Judges 15 [Judges 15:1] BUT IT CAME TO PASS WITHIN A WHILE AFTER, IN THE TIME OF WHEAT HARVEST, THAT SAMSON VISITED HIS WIFE WITH A KID; AND HE SAID, I WILL GO IN TO MY WIFE INTO THE CHAMBER. BUT HER FATHER WOULD NOT SUFFER HIM TO GO IN. [Judges 15:2] AND HER FATHER SAID, I VERILY THOUGHT THAT THOU HADST UTTERLY HATED HER; THEREFORE I GAVE HER TO THY COMPANION: IS NOT HER YOUNGER SISTER FAIRER THAN SHE? TAKE HER, I PRAY THEE, INSTEAD OF HER. [Judges 15:3] AND SAMSON SAID CONCERNING THEM, NOW SHALL I BE MORE BLAMELESS THAN THE PHILISTINES, THOUGH I DO THEM A DISPLEASURE. Samson takes his revenge from the Philistines as a group even though those who had offended him were individuals. It was as if their offence expressed something about their cultural standards as a whole that were opposed to the essence of Samson. Samson was always seeking to come to terms with this situation. [Judges 15:4] AND SAMSON WENT AND CAUGHT THREE HUNDRED FOXES, AND TOOK FIREBRANDS, AND TURNED TAIL TO TAIL, AND PUT A FIREBRAND IN THE MIDST BETWEEN TWO TAILS.. <<CAUGHT THREE HUNDRED FOXES   <<: With traps. The practice of catching foxes and tieing a flaming torch between the tails of a pair was known from the region of Illyria (Serbia) and Venice and may have been a Philistine custom since Philistine offshoots were in these areas. The Romans used to tie flaming torches to the tails of foxes at annual "Circuses" in honor of the goddess Ceres. The Mamluk rulers of Egypt when at war with the Mongolian invaders tied torches to the tails of foxes and dogs and sent them against fields of produce in Mongolian possession (Y. Kaufman). [Judges 15:5] AND WHEN HE HAD SET THE BRANDS ON FIRE, HE LET THEM GO INTO THE STANDING CORN OF THE PHILISTINES, AND BURNT UP BOTH THE SHOCKS, AND ALSO THE STANDING CORN, WITH THE VINEYARDS AND OLIVES.. [Judges 15:6] THEN THE PHILISTINES SAID, WHO HATH DONE THIS? AND THEY ANSWERED, SAMSON, THE SON IN LAW OF THE TIMNITE, BECAUSE HE HAD TAKEN HIS WIFE, AND GIVEN HER TO HIS COMPANION. AND THE PHILISTINES CAME UP, AND BURNT HER AND HER FATHER WITH FIRE.. [Judges 15:7] AND SAMSON SAID UNTO THEM, THOUGH YE HAVE DONE THIS, YET WILL I BE AVENGED OF YOU, AND AFTER THAT I WILL CEASE. [Judges 15:8] AND HE SMOTE THEM HIP AND THIGH WITH A GREAT SLAUGHTER: AND HE WENT DOWN AND DWELT IN THE TOP OF THE ROCK ETAM. <<HIP AND THIGH>>: In Hebrew: Shok al Yerayak, Probably meaning Shok (calves, leg muscles) al (over) Yerayak (thigh): i.e. his leg muscles were trampling them down, walking over their thighs. [Judges 15:9] THEN THE PHILISTINES WENT UP, AND PITCHED IN JUDAH, AND SPREAD THEMSELVES IN LEHI. [Judges 15:10] AND THE MEN OF JUDAH SAID, WHY ARE YE COME UP AGAINST US? AND THEY ANSWERED, TO BIND SAMSON ARE WE COME UP, TO DO TO HIM AS HE HATH DONE TO US.. [Judges 15:11] THEN THREE THOUSAND MEN OF JUDAH WENT TO THE TOP OF THE ROCK ETAM, AND SAID TO SAMSON, KNOWEST THOU NOT THAT THE PHILISTINES ARE RULERS OVER US? WHAT IS THIS THAT THOU HAST DONE UNTO US? AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, AS THEY DID UNTO ME, SO HAVE I DONE UNTO THEM.. [Judges 15:12] 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.. [Judges 15:13] AND THEY SPAKE UNTO HIM, SAYING, NO; BUT WE WILL BIND THEE FAST, AND DELIVER THEE INTO THEIR HAND: BUT SURELY WE WILL NOT KILL THEE. AND THEY BOUND HIM WITH TWO NEW CORDS, AND BROUGHT HIM UP FROM THE ROCK.. [Judges 15:14] AND WHEN HE CAME UNTO LEHI, THE PHILISTINES SHOUTED AGAINST HIM: AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME MIGHTILY UPON HIM, AND THE CORDS THAT WERE UPON HIS ARMS BECAME AS FLAX THAT WAS BURNT WITH FIRE, AND HIS BANDS LOOSED FROM OFF HIS HANDS.. [Judges 15:15] AND HE FOUND A NEW JAWBONE OF AN ASS, AND PUT FORTH HIS HAND, AND TOOK IT, AND SLEW A THOUSAND MEN THEREWITH.. [Judges 15:16] AND SAMSON SAID, WITH THE JAWBONE OF AN ASS, HEAPS UPON HEAPS, WITH THE JAW OF AN ASS HAVE I SLAIN A THOUSAND MEN.. [Judges 15:17] AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN HE HAD MADE AN END OF SPEAKING, THAT HE CAST AWAY THE JAWBONE OUT OF HIS HAND, AND CALLED THAT PLACE RAMATHLEHI.. [Judges 15:18] AND HE WAS SORE ATHIRST, AND CALLED ON THE LORD, AND SAID, THOU HAST GIVEN THIS GREAT DELIVERANCE INTO THE HAND OF THY SERVANT: AND NOW SHALL I DIE FOR THIRST, AND FALL INTO THE HAND OF THE UNCIRCUMCISED? [Judges 15:19] BUT GOD CLAVE AN HOLLOW PLACE THAT WAS IN THE JAW, AND THERE CAME WATER THEREOUT; AND WHEN HE HAD DRUNK, HIS SPIRIT CAME AGAIN, AND HE REVIVED: WHEREFORE HE CALLED THE NAME THEREOF ENHAKKORE, WHICH IS IN LEHI UNTO THIS DAY.. <<AN HOLLOW PLACE THAT WAS IN THE JAW>>: Not exact. There was a stone outcrop also known as a "jaw" and it was from here that a fountain of water broke forth. The story of Samson entails a frequent play on words. Josephus, Antiquities, 5:8: [7. At this injurious treatment Samson was so provoked, that he resolved to punish all the Philistines, as well as her: so it being then summer-time, and the fruits of the land being almost ripe enough for reaping, he caught three hundred foxes, and joining lighted torches to their tails, he sent them into the fields of the Philistines, by which means the fruits of the fields perished. Now when the Philistines knew that this was Samson's doing, and knew also for what cause he did it, they sent their rulers to Timhath, and burnt his former wife, and her relations, who had been the occasion of their misfortunes. [8. Now when Samson had slain many of the Philistines in the plain country, he dwelt at Etam, which is a strong rock of the tribe of Judah; for the Philistines at that time made an expedition against that tribe: but the people of Judah said that they did not act justly with them, in inflicting punishments upon them while they paid their tribute, and this only on account of Samson's offenses. They answered, that in case they would not be blamed themselves, they must deliver up Samson, and put him into their power. So they being desirous not to be blamed themselves, came to the rock with three thousand armed men, and complained to Samson of the bold insults he had made upon the Philistines, who were men able to bring calamity upon the whole nation of the Hebrews; and they told him they were come to take him, and to deliver him up to them, and put him into their power; so they desired him to bear this willingly. Accordingly, when he had received assurance from them upon oath, that they would do him no other harm than only to deliver him into his enemies' hands, he came down from the rock, and put himself into the power of his countrymen. Then did they bind him with two cords, and lead him on, in order to deliver him to the Philistines; and when they came to a certain place, which is now called the Jaw-bone, on account of the great action there performed by Samson, though of old it had no particular name at all, the Philistines, who had pitched their camp not far off, came to meet them with joy and shouting, as having done a great thing, and gained what they desired; but Samson broke his bonds asunder, and catching up the jaw-bone of an ass that lay down at his feet, fell upon his enemies, and smiting them with his jaw-bone, slew a thousand of them, and put the rest to flight and into great disorder. [9. Upon this slaughter Samson was too proud of what he had performed, and said that this did not come to pass by the assistance of God, but that his success was to be ascribed to his own courage; and vaunted himself, that it was out of a dread of him that some of his enemies fell and the rest ran away upon his use of the jaw-bone; but when a great thirst came upon him, he considered that human courage is nothing, and bare his testimony that all is to be ascribed to God, and besought him that he would not be angry at any thing he had said, nor give him up into the hands of his enemies, but afford him help under his affliction, and deliver him from the misfortune he was under. Accordingly God was moved with his entreaties, and raised him up a plentiful fountain of sweet water at a certain rock whence it was that Samson called the place the Jaw-bone, (20) and so it is called to this day. [Judges 15:20] AND HE JUDGED ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF THE PHILISTINES TWENTY YEARS. Judges Index Home