines' subsequent confrontation and demand for the riddle's meaning echo the thrust of the wife's accusation and the social pressure to reveal the secret.
- Judg.16.15-17 (thematic): Paralleling motif: Delilah weeps and persistently presses Samson to disclose the source of his strength; his telling her leads to betrayal — a repeated theme of a woman's entreaty producing a fatal revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Samson's wife wept before him and said, "You only hate me; you do not love me. You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people and have not told it to me." He said to her, "Behold, I have not told my father or my mother, and shall I tell you?"
- Samson's wife wept before him and said, "You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have grieved me with a riddle for your countrymen, and you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Behold, I have not told my father or my mother; shall I tell you?"
Jud.14.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותבך: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- המשתה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- השביעי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- הציקתהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ותגד: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- החידה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לבני: PREP
- עמה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Judg.14:12-14 (verbal): The riddle and the wager are first posed here; same riddle language and immediate context that leads to v.17's disclosure.
- Judg.14:18 (structural): Continues the episode on the seventh day: the men confront Samson and he gives his explanation—v.17's disclosure is completed in this verse.
- Judg.16:15-17 (thematic): Delilah's repeated coaxing and eventual extraction of Samson's secret parallels the motif of a woman under pressure revealing crucial information to others.
- Gen.29:27-28 (structural): References the custom of a seven-day wedding feast ('fulfil her week'); parallels the cultural setting of a seven-day bridal celebration in Judges 14:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- She pressed him daily with her words; and the seven days of the feast that she pressed him he pressed him, and on the seventh day he told her, because she urged him. She in turn told the riddle to the men of her people.
- She wept before him the seven days the feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him; and she related the riddle to her people.
Jud.14.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ביום: PREP
- השביעי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בטרם: PREP
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- החרסה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מה: PRON,int
- מתוק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מדבש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- עז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מארי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לולא: CONJ
- חרשתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- בעגלתי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- מצאתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- חידתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1,sg
Parallels
- Judges 14:14 (quotation): Immediate part of the same episode — this verse contains the riddle’s wording (’What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?’) given earlier in the narrative.
- Judges 14:16-17 (structural): Continues the same scene: the bride is enticed by the Philistines, they bribe her to obtain the riddle’s answer, and she reveals it, explaining how the city learned the solution referenced in 14:18.
- 1 Kings 4:32 (thematic): Solomon’s composition of proverbs and riddles parallels the motif of riddling/wisdom sayings in Samson’s story — both reflect Israelite interest in riddles as a test of wit and social negotiation.
- Psalm 119:103 (verbal): Uses the simile ‘sweeter than honey’ to describe delight (here of God’s words); parallels the metaphorical language of Judges 14:18 (‘sweeter than honey’) within Israelite poetic imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- On the seventh day, before they had tasted any of the feast, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."
- 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 had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."
Jud.14.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותצלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אשקלון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- חליצותם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- החליפות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- למגידי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- החידה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויחר: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 15:14 (verbal): Same formula—'the Spirit of the LORD came upon him'—and divine empowerment enabling Samson to smite large numbers (here a thousand with a jawbone), paralleling the sudden Spirit-driven military success in 14:19.
- Judges 6:34 (thematic): Gideon receives the Spirit of the LORD and is enabled to lead Israel against their foes; parallels the theme of the Spirit empowering a judge for victorious action.
- Judges 11:29 (thematic): The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Jephthah before he goes to battle; thematically parallels the Spirit's role in raising up leaders for deliverance and combat.
- 1 Samuel 11:6 (verbal): When the Spirit of God comes upon Saul his anger is kindled and he fights the Ammonites—parallels both the Spirit-empowerment and the language of roused fury leading to military action found in 14:19.
- 1 Samuel 30:19-20 (structural): David recovers spoil from raiders and distributes portions to others; parallels the episode's structure of victory followed by appropriation and distribution of booty (Samson taking garments and giving them to those who solved the riddle).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men; he took their spoil and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. His anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
- Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the city. He took their changes of clothing and gave them to those who had explained the riddle. His anger burned, and he went up to his father's house.
Jud.14.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהי: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- למרעהו: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.14.3 (verbal): Same marriage introduced earlier—Samson's taking of a Philistine woman (the woman who later is given away) is established here, linking the event to the present verse.
- Judg.15.1 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Samson later returns to claim his wife and discovers she has been given to his companion, explicitly repeating and developing the situation named in 14:20.
- Judg.16.1 (thematic): Recurrence of the theme of Samson’s dangerous relationships with Philistine women (here a harlot in Gaza), showing a pattern of marital/sexual associations leading to conflict with the Philistines.
- 2 Sam.12.8 (thematic): The idea of wives being given as marks of possession or transfer of status—God’s words to David that he gave him Saul’s house and wives—parallels the motif of a woman being reassigned to another man.
- 2 Sam.3.7 (thematic): Abner’s taking of one of Saul’s concubines as a public assertion of control over Saul’s house echoes the social/political significance of a wife or concubine being handed to another man.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.
- And Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his close friend.
Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines.
He went up and told his father and mother, 'I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now take her for me as a wife.' And his father and mother said to him, 'Is there not among the daughters of your kinsmen and among all our people a woman for you? Why would you take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?' But Samson said to his father, 'Get her for me, for she pleases me.'
(Now his father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD, for he was seeking a pretext against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.)
Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. Behold, a young lion roared against him.
Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one tears a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
He went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.
After some days he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.
He took some in his hands and went on, eating as he went. He came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate; yet he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.
Then his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so do young men.
When they saw him, they took thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, 'Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me the riddle within the seven days of the feast and find it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.' And if you cannot tell it to me, you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.' They said to him, 'Set your riddle, and let us hear it.'
He said to them, 'Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.' And they could not declare the riddle for three days.
On the seventh day they said to the wife of Samson, 'Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us; or we will burn you and your father's house with fire—have you invited us in to plunder us? Is it not so?' And the wife of Samson wept before him and said, 'You only hate me; you do not love me. You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people and have not told it to me.' He said to her, 'Behold, I have not told my father or my mother; shall I tell you?' And she wept before him the seven days that the feast lasted. And on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him; and she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.
On the seventh day, before the sun went down, the men of the city said to him, 'What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?' And he said to them, 'If you had not plowed with my heifer you would not have found out my riddle.'
Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of them. He took their spoil and gave the changes of clothes to those who had explained the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father's house. And the wife of Samson was given to his companion who had attended him.