Judges 14:15
in Judges 14So on the fourth 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 household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And 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 impoverish us? is it not so?
KJV
And 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?
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This verse in Judges 14
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
I will now put forth a riddle--Riddles are a favorite Oriental amusement at festive entertainments of this nature, and rewards are offered to those who give the solution. Samson's riddle related to honey in the lion's carcass. The prize he offered was thirty sindinim, or shirts, and thirty changes of garments, probably woolen.
This site's exposition
we will burn you and your father’s household to death
on Judges 14:15-17
The threat to burn her “and your father’s household to death” is carried out at 15:6, so the fire she betrays her husband to escape reaches her one chapter later. He tells her on the seventh day “because she had pressed him so much”, the pressure Delilah repeats at 16:16. His answer at verse 16 sets his parents and his wife on one footing, since he had told neither.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Seventh day - They had doubtless spoken to her before this time, but with some remissness, supposing that they should find it out; but now their time being nigh slipped, they put her under a necessity of searching it out. To take that we have - That is, to strip us of our garments.
And it came to pass on the seventh day,....
Whether they were really of a dull capacity, or whether under a particular infatuation at this time, it was strange that none of the thirty could in all this time stumble upon so plain a thing as that, What is sweeter than honey and what stronger than a lion?
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
It was on the seventh day of the week, but not the seventh of the feast. It was, rather, the fourth of the feast days.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י׀ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י | hashevii | <the> seventh | H7637 → | 98 times |
| וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְאֵֽשֶׁת־ | leeshet- | to [the] wife of | H802 → | 781 times |
| שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ | shimshon | Samson | H8123 → | 38 times |
| פַּתִּ֣י | pati | entice | H6601 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אִישֵׁ֗ךְ | ʾishekh | husband your | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וְיַגֶּד־ | veyaged- | so may he tell | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לָ֙נוּ֙ | lanu | to <the> us | ||
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַ֣חִידָ֔ה | hachidah | the riddle | H2420 → | 17 times |
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | 133 times |
| נִשְׂרֹ֥ף | nisrof | we should burn | H8313 → | 117 times |
| אוֹתָ֛ךְ | ʾotakh | <obj.> you | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אָבִ֖יךְ | ʾavikh | father your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| בָּאֵ֑שׁ | baesh | with <the> fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| הַלְיָרְשֵׁ֕נוּ | halyareshenu | ¿ to impoverish us | H3423 → | 231 times |
| קְרָאתֶ֥ם | keratem | did you invite | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לָ֖נוּ | lanu | <to> <the> us | ||
| הֲלֹֽא׃ | halo' | ¿ [is it] not [so] | H3808 → | 5168 times |
וַיְהִ֣י׀and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י<the> seventh
hasheviiH7637 →98 times
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
לְאֵֽשֶׁת־to [the] wife of
leeshet-H802 →781 times
שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙Samson
shimshonH8123 →38 times
פַּתִּ֣יentice
patiH6601 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אִישֵׁ֗ךְhusband your
ʾishekhH376 →1663 times
וְיַגֶּד־so may he tell
veyaged-H5046 →370 times
לָ֙נוּ֙to <the> us
lanu
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַ֣חִידָ֔הthe riddle
hachidahH2420 →17 times
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →133 times
נִשְׂרֹ֥ףwe should burn
nisrofH8313 →117 times
אוֹתָ֛ךְ<obj.> you
ʾotakhH853 →10935 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
בֵּ֥ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
אָבִ֖יךְfather your
ʾavikhH1 →1212 times
בָּאֵ֑שׁwith <the> fire
baeshH784 →378 times
הַלְיָרְשֵׁ֕נוּ¿ to impoverish us
halyareshenuH3423 →231 times
קְרָאתֶ֥םdid you invite
keratemH7121 →733 times
לָ֖נוּ<to> <the> us
lanu
הֲלֹֽא׃¿ [is it] not [so]
halo'H3808 →5168 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 7:5Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:4
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Psalms 118:8–9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Job 6:14–15
A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- Judges 16:5–20
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him.…
- Jeremiah 9:4
Through
Proverbs 5:3Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
it leads to
- Proverbs 2:16
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
- Proverbs 6:24
to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
- Psalms 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- Proverbs 2:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.