Judges 14: 1 – 20
The Riddler
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” 3 Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” 4 But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. 9 He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. 10 So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. 11 And it happened, when they saw him that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. 13 But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14 So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. 15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” 16 Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” 17 Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. 18 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” 19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
Have you ever heard some people from the Government Social Reforms speak about how some people are prevented from the opportunities to succeed because they were born on the wrong side of the tracks? Today we are to look at the Judge Samson and the Scripture will help verify that the reformers do not know what they are talking about.
Samson’s life began with such promise. Such a great future awaited him. But towards the end at least he became slack in his vow and much of it was frittered away on casual living. It was the grace of God that used his exploits, for they no doubt greatly encouraged his fellow-Israelites who were in no state to fight, and through him He continually weakened the Philistines, preventing them encroaching too far into the hill country, and finally dealing them a devastating blow which kept them from becoming too powerful.
A comparison between Jephthah and Samson is significant. The former was a bastard son of a prostitute, rejected and cast out by his family and countrymen, but disciplining his life, shaping his own future, though we cannot doubt that God had a hand in it, and rising to become a great deliverer and dedicated man of God, who gave his own daughter fully to the service of God and died respected and honored.
The latter forecast by the Angel of Yahweh, wonderfully born, brought up in a godly home, provided with a good background, given strength beyond that of normal men, but finally led astray by a woman, and succumbing to her wiles. Yet eventually he would turn to God in his death, the death of one who was pitifully blind, in the face of much mockery, but triumphant in the end through the grace of God. If only he had had Jephthah’s faith and strength of purpose, what a man he might have been. His life is another example of could a, should a, would a.
This reminds us that God uses all types of people from all kinds of backgrounds. Jephthah provides hope to all who come from unpromising beginnings. But the message of Samson comes home especially to those who find themselves weak, and failing again and again, those who struggle with their sexual desires and almost despair. It gives them hope that the God Who used a Samson, can also use them if only they repent when they have sinned, and constantly return to Him. .
This chapter begin with chapter 13 verse 25 as Samson is now a grown man.
‘And the Spirit of Yahweh began to move him in Mahaneh-dan (‘the camp of Dan’), between Zorah and Eshtaol.’
The place was called ‘the camp of Dan’ because it was there that the Danites who had previously moved to Laish encamped at the commencement of their journey. It was close to Kiriath-jearim , the city of forests, on the Judah/Benjamin border.
‘The Spirit of Yahweh began to move (disquiet) him.’ As a result of the work of the Holy Spirit within he became disquieted and dissatisfied with life itself.
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
There can be no doubt that Samson was to some extent a womanizer, something which he had to battle with all his life. He found it difficult to leave women alone. Most men of his day married the woman chosen for them by their parents. Timnah was in Judah, in the lower hill country, but was under the control of the Philistines, and on a trip there he saw a Philistine woman who took his fancy.
2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”
Samson was quite open about his aims. He had seen a Philistine woman who attracted him and he wanted her as his wife. Being a dutiful son he put the matter to his father and mother who, according to custom, were responsible for the marriage negotiations.
3 Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”
His father and mother were upset about his intentions. They were very much aware that he was the chosen of Yahweh, and this intermarriage with a foreigner was wrong. His father would have to conduct the negotiations and agree the dowry and wedding gifts. So Samson ignored their concerns and asked his father to proceed with the matter because of the great esteem he had for her. Here we must read between the lines. As we see in the next verse that the fact that God continued to strengthen him even while on the way to his marriage suggests that there was more to this union.
4 But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
What his father and mother did not know was that his plan was in the purposes of God. Yahweh was at work through the one whom He had chosen.
The statement ‘He sought an occasion’ needs further scrutiny. Many translations suggest that the ‘he’ mentioned here is Yahweh. But in view of this may well rather mean that it was Samson who sought the occasion. It suggests that it was the beginning of his plan to put himself in a position where he could attack the Philistines without blame coming on his people. However many see it as referring to Yahweh. It is difficult to see how Yahweh would arrange to marry him off to a heathen Philistine, or indeed why He should want to find an occasion against the Philistines. Yahweh already had an occasion against the Philistines. That was why He had raised up Samson. It was Samson who needed such an occasion, not Yahweh.
The tight control of the Philistines over the tribe of Dan would necessitate that he acted on his own. And as a ruling elite who would hit hard at any sign of rebellion against them, he would know that any dealings that he had with them must be carefully arranged so that no blame could fall on his fellow tribe members. We may see this as the probable reason why he appeared to be almost on his way to becoming an adopted Philistine. As such he would be able to take them on man to man without it harming his fellow countrymen.
5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him.
It is clear from the next verse that they made their separate ways to Timnah so that his parents were not with him when he met the ‘young lion’, or possibly that he had lingered behind, gathering grapes, so that they were ahead and were not aware of his doings, hidden by the trees.
‘A young lion’ means, a young lion at its most dangerous, eager and ready for the hunt, in the prime of life.
‘Roared against him’ signified his direct designs on Samson. Perhaps the young lion was intended to strengthen his courage in the face of what was to come, or in order to manifest Yahweh’s approval of his actions, or indeed both
6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
I think many people visualize that Samson was this huge body builder with muscles abounding. I do not. I think that our Great Adoni Yahweh in order to properly receive the credit for Samson’s acts was that this judge was the proverbial scrawny, skinny guy. Samson exerted his strength against the man-eater and with no weapon in his hand seized it and broke its neck as though it had been a young goat. It was his life or the lion’s. From now on he knew that Yahweh was with him and would be his strength. Samson’s strength was clearly an unusual phenomenon.
7 Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion.
So as the marriage day approached he went again on his way to Timnah to take her as his wife. On his way to Timnah he took a diversion in order to see the carcass of the lion he had killed, and found that bees had swarmed there. Bees are averse to flesh and it is thus probable that mainly only the bones were left which provided a nest for the bees in which to produce honey. Scavengers and ants had seemingly meanwhile done their work.
Like many young men Samson did not like turning up with his parents and so here, as previously, he took a separate route. This incident occurred en route, so that when he met his parents in Timnah he was able to give them some honey.
9 He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.
As a Nazirite Samson had to avoid dead carcasses for they would render him ‘unclean’, but while he was fastidious about his hair he was possibly slacker about the other requirements. Perhaps as a lifelong Nazirite some leeway was given. On the other hand it may be that in collecting the honey he used some instrument and thus avoided touching the carcass, and satisfied his conscience in that way. He would have become used to different methods of keeping ‘clean’. There does not appear to be any condemnation of his action.
Moving towards Timnah he met up with his father and mother and gave them some honey without telling them where he had obtained it from. This was something he should have done for they may have considered it wrong to eat honey from a carcass, especially his mother who may have seen herself as still ‘dedicated’ to Yahweh. But the main point is that they would not know the answer to the riddle that is shortly coming, and he did not talk about his feat.
10 So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so.
His father then continued on to meet the woman to assist with preparations for the wedding, while Samson arranged a pre-marriage feast for the young men. This would seem to have been a feast for men only, taking place before the marriage. It lasted seven days. The fact that it was arranged by Samson himself indicates that it was not the wedding-feast.
11 And it happened, when they saw him that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
The Philistines may have seen this powerful young man as somebody who could be useful to them and therefore as someone to be encouraged. He was after all, almost becoming one of them. And they brought a full complement (thirty - that is, three intensified indicating completeness) of young men to share his pre-marriage feast. They would be his daily companions while the wedding was in final preparation, for the feasting for the wedding that followed would also last seven days. In view of what follows it appears that they were clearly no friends of the girl’s family. There is no mention of any others present at this feast. This in itself is remarkable. It emphasizes that Samson is trying to find an occasion against the Philistines in which he does not want Israelites involved.
12 Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. 13 But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”
The pre-feast being in process, and some already being somewhat tipsy, Samson propounded a riddle. This was quite a common feature of such feasts in order to pass the time, especially once the drink had flowed. Whether Samson broke his Nazirite vow by drinking wine and strong drink we are not told. It is not being reasonable to suggest that because he was at a wedding feast he necessarily did so. Many a godly person has been at such a celebration without breaking vows about drinking. He may well have explained it along with his long hair, which no doubt also caused comment. There is no suggestion that he did wrong at the feast. His real problem was with women, not with strong drink.
The "linen cloths" would be large rectangular pieces of fine linen which were worn next to the body by day or night, while the "clothes" would be festal garments which would be very expensive.
It sounded a good bargain to them. They had fourteen days in which to find the answer to the question, which had to be answered at the end of the wedding feast proper, and they were confident that someone would know it.
14 So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.
They at first, in their merry state, probably thought that it would soon be solved, but after a few days they became alarmed. No solution that they propounded was correct. ‘In three days’ signifies a standard short period of time, ‘in a few days’.
The riddle was not only a riddle. Samson probably intended by it amusing mockery. He was thinking that from the ‘devouring’ Philistines he would gain both a marriage feast and wealth, and from the ‘strong’ Philistines he would obtain the sweetest of all, a wife.
15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”
Time passed by. It passed not only a ‘three day’ period but a ‘seven day’ period. Then the men began to panic and the situation turned ugly. They could not bear the thought of losing their fine and expensive clothing to an Israelite.
Samson had succeeded in antagonizing them. What he had not considered was how they would react. So they pressurized Samson’s ‘wife’, warning her that if she did not entice the answer out of him by the time the wedding feast was over they would burn her father’s house with her inside it. Nice wedding guests, huh? These were not pleasant men and their pride was hurt. And they were the warrior ruling class. They accused her of bringing them there with the intention of taking their fine clothes. We see here the typical Philistine male, proud, aggressive and unyielding, and with a contempt for all others.
16 Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”
Samson was unaware of the threat to his prospective wife. So when she pressed him for the answer he was probably at first a little amused. Quite reasonably he pointed out that he had not even told his parents. But as her tears continued it began to ruin the wedding. Yet he still stood firm. If the solution leaked out he would in a bad spot to pay for all the other guys clothes.
His wife must have been living in terror. She knew the threat hanging over her family and she had no doubt that they meant it. She was already looked on as Samson’s wife, for such arrangements as they had were binding. Thus they would blame her for what ‘her family’ had done to them.
17 Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.
These were the days of the actual marriage feast itself, a time of feasting and merriment probably enjoyed by the whole town. But it was not pleasant for the fearful girl, and it was spoiling it for Samson. It seemed she would just not let go. No doubt constant veiled threats were passed on to her throughout the days of the feast
In the end Samson gave way. He did not want the last day of the feast and the final consummating of the marriage to be spoiled by his wife’s weeping. And greatly relieved she passed on the solution to the men in order to save her family.
Samson had no doubt warned her not to tell them for it would be a costly affair. However one question that is difficult to answer is whether the marriage was finalized. Samson clearly thought it was as we see in chapter 15 verse 1. The fact that she was given to his ‘companion’, possibly to save her from being disgraced, suggests that the father did not think so, although he may have seen Samson’s anger and walking out as an instant divorce from an unconsummated marriage. The Philistines as a whole appear to have considered the marriage valid. Certainly the whole of the seven day ceremony was over, apart from the consummation, for the Philistine men approached him not long before sunset.
18 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!”
Late on the last day they provided the answer to his riddle, and we can hear in their answer their mocking tones, but neither would doubt where the answer had really come from. Samson now saw his hope of added status disappear and himself soon to be greatly in debt.
Samson’s answer was abrupt and very vivid. They had put the yoke on his woman to plough up the secret. It indicated both the unfair pressure they had exercised and the foulness of their behavior. In his view this was both an insult to him, and an act of aggression which justified him in retaliation.
19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.
Time would need to be given to him to provide the clothing for all would recognize that he would not have thirty changes of clothing with him. They would certainly have expected to wait until after the consummation of the marriage. But the matter had become too bitter, and he left the marriage feast without consummating the marriage and disappeared. No wonder the father thought that he wanted nothing further to do with his daughter. Nevertheless he paid Samson a great insult by giving his wife to someone else.
Samson travelled twenty three miles to the major Philistine city of Ashkelon and sought out thirty Philistine warriors, killing them and taking their clothing. We are given no details about how this was accomplished, but it is noteworthy that no repercussions resulted.
The trip to Ashkelon may have been because he thought it would be easier to cover up his activities in a large city, or because he thought that there he would not be recognized, or it may have been because he knew that there he would find men with the quality of clothing that he required.
He then returned to Timnah, and handed the clothing over to the thirty men. Then, being quite upset, he went to his own home without seeing his wife or father-in-law. He was hardly in a mood to want to consummate the marriage or to see his treacherous bride.
20 And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
Samson had chosen one of the thirty companions to be ‘the friend of the bridegroom’, the one who stood by him during the marriage feast.
When the father thought that his daughter was left stranded and husbandless he stepped in and married her off to this guy to console her and hide her and their family shame.
In our next study we will find out what happens when Samson returns to see his wife.
