Judges 14

Chap. XIV. Ver. 1—20. Samson marries, makes a feast, quarrels with the Philistines, and is revenged.—The close of the preceding chapter informed us of the birth and growth of Samson. This chapter opens with his courtship and marriage, which was very properly reproved by his parents, as contrary to the Mosaic law. Samson, as is often the case with only and darling sons, was wayward; he had not been subjected to control, and would not now submit to it. The matter however, was “of the Lord:” not by his direction or approbation, but by the permission of his providence; and it formed an essential link in that chain of events which led to the liberation of Israel from the Philistines. But there are several circumstances in this part of Samson’s history, which may afford us practical and useful hints.— 1.

Samson’s motive in the choice of a wife, was the same that most young men are influenced by to the present day. She pleased him; that is, in all probability, he was captivated with her beauty; and what was the consequence? She seduced and betrayed him: an issue always to be feared, when beauty is not guarded by religious, or at least by, virtuous principles. “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” ((Proverbs 31:30).) 2. Samson made a marriage feast, “for so used the young men to do.” And such a custom has the highest sanction, that of our Lord himself, who wrought his first miracle on such an occasion in Cana of Galilee. ((John 2:1), &c.) 3.

On these occasions, it seems, the whole time was not spent in eating and drinking, or in music and dancing; but the young people exercised each other’s wit by riddles or conversation. The plan here adopted is not, even now, uncommon among young people; but in all references to chance, there is great danger of exciting the angry passions, especially where the shame is considerable, as in this instance. Indeed the relations of Samson’s wife, seeing the feast half over, and unable to make out the riddle, begin to be outrageous and threaten to burn her and her father’s house with fire, if she did not elicit its meaning from her husband. On the other hand, Samson felt himself perfectly secure, but could not resist her importunity and tears.

She at length teased him out of the secret, and told it to the Philistines, just in time for them to win their reward. Samson, seeing himself betrayed, is now equally irritated; vows vengeance against the Philistines, and slays and strips thirty of them, to pay his companions their reward; and then returns in anger to his father’s house. As to the riddle itself, the historian sufficiently explains it. Look back on all the way which the Lord has led us through the wilderness, and say, “‘Hitherto the Lord hath helped us.”

Notes on the verses

Chap. XIV. Ver. 5. A young lion roared against him.—Hebrew, “in meeting him.” A similar instance occurred to David, (1 Samuel 17:34). The most extraordinary circumstance is, the ease with which Samson slew the lion: “He rent him as he would have rent a kid.” [Now it is not intimated that he did this by his own natural strength; but by the supernatural strength communicated by the Spirit of the Lord coming mightily upon him; which strength was not at his own command, and was, by the will of God, attached to his hair and nazarite.]—Bagster.

Ver. 8. A swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion.—[It is probable, that the flesh had been entirely consumed off the bones, which had become dry; and the body having been thrown into some private place, (for Samson turned aside to visit it,) a swarm of bees had formed their combs in the cavity of the dry ribs, or region of the thorax:—nor was it a more improper place than a hollow rock: nor was the thing unfrequent, if we may credit antient writers: Herodotus, Seranus, and Aldrovanus.]—Bagster.—A similar instance is alluded to by Virgil, of honey in the carcasses of oxen.

This must have been some considerable time after his former visit, as some think, when the bones had become dry; but Virgil allows only nine mornings for such a phenomenon. Ver. 12. Sheets.—[Or, shirts. This will receive illustration from Jackson’s description of the Moorish dress:—“It resembles that of the ancient patriarchs, as represented in paintings; (but the paintings are taken from Asiatic models:) that of the men consists of a red cap and turban, a (kumia) shirt, which hangs outside of the drawers, and comes down below the knee; a (caftan) coat, which buttons close before, and down to the bottom, with large open sleeves; over which, when they go out of doors, they throw carelessly, and sometimes elegantly, a hayk, or garment of white cotton, silk, or wool, five or six yards long, and five feet wide.

The Arabs often dispense with the caftan, and even with the shirt, wearing nothing but the hayk.”]—Bagster. Ver. 15. On the seventh day.—Not of the feast, but of the week, which was probably the fourth day of the feast; indeed the LXX, Arabic, and Syriac, read “the fourth day” in the text. See Boothroyd. Ver. 18. If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, explains this as referring to the corruption and infidelity of his wife. See various instances in Orient. Lit, No 409. Ver. 20. His companion.—That is, “the friend of the bridegroom,” so called, who had supplanted him. Kennicott and