Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Judges 14:10 - 14:20

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Judges 14:10 - 14:20


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

The Riddle at the Wedding-Feast. —

v. 10. So his father went down unto the woman,
to signify his parental approval of the match and to attend the wedding; and Samson made there a feast, intending to live in Timnath and not take his bride to the city of his parents; for so used the young men to do, that was the custom at that time, that the bridegroom provided the entertainment.

v. 11. And it came to pass, when they,
the parents and relatives of the bride, saw him, that they brought thirty companions, attendants of the groom, "sons of the bride-chamber," to be with him, for Samson had neglected to provide himself with these very necessary witnesses, with this retinue of merrymakers.

v. 12. And Samson said unto them,
evidently as soon as the festivities began, I will now put forth a riddle unto you, announce or propose it to them; if ye can certainly declare it me, give its solution, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets, ordinary garments, and thirty change of garments, dresses of state, to be worn on festival occasions;

v. 13. but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him,
feeling sure of their ability to gain the prize held out before them, Put forth thy riddle that we may hear it.

v. 14. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness,
literally, "Out of the feeder, consumer [German, Fresser], came forth food, and out of the powerful one something sweet. " And they could not in three days expound the riddle, for so long they attempted to get the solution honestly.

v. 15. And it came to pass on the seventh day that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband that he may declare unto us the riddle,
she was to manage in some way to get him to reveal the solution or at least a key to its understanding, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire; have ye called, invited, us to take that we have, to impoverish, to plunder them? Is it not so? They implied that the riddle was merely a pretense, a scheme, to make them pay, although they had willingly agreed to the terms stated by Samson. Their threat shows their callous brutality, their miserable covetousness.

v. 16. And Samson's wife wept before him and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not,
the easiest and handiest reproach in the circumstances; thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people and hast not told it me. Her speech shows that the woman, in a choice between her husband and her people, inclined to the Philistines, the usual result in the case of mixed marriages. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, who might, till now, have expected him to share his secrets with them, and shall I tell it thee?

v. 17. And she wept before him the seven days,
for her curiosity had prompted her to badger him from the very first day, while their feast lasted; and it came to pass on the seventh day that he told her, because she lay sore upon him, she was unbearably importunate in her pleading; and she told the riddle to the children of her people, thus betraying the confidence of her husband.

v. 18. And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
before the time as fixed by him had expired, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle, a proverbial expression which, at the same time, indicated his contempt for the method employed by them.

v. 19. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon,
a city of the Philistines on the coast of the Mediterranean, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, their attire, of which the fallen were usually stripped, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. "It is in harmony with the dramatic course of the action that Samson flung to his treacherous friends, as the price of their deception, garments snatched from their own countrymen. " (Lange. ) And his anger was kindled, in a flame of bitter resentment against the entire Philistine nation, and he went up to his father's house, leaving his wife at Timnath.

v. 20. But Samson's wife,
for such the woman now was before all the world, was given to his companion, to his chief attendant at the wedding festival, to his "best man," whom he had used as his friend. Cf Joh_3:29. This action on the part of the woman's parents shows the low state of morals in their nation, and the fact that the woman added infidelity to treason characterizes her as well; hers was a mean and small soul. Note: It was the Spirit of God who urged Samson to slay the Philistines. The same Spirit today is full of zeal against all godlessness and impels the believers to use the weapons of the Word in combating every form of unchristian doctrine and conduct.