Samson's Vengeance and Triumph over the Philistines
Judges 15:1-20
Jud.15.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מימים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- קציר: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- חטים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויפקד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- את: PRT,acc
- אשתו: NOUN,f,sg,cs+3,m,sg
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עזים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אבאה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- אשתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- החדרה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- נתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- אביה: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Judges 14:1-3 (structural): Earlier episode introducing Samson’s Philistine marriage (seeking a wife in Timnah); sets up same marriage-conflict framework and background to 15:1.
- Judges 14:16-20 (verbal): At the wedding the Philistine woman is given to another man—directly parallels the claim that her father ‘did not let him come’ and explains how Samson was deprived of his wife.
- Judges 15:2-3 (thematic): Immediate narrative continuation: because his wife was given away Samson burns the Philistines’ crops and mounts reprisals—shows cause and effect with 15:1.
- Judges 16:1-3 (thematic): Later episode where Samson visits a Philistine woman in Gaza and is involved in sexual/communal conflict—parallel pattern of Samson’s relationships with foreign women provoking Philistine hostility and violent fallout.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it came to pass after many days, at the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a young goat; and he said, 'I will go in to my wife into the inner room.' But her father would not allow him to go in.
- Now it was at the time of the wheat harvest that Samson went to visit his wife, bringing a kid of the goats; and he said, "I will go in to my wife in the chamber." But her father would not let him go in.
Jud.15.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אביה: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- כי: CONJ
- שנא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שנאתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3fs
- ואתננה: VERB,qal,imprf,1,,sg
- למרעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- הלא: PART
- אחתה: PRON,f,sg
- הקטנה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ממנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- נא: PART
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- תחתיה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Judges 14:20–15:1 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: same episode in Samson’s story where his wife is turned over to another man by her family, providing the context for the complaint in 15:2.
- Genesis 29:25–28 (thematic): Shows the motif of a woman being substituted or given to another man (younger/other sister substituted for intended bride), reflecting marriage-transfer practices in ancient narratives.
- 1 Samuel 25:43–44 (thematic): Michal is given by her family/king to another man (Palti) — a comparable instance of a woman being handed over to someone else by family/authority.
- Ruth 4:10 (thematic): Illustrates the transfer of marriage/household rights through family or legal action (kinsman-redeemer taking the woman), thematically related to the transfer of a wife to another man.
Alternative generated candidates
- Her father said, 'I thought I had made her hate him and given her to his companion; is not her younger sister better than she? Take her instead—be her in your stead.'
- And her father said, "I thought I had fully pleased you; I gave her to your companion—should I not have given her to him? Is not her younger sister better? Take her instead."
Jud.15.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נקיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מפלשתים: PREP+NOUN,prop,pl
- כי: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- עמם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 14:4 (thematic): States that the Lord had sought an occasion against the Philistines through Samson—frames Samson’s hostile actions toward the Philistines as part of a larger divine purpose implied in 15:3.
- Judges 15:4-8 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: these verses recount the concrete acts of revenge (foxes, burning vineyards, slaughter) that realize Samson’s claim that he has ‘done them harm.’
- Judges 13:5 (thematic): The angel’s announcement that Samson will begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines provides a theological rationale for Samson’s hostile actions against the Philistines referred to in 15:3.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (thematic): God’s command to Saul to ‘smite Amalek’ reflects the biblical motif of divinely sanctioned violence against Israel’s enemies, paralleling Samson’s self-justification for harming the Philistines.
- Numbers 31:2 (thematic): God’s instruction to Moses to take vengeance on Midian echoes the theme of divinely authorized retribution on hostile peoples, a background for understanding Samson’s claim to be justified in harming the Philistines.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson said to them, 'I have paid the Philistines back this time; for I have done them mischief.'
- Samson replied to them, "This time I am innocent toward the Philistines, because I have done them harm."
Jud.15.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וילכד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שועלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לפדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויפן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- זנב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- זנב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפיד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- בין: PREP
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- הזנבות: NOUN,m,pl,def
- בתוך: PREP
Parallels
- Judg.15.5-8 (structural): Immediate continuation: the foxes-with-torches incident leads to the burning of Philistine vineyards and fields and the subsequent Philistine retaliation — shows cause and effect within the same episode.
- Judg.14.5-6 (thematic): Earlier exploit of Samson (killing a lion by divine strength). Both passages portray Samson's extra‑ordinary guerrilla-style actions against Israel's enemies and his divinely enabled violence.
- Judg.16.1-3 (thematic): Later episode in Samson's career (raid at Gaza and bold, solitary actions). Reinforces the pattern of Samson conducting daring, often destructive strikes against the Philistines.
- 1 Sam.30.1-19 (thematic): David's pursuit and recovery after the Amalekite raid: a biblical example of retaliatory raid/recovery and reprisals after enemy depredation—comparable theme of swift, violent retribution and reclamation of goods.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and he took torches and turned tail to tail and put a torch between two tails.
- So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches; and he set the torches between two tails of each pair and turned tail to tail.
Jud.15.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבער: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בלפידים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בקמות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ויבער: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מגדיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- קמה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- כרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.15.4 (verbal): Immediate literary context: Samson ties torches to foxes' tails and sets them loose in the Philistines' standing grain—the direct action that produces the burning described in 15:5.
- Amos 1:6-8 (thematic): Prophetic oracle against Gaza/Philistines: God will send fire to devour their walls and palaces—echoes the motif of fire consuming Philistine crops and property as punitive destruction.
- 1 Sam.30:1-2 (thematic): Amalekite raid on Ziklag in which raiders burn towns/possessions and take captives: parallels the use of fire in raiding warfare to destroy fields, settlements and resources.
- Deut.20:19-20 (structural): Legal prohibition against destroying fruit trees during a siege (bal tashchit): offers an ethical/legal contrast to Samson's deliberate burning of grain shocks and olive orchards in wartime action.
Alternative generated candidates
- He lit the torches and set them loose into the standing grain of the Philistines and burned the shocks and the standing grain and also the olive groves.
- He set fire to the torches, and let the foxes loose into the standing grain of the Philistines; and he burned up the shocks and the standing grain, the vineyards and the olive groves.
Jud.15.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- חתן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- התמני: ADJ,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשתו: NOUN,f,sg,cs+3,m,sg
- ויתנה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- למרעהו: PREP
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- וישרפו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אותה: PRON,3,f,sg,acc
- ואת: CONJ
- אביה: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 14:20 (verbal): Explicitly states that Samson’s Philistine wife was given to his companion—this is the immediate background cited by the Philistines in 15:6 for blaming Samson and explains their motive.
- Judges 14:2-3 (thematic): Introduces Samson’s marriage to a Timnite woman (a Philistine connection) and the social clash of a Hebrew hero marrying a Philistine, which sets the stage for the later dispute and violence in 15:6.
- Judges 15:2-3 (structural): The surrounding episode in which Samson demands his wife back and the escalating reprisals between Samson and the Philistines connects directly to the burning of his wife and father-in-law in 15:6 as part of the retaliatory cycle.
- 2 Samuel 3:7-8 (thematic): Abner’s seizing of Michal (who had been given to another man, Paltiel) shows a parallel motif of a woman being treated as transferable property and of wife-transfer precipitating violent political conflict—structurally similar to the giving of Samson’s wife and the resulting bloodshed.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Philistines said, 'Who has done this?' They answered, 'Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.' Then the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
- Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" They answered, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, for he took his wife and gave her to his companion." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
Jud.15.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אם: CONJ
- תעשון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- כזאת: DEM,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- נקמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- ואחר: CONJ
- אחדל: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Judges 15:8 (structural): Immediate fulfillment of Samson's threat—he attacks the Philistines 'hip and thigh' after declaring he will take vengeance.
- Judges 16:28–30 (thematic): Samson's final act of vengeance against the Philistines, where he pulls down the temple, parallels the vow to be avenged and then cease.
- Judges 14:19 (thematic): Earlier episode where Samson slays Philistines in retaliation (after the riddle/wife incident); shows a pattern of personal revenge against Philistines.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (allusion): Declares 'Vengeance is mine' as divine prerogative—a theological contrast to Samson’s claim to take vengeance into his own hands.
- Romans 12:19 (allusion): New Testament citation of Deut. 32:35 ('Vengeance is mine; I will repay') that contrasts Christian ethic of leaving vengeance to God with Samson’s personal reprisal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson said to them, 'If you do this, I will be avenged on you, and after that I will cease.'
- Samson said to them, "If this is the case, I shall be avenged on you, and afterward I will cease."
Jud.15.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- שוק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ירך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גדולה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בסעיף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סלע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עיטם: PN,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.14.19 (thematic): An earlier episode of Samson killing Philistines (striking down men at Ashkelon); parallels the motif of Samson’s violent single-handed victories against Philistines.
- Judg.15.9-11 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Philistines retaliate and Samson is besieged; the events form a unit with v.8 (slaughter, retreat to the rock, ensuing conflict).
- 1 Sam.22.1-2 (thematic): David withdraws to the cave of Adullam and dwells there after violent and political conflict—parallel motif of a heroic/outsider figure taking refuge in a rocky cave.
- 1 Sam.24.3 (thematic): David hides in a cave at Engedi while Saul pursues him; similar topographical refuge (cave/cleft of rock) used by a fugitive hero amid conflict.
- 1 Kgs.19.9 (thematic): Elijah shelters in a cave on Horeb after a climactic episode; another example of a major biblical figure retreating to a rock-cave as refuge and place of turning point.
Alternative generated candidates
- He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
- He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock Etam.
Jud.15.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ויחנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ביהודה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וינטשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בלחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.6.3-4 (thematic): Foreign warriors come up and encamp against Israel (Midianites/Amalekites), devastating the land — parallels the motif of enemy incursions/encampment in Israel that prompt a deliverer (judge).
- 1 Sam.17.1-3 (verbal): The Philistines 'gathered themselves together' and pitched in the valley of Elah to fight Israel — similar language and situation of Philistine forces going up and encamping for battle.
- 2 Sam.5.17-21 (thematic): Philistines come up against David in Judah; David inquires of the LORD and defeats them — echoes the pattern of Philistine incursions into Judah and a leadership response leading to victory.
- Judg.15.14 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: after the Philistines pitch in Judah, 'the Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson' and he slaughters many with a jawbone — directly connected episode and resolution to the encampment in 15:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Philistines went up and camped in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi.
- Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading themselves at Lehi.
Jud.15.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- למה: ADV
- עליתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,pl
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לאסור: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Judg.16.21 (structural): Immediate narrative sequel: after Judah hands Samson over the Philistines seize and blind him—shows the direct consequence of delivering him to enemies.
- Gen.37.28 (thematic): Joseph’s brothers sell him to foreign traders—parallel motif of kin handing a member over to outsiders, resulting in captivity and suffering.
- Matt.26.47-50 (thematic): Judas betrays Jesus to an armed crowd to be arrested—similar act of delivering a trusted figure to his enemies for punishment.
- Ps.41.9 (allusion): Lament over betrayal by a close companion (‘even my close friend…’), thematically echoing Judah’s turning against one of their own to appease outsiders.
Alternative generated candidates
- The men of Judah said, 'Why have you come up against us?' They answered, 'To bind Samson—to do to him as he has done to us.'
- The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" They answered, "To bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us."
Jud.15.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירדו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- שלשת: NUM,m,pl,abs
- אלפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מיהודה: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- סעיף: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- סלע: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- עיטם: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לשמשון: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הלא: PART
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- משלים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עשית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כן: ADV
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Judg.15:4–6 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel within the Samson cycle: earlier in the same episode Samson takes retaliatory actions (e.g., catching foxes and burning the Philistines' crops; striking them) — same reciprocity motif as his reply here ('as they did to me, so I did to them').
- Exod.2:11–14 (thematic): Moses kills an Egyptian and is rebuked by an Israelite with the charge 'Who made you a prince and a judge over us?'—parallels the Israelites' rebuke of a man who has taken violent action on their behalf and questions of authority and propriety in extrajudicial vengeance.
- Lev.24:20 (allusion): The lex talionis ('fracture for fracture, eye for eye')—legal principle of reciprocal justice resonates with Samson's explicit formula of retaliation ('as they did to me, so I did to them').
- Judg.16:20 (thematic): Later outcome of the Samson–Philistine conflict: Samson is overpowered and blinded by the Philistines—underscores the ongoing cycle of violence between Samson and the Philistines that the Judahites complain about in 15:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, 'Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?' He said to them, 'As they did to me, so I have done to them.'
- So three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock Etam and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?"
Jud.15.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לאסרך: VERB,qal,inf,2,m,sg
- ירדנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- לתתך: VERB,qal,inf,2,m,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- השבעו: VERB,hif,impv,2,_,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- פן: CONJ
- תפגעון: VERB,qal,impf,2,_,pl
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Judg.16:21 (structural): Same narrative cycle: Samson is bound and delivered into Philistine hands (here by the Philistines after Delilah); parallels the action of binding and handing over and the motif of capture and humiliation.
- Gen.37:27-28 (thematic): Brothers bind/hand over a kinsman to outsiders (sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites). The theme of compatriots delivering a powerful/controversial figure into enemy hands is shared.
- Matt.26:47-50 (thematic): Judas betrays Jesus by handing him over to armed men to be seized. Like Judges 15:12, this passage centers on betrayal/delivery of a person to hostile forces for arrest.
- Ps.124:7 (thematic): Imagery of escape from snares and bonds after being handed over or entrapped. Psalmic motif of rescue from those who would bind or overwhelm parallels Samson’s release after being bound.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said to him, 'We have come down to bind you and deliver you into the hands of the Philistines.' He said to them, 'Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.'
- He said to them, "Swear to me that you will not fall on me yourselves." They swore to him.
Jud.15.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- כי: CONJ
- אסר: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- נאסרך: VERB,niphal,perf,2,ms
- ונתנוך: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- בידם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- והמת: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- נמיתך: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ויאסרהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בשנים: PREP+NUM,dual,m
- עבתים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעלוהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- מן: PREP
- הסלע: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Judg.15:11 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel in the same episode: the men of Judah confront Samson about being handed over and bind him—same scene and action continued.
- Judg.16:21 (thematic): Later episode where Samson is bound and delivered into enemy hands (the Philistines); repeats the motif of binding leading to captivity and humiliation.
- Acts 12:6 (verbal): Peter is described as "bound with two chains" while held in prison—verbal parallel to Samson being bound with two new cords and the theme of prisoners bound by human hands.
- Ps.105:17-18 (thematic): Joseph is fettered and laid in irons; thematically parallels the motif of a righteous/suffering figure bound and later delivered by God's intervention.
- Jer.20:2 (thematic): Jeremiah is seized and put in the stocks by officials of his own people—parallels the motif of an Israelite prophet/hero bound and mistreated by fellow countrymen before further judgment or deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said to him, 'No; we will only bind you and deliver you into their hands; we will not kill you.' So they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock.
- They said, "We will bind you and deliver you into their hands; but we will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
Jud.15.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- לחי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופלשתים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הריעו: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,pl
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- ותצלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ותהיינה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- העבתים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- זרועותיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- כפשתים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בערו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וימסו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אסוריו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מעל: PREP
- ידיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs,suff:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.14.6 (verbal): Same formula — “the Spirit of the LORD came upon him” — enabling Samson to perform a superhuman act (rending the lion), echoing the language of divine empowerment in 15:14.
- Judg.14.19 (verbal): Again reports the Spirit of the LORD coming upon Samson mightily and producing violent, decisive action (slaying thirty men); a close narrative and verbal parallel to 15:14.
- Judg.16.20 (structural): Contrasts 15:14: here Samson’s strength departs because the LORD’s spirit has left him, highlighting the structural link between the Spirit’s presence and Samson’s strength.
- Acts 12:7 (verbal): An angelic/demonic deliverance motif where Peter’s chains fall off — a near-verbal parallel to “his bands dropped from his hands,” showing the biblical image of miraculous release from bonds.
- Acts 16:26 (thematic): Paul and Silas’s chains are loosed and prison doors opened by divine action; thematically parallels Samson’s divinely empowered breaking of restraints and deliverance from confinement.
Alternative generated candidates
- When he came to Lehi the Philistines shouted against him; then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him and the cords that were on his arms became like charred flax that has caught fire, and they melted from his hands.
- When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were on his arms became like flax that has been burned with fire, and his bonds melted from his hands.
Jud.15.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וימצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לחי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמור: PNOUN,m,sg
- טריה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויקחה: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg+PRON,3,f,sg
- ויך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 14:6 (structural): An earlier episode where “the Spirit of the LORD came upon” Samson and he killed a lion with his bare hands—parallel pattern of Spirit‑empowered, single‑handed feats of strength.
- Judges 14:19 (structural): Samson again empowered to strike down Philistines (killing thirty at Ashkelon); parallels the motif of Samson executing violent vengeance against Israel’s enemies.
- 1 Samuel 17:50 (thematic): David’s victory over the Philistine (defeating Goliath and his men by unexpected means) parallels the theme of deliverance accomplished by a God‑raised hero using an unlikely weapon.
- Psalm 18:34 (thematic): “He trains my hands for war” expresses the theological idea that God equips and empowers a warrior—echoing the portrayal of Samson’s superhuman victory as divine enablement.
Alternative generated candidates
- He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey; he reached out his hand and took it and struck a thousand men with it.
- He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey; he reached out his hand and took it, and with it he struck down a thousand men.
Jud.15.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בלחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- החמור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חמור: PNOUN,m,sg
- חמרתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בלחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- החמור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הכיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 17:50-51 (thematic): David defeats a mighty foe by unexpected means (sling) and secures victory single-handedly—parallels Samson’s lone slaying of many with an improbable weapon.
- Judges 7:19-22 (thematic): Gideon’s small band routs a vast enemy by unconventional means (trumpets, jars)—similar motif of divine/extraordinary deliverance where few defeat many.
- 1 Samuel 18:7 (verbal): The popular refrain ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’ echoes the cultural boasting of slain multitudes; connects to Samson’s claim ‘I have slain a thousand men.’
- Psalm 18:34-40 (cf. 2 Samuel 22:36-40) (thematic): Royal thanksgiving-poems portray God arming the hero and giving the necks/defeat of enemies—language of divine-aided slaughter and triumph parallels Samson’s victorious boast.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson said, 'With the jawbone of a donkey—heap upon heap; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.'
- And Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey—heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men."
Jud.15.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ככלתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לדבר: INF,qal
- וישלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הלחי: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מידו: PREP+PRON,from,3,m,sg
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- למקום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- רמת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- לחי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 15:16 (verbal): Immediate context: describes Samson finding and using the fresh jawbone to slay a thousand — the same instrument referred to immediately before he casts it away and names the place.
- Exodus 17:6-7 (thematic): After a decisive event at a specific location (water from the rock and Israel's quarrel), the place is named Massah and Meribah — parallel to naming Ramath‑Lehi to commemorate a dramatic episode.
- Exodus 17:15 (thematic): Moses builds an altar and names it Jehovah‑nissi after victory over the Amalekites — another example of naming/commemorating a site in response to a deliverance.
- Genesis 32:30 (thematic): Jacob names the site Peniel after his wrestle with God — a pattern of naming a location to mark a decisive personal encounter, like Samson's naming of Ramath‑Lehi.
- 1 Samuel 17:50-54 (thematic): David's victory over Goliath with an unexpected weapon and the subsequent treatment of the trophy (Goliath's head) echo the motif of deliverance achieved by an improvised instrument and its disposal/commemoration.
Alternative generated candidates
- When he had finished speaking he threw the jawbone from his hand and called that place Ramath Lehi.
- When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath Lehi.
Jud.15.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצמא: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- מאד: ADV
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- נתת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עבדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
- את: PRT,acc
- התשועה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הגדלה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ועתה: CONJ
- אמות: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- בצמא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונפלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הערלים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Exodus 17:1-6 (thematic): Israelites are desperately thirsty in the wilderness and God provides water from the rock—parallel theme of acute thirst and divine provision of water in response to crisis.
- Numbers 20:1-13 (thematic): At Meribah Moses deals with Israel's lack of water; God provides water from the rock—another close structural/thematic parallel of deliverance from death by thirst.
- Psalm 78:15-16 (verbal): The psalm recounts how God 'split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink'—a verbal recall of the motif of God producing water from rock to save his people.
- 1 Kings 17:1-6 (thematic): During Elijah's drought God sustains him miraculously (by ravens and at Kerith)—a related theme of God providing life-sustaining provision in a time of thirst/scarcity.
- Judges 16:28 (verbal): Samson again 'calls on the LORD' acknowledging past deliverance and pleading for strength—parallels the language and pattern of Samson's prayerful appeal in 15:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- He was very thirsty, and he called on the LORD and said, 'You have in this hand given a great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?'
- He was very thirsty, and he called to the LORD and said, "You have given this great victory by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?"
Jud.15.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבקע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- המכתש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בלחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויצאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וישת: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ותשב: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רוחו: NOUN,f,sg,prsuf3ms
- ויחי: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמה: ADV
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הקורא: PTCP,qal,act,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בלחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 17:6 (verbal): Moses is instructed to strike the rock at Horeb so that water comes out for the people — a direct motif of God supplying life‑giving water miraculously in a crisis of thirst.
- Numbers 20:11 (verbal): Moses strikes the rock at Meribah and water gushes forth to revive the assembly — a structurally similar episode of divine provision of water that restores life.
- Genesis 21:19 (thematic): God opens Hagar's eyes to see a well and she is saved — another instance where God provides a hidden spring in the wilderness to revive the faint and leads to naming the place.
- John 4:10-14 (allusion): Jesus offers 'living water' that brings eternal life — a New Testament theological use of water imagery as God's life‑giving provision, echoing OT miracles of water restoring life.
Alternative generated candidates
- But God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out of it. When he drank, his spirit returned and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is at Lehi to this day.
- But God cleaved the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it; when he had drunk, his spirit returned and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En Hakkore, which is at Lehi to this day.
Jud.15.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וישפט: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עשרים: NUM,card,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 16:31 (quotation): Repeats the same closing formula about Samson: he judged Israel twenty years (the end of the Samson narrative gives the identical summary statement).
- Judges 13:1 (thematic): Sets the wider context of Philistine domination in Samson's era: Israel is delivered into the hand of the Philistines, framing the period in which Samson rises as judge.
- Judges 8:28 (structural): Uses the same judicial-summary formula (“and he judged Israel X years”) about Gideon’s forty-year judgeship, showing the standard way Judges records a leader’s tenure.
- Judges 3:11 (structural): Another example of the formulaic verdict of a judge’s term—Othniel judged Israel forty years—paralleling the literary pattern that records each judge’s period of rule.
Alternative generated candidates
- He judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
- And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
And it came to pass in the days of the wheat harvest that Samson visited his wife with a kid of the goats, and said, 'I will go in to my wife into the chamber.' But her father would not allow him to go in.
Her father said, 'I thought surely you hated her, and I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Take her instead as your wife.'
Samson said to them, 'I have avenged myself of the Philistines—indeed I have done them harm.'
Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand between every two tails.
He set the brands on fire and let them run into the standing grain and into the shocks, into the vineyards and olive groves; and he burned them up.
The Philistines said, 'Who has done this?' They answered, 'Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.' So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
Samson said to them, 'If you do this, behold, I will be avenged on you, and after that I will cease.'
He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
The Philistines went up and encamped in Judah, and made a camp in Lehi.
The men of Judah said, 'Why have you come up against us?' They answered, 'To bind Samson and do to him as he has done to us.'
Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, 'Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?'
Samson said to them, 'Suffer me that I may be bound and delivered into the hands of the Philistines.' And they said, 'We will bind you and deliver you into their hands; we will not kill you.'
They bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock; and when he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him.
Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that is burned, and his bonds melted from off his hands.
He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck a thousand men. And Samson said, 'With the jawbone of a donkey—jawbone of a donkey!—I have piled them, with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men.'
When he had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand and called the place Ramath Lehi.
He was very thirsty, and called to the LORD and said, 'You have given this great deliverance into the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?'
God split open the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it; when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. And Samson judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.