Judges 14:5
in Judges 14Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
KJV
Then 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.
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This verse in Judges 14
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the vineyards of Timnath
on Judges 14:5-6
The lion meets him among the vineyards, and Numbers 6:3-4 bars a Nazarite from the vine tree and from everything made of it, which is why commentators weigh the location while the text records nothing about what he ate or drank there. This is the second of four times the Spirit of the Lord comes on Samson, after 13:25 and before 14:19 and 15:14, and those four are the greater part of the seven such comings in the book. The wording came mightily is stronger than what is said of Othniel at 3:10 and of Gideon at 6:34, and what follows it here is a killing. He had nothing in his hand, and he told neither parent.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Many of the fathers have spoken a great deal about this lion, beloved brothers, and all of them have said what is fitting and in accord with the facts. Some have said that the lion prefigured Christ our Lord. Truly, this is very appropriate, for …
This request was granted; and Samson on his return to visit his promised bride, turned a little way out of the road, and straightway there met him a lion from the wood, fierce in its savage freedom. Samson had no companion, nor any weapon in his hand; but he felt ashamed to fly, and conscious power gave him courage.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath,....
He was exalted in his own strength. That which added much to the glory of Samson's triumph over the lion was that when he had done this great exploit he did not boast of it, did not so much as tell his father nor mother that which many a one would soon have published through the whole country.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
a young lion--Hebrew, a lion in the pride of his youthful prime. The wild mountain passes of Judah were the lairs of savage beasts; and most or all the "lions" of Scripture occur in that wild country.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A young lion roared against him - Came fiercely out upon him, ready to tear him to pieces.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֧רֶד | vaiyered | and he went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| שִׁמְשׁ֛וֹן | shimshon | Samson | H8123 → | 38 times |
| וְאָבִ֥יו | veaviv | and father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְאִמּ֖וֹ | veimo | and mother his | H517 → | 220 times |
| תִּמְנָ֑תָה | timnatah | Timnah towards | H8553 → | 12 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ | vaiyavou | and they came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| כַּרְמֵ֣י | karmei | [the] vineyards of | H3754 → | 92 times |
| תִמְנָ֔תָה | timnatah | Timnah <towards> | H8553 → | 12 times |
| וְהִנֵּה֙ | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| כְּפִ֣יר | kefir | a young lion of | H3715 → | |
| אֲרָי֔וֹת | ʾarayot | lions | H738 → | 80 times |
| שֹׁאֵ֖ג | shoeg | [was] roaring | H7580 → | |
| לִקְרָאתֽוֹ׃ | likrato | to meet him | H7122 → | 139 times |
וַיֵּ֧רֶדand he went down
vaiyeredH3381 →381 times
שִׁמְשׁ֛וֹןSamson
shimshonH8123 →38 times
וְאָבִ֥יוand father his
veavivH1 →1212 times
וְאִמּ֖וֹand mother his
veimoH517 →220 times
תִּמְנָ֑תָהTimnah towards
timnatahH8553 →12 times
וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙and they came
vaiyavouH935 →2568 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
כַּרְמֵ֣י[the] vineyards of
karmeiH3754 →92 times
תִמְנָ֔תָהTimnah <towards>
timnatahH8553 →12 times
וְהִנֵּה֙and there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
כְּפִ֣ירa young lion of
kefirH3715 →
אֲרָי֔וֹתlions
ʾarayotH738 →80 times
שֹׁאֵ֖ג[was] roaring
shoegH7580 →
לִקְרָאתֽוֹ׃to meet him
likratoH7122 →139 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, Letter 19.14; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 119.1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.