Judges 15 Study Notes: Samson's Revenge and the Jawbone
Denied his wife, Samson burns the Philistine harvest with foxes and torches, and the Philistines retaliate by killing the woman and her father. Judah hands him over bound, but empowered by God's Spirit he kills a thousand with a jawbone; God answers his thirsty prayer with a spring, and he judges Israel twenty years.
General
What did Samson do to strike back at the Philistines after losing his wife to another man (Judges 15:3-5)?
Answer: He let loose foxes with torches in their fields
Samson declared that this time he would be in the right when he harmed the Philistines (15:3); he saw himself as the wronged party. He caught 300 foxes, tied them in pairs tail to tail with a torch fastened between each pair, set the torches alight, and sent them into the Philistines’ ripe fields. The fire destroyed the harvested sheaves, the grain still standing, and vineyards and olive orchards too (15:4-5). The text reports his reasoning as his own claim and does not say the LORD commanded this act. Even so, the wider story has already told us that the LORD was looking for an occasion to act against the Philistines, who held power over Israel at the time (14:4), and that Samson was born to begin Israel’s rescue from them (13:5).
- Judges 15:3 (BSB)“Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.””Samson claims he will be blameless in harming the Philistines.
- Judges 15:4-5 (BSB)“Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.”Samson sends torch-bearing foxes into the Philistine fields, vineyards and orchards.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator has said the LORD was seeking an occasion against the Philistines, who were ruling Israel.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was born to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
Theological
Claiming he would be blameless this time, how did Samson retaliate against the Philistines (Judges 15:3-5)?
Answer: He let loose foxes with torches in their fields
Samson justified himself in advance, claiming that this time he would be innocent in doing the Philistines harm (15:3). He then sent 300 foxes, paired with torches between their tails, into the Philistine harvest, destroying sheaves, standing grain, vineyards and olive orchards (15:4-5). The narrator records Samson’s self-justification without endorsing it and gives no divine command for the act. Yet the reader already knows that the LORD was sovereignly seeking an occasion against the Philistines (14:4) through the one born to begin Israel’s deliverance (13:5), so God’s purpose moves forward through Samson’s personal grievance without making that grievance righteous.
- Judges 15:3 (BSB)“Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.””Samson claims he will be blameless in harming the Philistines.
- Judges 15:4-5 (BSB)“Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.”Samson sends torch-bearing foxes into the Philistine fields, vineyards and orchards.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator has said the LORD was seeking an occasion against the Philistines, who were ruling Israel.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was born to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
General
How did God answer Samson’s cry of thirst (Judges 15:19)?
Answer: He opened a hollow at Lehi so water poured out
God split open the hollow at Lehi and water flowed out. After drinking, Samson felt his strength come back and he revived (15:19). The text says this is the reason he named the spring En-hakkore, tying the name to this answer to his cry, and it adds that the spring was still at Lehi in the narrator’s own day. As at Horeb, where the LORD brought water from the rock for thirsty Israel (Exodus 17:6), God supplied water where there was none. The LORD hears the needy when they cry to Him (Psalm 34:6): God graciously sustained His flawed servant.
- Judges 15:19 (BSB)“So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, and it remains in Lehi to this day.”God opens the hollow at Lehi, Samson revives, and the spring is named.
- Exodus 17:6 (BSB)“Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD provided water from Horeb’s rock for thirsty Israel.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”The LORD hears the one who calls out and saves him from his troubles.
Theological
How did God respond to Samson’s prayer at Lehi (Judges 15:19)?
Answer: He opened a hollow at Lehi so water poured out
God broke open the hollow at Lehi, water came out, and Samson’s strength revived (15:19). The text explains that this is the reason he named the spring En-hakkore, tying the name to this answer to his cry, and notes that it remained at Lehi to the narrator’s time. The provision recalls the water from Horeb’s rock (Exodus 17:6) and shows the LORD hearing the cry of the needy (Psalm 34:6); it is grace to a flawed servant whose song had spoken only of his own deeds.
- Judges 15:19 (BSB)“So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, and it remains in Lehi to this day.”God opens the hollow at Lehi, Samson revives, and the spring is named.
- Exodus 17:6 (BSB)“Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD provided water from Horeb’s rock for thirsty Israel.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”The LORD hears the one who calls out and saves him from his troubles.
General
When the Philistines camped in Judah to capture Samson, what did 3,000 men of Judah do (Judges 15:9-13)?
Answer: Tied him up to deliver him to the Philistines
The Philistines marched up and set up camp in Judah near Lehi, and said they had come to seize Samson and repay him (15:9-10). Instead of rallying behind the judge (a deliverer God raised up to rescue and lead His people) whom God had given them, 3,000 men from Judah came to his cave at Etam. They reminded him that the Philistines were their masters, asked what he had brought on them, and said they had come to tie him up and hand him to the enemy. They promised only not to kill him themselves, then bound him with a pair of new ropes and took him away (15:11-13). Israel had settled into Philistine rule: the narrator has already said the Philistines held power over Israel (14:4), and unlike earlier episodes, where Israel cried to the LORD and He raised up a deliverer (3:9), chapters 13 through 16 record no cry to the LORD from Israel during this oppression (13:1).
- Judges 15:11-13 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied. But 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.” “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.”The men of Judah confront Samson, bind him and hand him over to the Philistines.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator notes that at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”The Philistine oppression is introduced with no mention of Israel crying out.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”In earlier cycles Israel cried out to the LORD and He raised up a deliverer.
Theological
Accepting the Philistines as their overlords, what did the 3,000 men of Judah do with Samson (Judges 15:9-13)?
Answer: Tied him up to deliver him to the Philistines
With the Philistines encamped in Judah demanding Samson (15:9-10), Judah’s men, rather than following the judge God had raised up, came to Etam, reminded him that the Philistines ruled them, bound him with a pair of new ropes, and delivered him up, promising only not to kill him themselves (15:11-13). The scene exposes how fully Israel had accommodated itself to foreign domination (14:4). Unlike the earlier pattern of oppression followed by Israel crying to the LORD (3:9), the account of the Philistine oppression in chapters 13 through 16 records no such cry (13:1). The LORD’s raising up of Samson comes at His own initiative, announced by His angel before the child’s birth (13:5).
- Judges 15:11-13 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied. But 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.” “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.”The men of Judah confront Samson, bind him and hand him over to the Philistines.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator notes that at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”The Philistine oppression is introduced with no mention of Israel crying out.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”In earlier cycles Israel cried out to the LORD and He raised up a deliverer.
General
How does Judges 15:20 sum up Samson’s time as judge?
Answer: He led Israel twenty years while the Philistines still dominated
The narrator closes the chapter by saying Samson served as Israel’s judge for twenty years during the period of Philistine power (15:20), a note repeated at his burial (16:31). The Philistine oppression had begun as a forty-year judgment on Israel’s evil (13:1), and the angel had said Samson would only begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines (13:5). Unlike the accounts of earlier judges such as Othniel and Gideon, in whose days the land enjoyed rest (3:11; 8:28), no rest is recorded after Samson’s victories; the Philistines still dominate when his story ends.
- Judges 15:20 (BSB)“And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.”The narrator sums up Samson’s twenty years as judge in the Philistine era.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”The LORD gave Israel into Philistine hands for forty years because of their evil.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was to begin, not finish, Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- Judges 8:28 (BSB)“In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,”The land had rest in Gideon’s days, a note missing from Samson’s account.
Theological
What does the summary in Judges 15:20 indicate about the length and setting of Samson’s judgeship?
Answer: He led Israel twenty years while the Philistines still dominated
Samson judged Israel twenty years within the era of Philistine dominance (15:20; cf. 16:31). This matches the limited commission of 13:5: he would begin, not complete, Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines who had been given power over Israel for its evil (13:1). The usual closing formula of rest for the land, found in the accounts of Othniel and Gideon (3:11; 8:28), is absent, so the cycle remains unresolved at Samson’s death.
- Judges 15:20 (BSB)“And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.”The narrator sums up Samson’s twenty years as judge in the Philistine era.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”The LORD gave Israel into Philistine hands for forty years because of their evil.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was to begin, not finish, Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- Judges 8:28 (BSB)“In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,”The land had rest in Gideon’s days, a note missing from Samson’s account.
General
How did the Philistines respond when they learned who had burned their crops and why (Judges 15:6)?
Answer: They killed his wife and her father by fire
The Philistines were told that the culprit was Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife had been handed over to his companion (15:6). Instead of going after Samson, they went up and killed the woman and her father by fire. This was exactly what the wedding guests had threatened during the riddle contest, when they told her to get the answer or they would burn her and her father’s household (14:15). She had done what they demanded and passed the answer to them (14:17), yet the fire came anyway. Each side answers the last wrong with a worse one, and the violence keeps escalating.
- Judges 15:6 (BSB)““Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.”The Philistines learn why Samson acted and take revenge on his wife and her father.
- Judges 14:15 (BSB)“So 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?””The wedding guests had already threatened to burn her and her father’s household.
- Judges 14:17 (BSB)“She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.”She gave in to the pressure and passed the riddle’s answer to her people.
Theological
What did the Philistines do once they learned that Samson had burned their harvest over his wife (Judges 15:6)?
Answer: They killed his wife and her father by fire
Learning that Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, had acted because his bride had been handed to his companion (15:6), the Philistines retaliated against the family itself, burning the woman and her father. The threat made during the riddle contest (14:15) is carried out after all, even though she had yielded to it and betrayed Samson’s answer (14:17). The narrative shows a spiral of retaliation in which each act provokes a harsher one.
- Judges 15:6 (BSB)““Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.”The Philistines learn why Samson acted and take revenge on his wife and her father.
- Judges 14:15 (BSB)“So 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?””The wedding guests had already threatened to burn her and her father’s household.
- Judges 14:17 (BSB)“She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.”She gave in to the pressure and passed the riddle’s answer to her people.
General
True or False: When Judah’s men confronted Samson, he defended his attacks as payback, saying he had only treated the Philistines the way they had treated him.
Answer: True
This is true. After the Philistines burned his wife and her father, Samson swore he would not stop until he had his vengeance, and he attacked them fiercely before withdrawing to a cave at Etam (15:7-8). When Judah’s men later asked why he had brought this trouble on them, his answer was simple retaliation: he had paid the Philistines back in kind (15:11). The text states this personal revenge motive honestly and does not dress it up. Elsewhere Scripture tells God’s people not to repay others as they have been treated but to leave vengeance to the Lord (Proverbs 24:29; Romans 12:19). At the same time, the LORD was at work through these very clashes, since He was looking for an opportunity to act against the Philistines who ruled Israel (14:4). God used Samson’s conflict for His purpose without approving his motive.
- Judges 15:7 (BSB)“And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.””Samson swears not to rest until he has taken vengeance on the Philistines.
- Judges 15:11 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.”Samson tells the men of Judah he did to the Philistines what they did to him.
- Proverbs 24:29 (BSB)“Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.””Wisdom forbids repaying a man according to what he has done to you.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Believers are to leave vengeance to God rather than avenge themselves.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator says the LORD was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines, who ruled Israel.
Theological
True or False: Confronted by Judah’s men, Samson justified his violence against the Philistines as simple retaliation in kind.
Answer: True
This is true. Samson vowed to keep striking until he had taken vengeance (15:7-8), and before Judah’s men he defended himself in terms of strict retaliation (15:11). The narrator lets Samson’s motive stand in his own words. Scripture forbids private revenge and commits vengeance to the Lord (Proverbs 24:29; Romans 12:19), yet God sovereignly used this feud to act against the Philistines (14:4). God governs and uses sinful motives for His ends while remaining wholly untainted by them, and Samson remains responsible for his.
- Judges 15:7 (BSB)“And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.””Samson swears not to rest until he has taken vengeance on the Philistines.
- Judges 15:11 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.”Samson tells the men of Judah he did to the Philistines what they did to him.
- Proverbs 24:29 (BSB)“Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.””Wisdom forbids repaying a man according to what he has done to you.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Believers are to leave vengeance to God rather than avenge themselves.
- Judges 14:4 (BSB)“(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)”The narrator says the LORD was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines, who ruled Israel.
General
When the bound Samson reached Lehi and the Philistines rushed at him with shouts, what happened just before the ropes binding his arms gave way (Judges 15:14)?
Answer: The LORD’s Spirit came upon him with power
As the Philistines came shouting to meet him at Lehi, the LORD’s Spirit came upon Samson with power. The ropes binding his arms turned like flax that has been burned, and the bonds fell off his hands. Grabbing a donkey’s fresh jawbone, he killed a thousand men (15:14-15). The text places the source of his strength in the LORD’s Spirit, just as with his earlier feats (14:6, 19). This is God equipping a deliverer for his task. It fits what Joshua told Israel: one Israelite could chase off a thousand, since the LORD Himself fights for His people (Joshua 23:10).
- Judges 15:14 (BSB)“When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.”The Spirit comes upon Samson and the ropes fall from him.
- Judges 15:15 (BSB)“He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.”With a fresh jawbone Samson strikes down a thousand men.
- Judges 14:6 (BSB)“and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.”The Spirit had earlier empowered Samson to tear apart a lion.
- Judges 14:19 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,”The Spirit came upon Samson before his attack at Ashkelon.
- Joshua 23:10 (BSB)“One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.”Joshua promised that one Israelite would rout a thousand because the LORD fights for Israel.
Theological
According to Judges 15:14, what happened just before the ropes fell from Samson’s arms at Lehi?
Answer: The LORD’s Spirit came upon him with power
At Lehi the LORD’s Spirit came upon Samson in power; the new ropes became like burned flax, and he killed a thousand Philistines with a fresh donkey’s jawbone (15:14-15). As at Timnah and Ashkelon (14:6, 19), the narrator attributes the feat to the Spirit’s empowering for Samson’s task as deliverer, not to native strength, and this empowering should not be confused with the New Testament indwelling of believers. The victory illustrates Joshua’s promise that one Israelite would rout a thousand because the LORD fights for His people (Joshua 23:10).
- Judges 15:14 (BSB)“When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.”The Spirit comes upon Samson and the ropes fall from him.
- Judges 15:15 (BSB)“He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.”With a fresh jawbone Samson strikes down a thousand men.
- Judges 14:6 (BSB)“and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.”The Spirit had earlier empowered Samson to tear apart a lion.
- Judges 14:19 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,”The Spirit came upon Samson before his attack at Ashkelon.
- Joshua 23:10 (BSB)“One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.”Joshua promised that one Israelite would rout a thousand because the LORD fights for Israel.
General
Desperately thirsty after the battle, Samson called to the LORD. What did he acknowledge in that prayer (Judges 15:18)?
Answer: That the LORD had won this victory through him
Samson’s victory song spoke only of his own deeds with the jawbone (15:16). Then a fierce thirst came over him. He cried to the LORD, acknowledging that the LORD had given this great deliverance by the hand of His servant, and asked whether he must die from thirst and be captured by the uncircumcised Philistines (15:18). This is Samson’s first recorded prayer, and in it he credits the victory to God. Scripture teaches that rescue is the LORD’s (Psalm 3:8), and God invites His people to call on Him in trouble so that He may deliver them and they may honor Him (Psalm 50:15).
- Judges 15:16 (BSB)“Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.””Samson’s victory song speaks of what he did with the jawbone.
- Judges 15:18 (BSB)“And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?””Samson cries out to the LORD, crediting Him with the deliverance.
- Psalm 3:8 (BSB)“Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. Selah”Salvation belongs to the LORD, as Samson’s prayer acknowledges.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God calls His people to cry to Him in trouble and promises to deliver them.
Theological
In his prayer at Lehi, what did the parched Samson confess about the victory (Judges 15:18)?
Answer: That the LORD had won this victory through him
Samson’s victory song at Lehi spoke only of his own deeds with the jawbone (15:16); then thirst overtook him. In his first recorded prayer he confessed that the LORD had accomplished the deliverance through His servant and pleaded not to die and fall to the uncircumcised (15:18). The deliverer acknowledges that the salvation is the LORD’s (Psalm 3:8), and his cry is the kind of call in trouble that God promises to answer, so that His people honor Him (Psalm 50:15).
- Judges 15:16 (BSB)“Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.””Samson’s victory song speaks of what he did with the jawbone.
- Judges 15:18 (BSB)“And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?””Samson cries out to the LORD, crediting Him with the deliverance.
- Psalm 3:8 (BSB)“Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. Selah”Salvation belongs to the LORD, as Samson’s prayer acknowledges.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God calls His people to cry to Him in trouble and promises to deliver them.
General
When Samson returned to Timnah at wheat harvest with a young goat to see his wife, why did her father refuse to let him in (Judges 15:1-2)?
Answer: She had already been married to his companion
At the end of chapter 14, after Samson stormed off from his wedding feast in anger, his bride was handed to a young man who had attended him (14:19-20). Later, at wheat harvest, Samson came back with a young goat as a gift, expecting to go in to her. Her father blocked him: he claimed he had assumed Samson hated her, so he had married her off to Samson’s companion, and he offered Samson her younger sister instead (15:1-2). This insult is the spark that sets off the chain of revenge that fills the rest of the chapter.
- Judges 15:1-2 (BSB)“Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter. “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.””Samson returns to his wife, but her father says she has been given to another man and offers her sister.
- Judges 14:19 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,”Samson left the feast burning with anger and went back to his father’s house.
- Judges 14:20 (BSB)“and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”In his absence the bride was given to one of the men who had attended him.
Theological
Why did the Timnite father bar Samson from his daughter’s room when Samson came with a young goat at wheat harvest (Judges 15:1-2)?
Answer: She had already been married to his companion
Samson had left the wedding feast in anger, and the bride was then given to an attendant of his (14:19-20). When he returned at wheat harvest, the father explained that, supposing Samson hated her, he had given her to Samson’s companion, and he offered the younger sister as a substitute (15:1-2). The broken marriage becomes the trigger for the escalating cycle of retaliation that drives the chapter.
- Judges 15:1-2 (BSB)“Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter. “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.””Samson returns to his wife, but her father says she has been given to another man and offers her sister.
- Judges 14:19 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,”Samson left the feast burning with anger and went back to his father’s house.
- Judges 14:20 (BSB)“and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”In his absence the bride was given to one of the men who had attended him.