Judges 16:8
in Judges 16So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
KJV
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
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This verse in Judges 16
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the source of your great strength
on Judges 16:6-9
Four attempts run to one shape: she asks, he answers, men hide in her room, and she calls out that the Philistines are here. Seven runs through the chapter, from the “seven fresh bowstrings” here to the seven braids of verses 13 and 19. His answers move inward by stages, from bowstrings to new ropes to the braids woven into a loom and at last to the hair itself.
This site's exposition
brought her seven fresh bowstrings
The lords supply the materials themselves, so the test runs on goods provided by the men paying for it. Ambrose of Milan tells it as a binding done while Samson slept, followed by a sudden waking. He broke free at once.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
When the Philistines learnt this from Delilah, they bound him while asleep with green withs, and then awoke him as though on a sudden, but found that he had not fallen off from his accustomed fortitude, but bursting its bonds his freed strength was able to resist and drive back a host of assailants.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But first, it is probable, that Samson had in some measure repented of his sin, and begged of God pardon and assistance. 2.This singular strength and courage was not in itself a grace, but a gift, and it was such a gift as did not so much depend on the disposition of his mind, but on the right ordering of his body, by the rule given to him, and others of that order.
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her,....
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּעֲלוּ־ | vaiyaalu- | and they brought up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| לָ֞הּ | lah | to <the> her | ||
| סַרְנֵ֣י | sarnei | [the] rulers of | H5633 → | 22 times |
| פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים | felishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| שִׁבְעָ֛ה | shivah | seven | H7651 → | 394 times |
| יְתָרִ֥ים | yetarim | cords | H3499 → | 102 times |
| לַחִ֖ים | lachim | fresh | H3892 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| חֹרָ֑בוּ | choravu | they had been dried | H2717 → | 40 times |
| וַתַּאַסְרֵ֖הוּ | vataasrehu | and she bound him | H631 → | 72 times |
| בָּהֶֽם׃ | bahem | with <the> them |
וַיַּעֲלוּ־and they brought up
vaiyaalu-H5927 →890 times
לָ֞הּto <the> her
lah
סַרְנֵ֣י[the] rulers of
sarneiH5633 →22 times
פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים[the] Philistines
felishtimH6430 →287 times
שִׁבְעָ֛הseven
shivahH7651 →394 times
יְתָרִ֥יםcords
yetarimH3499 →102 times
לַחִ֖יםfresh
lachimH3892 →
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
חֹרָ֑בוּthey had been dried
choravuH2717 →40 times
וַתַּאַסְרֵ֖הוּand she bound him
vataasrehuH631 →72 times
בָּהֶֽם׃with <the> them
bahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Ecclesiastes 7:26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is…
it leads to
- Proverbs 22:14
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
- Proverbs 5:3–5
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
- Proverbs 2:16
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
- Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over…
- Proverbs 2:18–19
For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
- Proverbs 22:14
About Judges
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, Letter 19; 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.