Judges 14
Samson’s Unconsummated Marriage
1 Samson went down to Timnah, where a Philistine girl caught his eye. ▼▼tn Heb “and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
2When he got home, ▼▼tn Heb “and he went up.”
he told his father and mother, “A Philistine girl in Timnah has caught my eye. ▼▼tn Heb “I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
Now get her for my wife.” 3But his father and mother said to him, “Certainly you can find a wife among your relatives or among all our ▼▼tn Heb “my.” The singular may seem strange, since the introduction to the quotation attributes the words to his father and mother. But Samson’s father apparently speaks for both himself and his wife. However, the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta have a second person pronoun here (“you”), and this may represent the original reading.
people! You should not have to go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines.” ▼▼tn Heb “Is there not among the daughters of your brothers or among all my people a woman that you have to go to get a wife among the uncircumcised Philistines?”
But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me ▼▼tn “Her” is first in the Hebrew word order for emphasis. Samson wanted this Philistine girl, no one else. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 357.
because she is the right one for me.” ▼▼tn Heb “because she is right in my eyes.”
4Now his father and mother did not realize this was the Lord’s doing ▼▼tn Heb “this was from the LORD.”
because he was looking for an opportunity to stir up trouble with the Philistines ▼▼tn Heb “for an opportunity he was seeking from the Philistines.”
(for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel). 5 Samson ▼▼tc The Hebrew includes “and his father and his mother.” See the next note.
went down to Timnah. When he approached ▼▼tc The MT reads “they approached,” while the LXX reads “he approached.” The previous sentence suggests that his parents were there, reading literally, “he went down, Samson and his father and his mother, to Timnah.” But the story line suggests that his parents were not there, as v. 6b reports that Samson did not tell them about the incident. The following sentence begins with וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh, “and behold”). This particle is used to focus or shift attention, typically pointing something out or introducing it into the scene (here the lion). But the scene that וְהִנֵּה comments on is set by the previous verb. If the verb “approached” were plural, then Samson’s parents should be with him when the lion attacks, something that contradicts the story as a whole. This indicates the verb should be singular. Since the previous verb, “went down,” is also singular (so also v. 7a), the phrase “and his father and his mother” may have been accidentally copied into the text under the influence of v. 4a. Later the verb was changed to “they approached” to account for the addition, but not until after the LXX was translated. Or one might suppose that his parents had gone on this trip down to Timnah (retaining “and his father and his mother”), but he had separated from them before approaching to the vineyards.
the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. ▼▼tn Heb “and look, a young lion of the lions was roaring to meet him.”
6The Lord’s Spirit empowered ▼▼tn Heb “rushed on.”
him, and he tore the lion ▼▼tn Heb “him” or “it”; the referent (the lion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
in two with his bare hands ▼▼tn Heb “and there was nothing in his hand.”
as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 Samson continued on down to Timnah ▼▼tn Heb “He went down.”
and spoke to the girl. In his opinion, she was just the right one. ▼▼tn Heb “She was the right one in the eyes of Samson.”
8Sometime later, when he went back to marry ▼▼tn Heb “get.”
her, he turned aside to see the lion’s remains. He saw ▼▼tn Heb “and look, a swarm of bees….”
a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass, as well as some honey. 9He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned ▼▼tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.
to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. ▼ 10 Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. ▼▼tn Heb “And his father went down to the woman.”
Samson hosted a party ▼▼tn Or “[wedding] feast.”
there, for this was customary for bridegrooms ▼▼tn Heb “the young men.”
to do. 11When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him 30 groomsmen who kept him company. ▼▼tn Heb “When they saw him, they gave him 30 companions and they were with him.” Instead of כִּרְאוֹתָם (kirʾotam, “when they saw”) some ancient witnesses (e.g., some mss of the LXX) assume the reading בְּיִרְאָתָם (beyirʾatam, “because they feared”).
12Samson said to them, “I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, ▼▼tn Heb “If you really can tell it to me [during] the seven days of the feast and you find [its answer].”
I will give you 30 linen robes and 30 sets ▼▼tn Heb “changes.”
of clothes. 13But if you cannot solve it, ▼▼tn Heb “you are unable to tell me.”
you will give me 30 linen robes and 30 sets of clothes.” They said to him, “Let us hear your riddle.” ▼▼tn Heb “Give your riddle so we can hear it.”
14He said to them, “Out of the one who eats came something to eat;
out of the strong one came something sweet.” They could not solve the riddle for three days. 15 On the fourth ▼
▼tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (reviʿi, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (sheviʿi, “seventh”). Some ancient textual witnesses (e.g., LXX and the Syriac Peshitta) read “fourth,” here, which certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse (cf. “for three days”) and with v. 17. Another option is to change שְׁלֹשֶׁת (sheloshet, “three”) at the end of v. 14 to שֵׁשֶׁת (sheshet, “six”), but the resulting scenario does not account as well for v. 17, which implies the bride had been hounding Samson for more than one day.
day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. ▼▼tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”
If you refuse, ▼▼tn Heb “lest.”
we will burn up ▼▼tn The Hebrew text expands the statement: “burn up with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.
you and your father’s family. ▼▼tn Heb “house.”
Did you invite us here ▼▼tc The translation assumes the Hebrew form הֲלֹם (halom, “here,” attested in five Hebrew mss and supported by the Targum), instead of the inexplicable הֲלֹא (haloʾ), a negative particle with interrogative particle prefixed to it.
to make us poor?” ▼▼tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.
16So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ▼▼tn Heb “on him.”
and said, “You must ▼▼tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”
hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ▼▼tn Heb “the sons of my people.”
a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” ▼▼tn Heb “Should I tell you?”
17She cried on his shoulder ▼▼tn Heb “on him.”
until the party was almost over. ▼ Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. ▼▼tn Heb “because she forced him.”
Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ▼▼tn Heb “she told the riddle to the sons of her people.”
18On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, “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 solved my riddle!” 19 The Lord’s Spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 men. He took their clothes ▼
▼tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”
and gave them ▼▼tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”
to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. ▼▼tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”
20Samson’s bride was then given to his best man. ▼▼tn Heb “to his companion who had been his attendant.”
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