Judges 15:12
in Judges 15But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
KJV
And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
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This verse in Judges 15
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThat ye will not fall upon me yourselves - He could not bear the thought of contending with and slaying his own countrymen; for there is no doubt that he could have as easily rescued himself from their hands as from those of the Philistines.
This site's exposition
three thousand men of Judah
on Judges 15:11-13
The men of Judah state Philistine rule as settled fact, “the Philistines rule over us”, and then ask their own deliverer what he has done to them. Three thousand men come to bind one Israelite, which Albert Barnes reads as men placating their masters. Samson asks only their oath not to kill him themselves.
This site's exposition
Swear to me that you will not kill me
Adam Clarke reads the oath as Samson's refusal to fight his own countrymen, whom he could have thrown off as easily as the Philistines. Matthew Henry sees in the surrender a picture of Christ, who showed his power and then let himself be bound. The strength is held back for Lehi.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
These terms being imposed upon them, the men of Judah gathered together three thousand of their tribe and went up to him, and premising that they were subject to the Philistines, and obliged to obey them, not willingly but by terror, they thus sought to turn away from themselves the odium of their act, throwing it upon those by whom they were constrained.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
That, by being delivered up to the Philistine, he might have an opportunity of making a slaughter among them. That he might be a type of Christ, who, when he had shown what he could do, in striking those down that came to seize him, yielded to be bound and led as a lamb to the slaughter.
Bind thee - Why not rather, to fight under thy banner? Because sin dispirits men, nay, it infatuates them, and hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace.
And they said unto him, we are come down to bind thee,....
And there, in that field, or hill, or plain, or whatever it was, that was so called, God caused a fountain suddenly and seasonably to open just by him, and water to spring up out of it in abundance, which continued a well ever after. Of this fair water he drank, and his spirits revived. We should be more thankful for the mercy of water did we consider how ill we can spare it.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Then the Philistines went up--to the high land of Judah. and spread themselves in Lehi--now El-Lekieh, abounding with limestone cliffs; the sides of which are perforated with caves. The object of the Philistines in this expedition was to apprehend Samson, in revenge for the great slaughter he had committed on their people.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
No! We shall merely tie you down. We shall not execute you, but merely tie you down.
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. 3 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
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| לֶאֱסָרְךָ֣ | leesarekha | to bind you | H631 → | 72 times |
| יָרַ֔דְנוּ | yaradnu | we have come down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| לְתִתְּךָ֖ | letitekha | to give you | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּיַד־ | beyad- | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶם֙ | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן | shimshon | Samson | H8123 → | 38 times |
| הִשָּׁבְע֣וּ | hishaveu | swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| לִ֔י | li | to <the> me | ||
| פֶּֽן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | 133 times |
| תִּפְגְּע֥וּן | tifgeun | you should fall ! | H6293 → | 46 times |
| בִּ֖י | bi | on <the> me | ||
| אַתֶּֽם׃ | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
לוֹ֙to <the> him
lo
לֶאֱסָרְךָ֣to bind you
leesarekhaH631 →72 times
יָרַ֔דְנוּwe have come down
yaradnuH3381 →381 times
לְתִתְּךָ֖to give you
letitekhaH5414 →2011 times
בְּיַד־in [the] hand of
beyad-H3027 →1618 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →287 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶם֙to <the> them
lahem
שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹןSamson
shimshonH8123 →38 times
הִשָּׁבְע֣וּswear
hishaveuH7650 →186 times
לִ֔יto <the> me
li
פֶּֽן־lest
pen-H6435 →133 times
תִּפְגְּע֥וּןyou should fall !
tifgeunH6293 →46 times
בִּ֖יon <the> me
bi
אַתֶּֽם׃you
ʾatemH859 →1094 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
Matthew 27:2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
it leads to
- Acts 3:13
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him.
- Matthew 20:19
and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.”
- Acts 3:13
Through
1 Kings 2:25So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 2:46
Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 2:31
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 2:46
Through
Judges 8:21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent…
it leads to
- Psalms 83:11
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
- Psalms 83:11
Through
Acts 7:25He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.
it leads to
- Luke 9:45
But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
- Luke 18:34
But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.
- Luke 9:45
Through
1 Kings 2:34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 2:25
So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
- 1 Kings 2:25
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; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ambrose of Milan, Letter 19: To Vigilius; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.