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Chapter 14

Judges 14 Summaries

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Judges 14:1

*Then Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines* (v.3). This single verse introduces Samson’s journey and sets in motion events that will shape his...

Judges 14:2

Samson, who rose as one of the judges of Israel during roughly the 12th century BC, approached his parents with a surprising request: *“So he came back and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a woman i...

Judges 14:3

*Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samso...

Judges 14:4

In *“However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel” (v.4)*, we s...

Judges 14:5

Samson, who lived around 1100–1070 BC, emerges in this account as a man led by divine prompting but also propelled by his own impulses. We read, *“So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mot...

Judges 14:6

Samson was traveling with his parents in the region of Timnah, an area located in what is now southwestern Israel, near ancient Philistine territory. During this journey, Scripture tells us that *“the...

Judges 14:7

In the account of Samson’s life during the time of the Judges (approximately 1100 BC), scripture highlights his journey as both geographical and spiritual. When *“he went down and talked to the woman;...

Judges 14:8

*And after a while, as he returned to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion* (v 8). Samson, a judge of Israel...

Judges 14:9

Samson, a judge of Israel who lived around the late 12th century BC to the early 11th century BC, approached the carcass of the lion he had previously slain on his way to Timnah, a region located sout...

Judges 14:10

Samson’s father, Manoah, accompanies him to the place where Samson’s prospective bride lived and becomes part of the wedding preparations. We read: *“Then his father went down to the woman; and Samson...

Judges 14:11

Samson had traveled down to the Philistine city of Timnah in order to take a Philistine wife, a move that was part of God’s plan to confront the pagan oppressors of Israel at that time. As the wedding...

Judges 14:12

*Then Samson said to them, “Let me now propose a riddle to you: if you will indeed tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty...

Judges 14:13

Samson, who lived during the time of the judges of Israel (around 1100 BC), finds himself issuing a challenge to his guests as part of his wedding feast. When he sets forth his challenge, he says, *“B...

Judges 14:14

*So he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” But they could not tell the riddle in three days.* (v.14) Early in the Book of Judges, Samson...

Judges 14:15

*Then it came about on the fourth day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, so that he will tell us the riddle, or we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited...

Judges 14:16

Samson’s encounter here unfolds near Timnah, a city located in the southwestern region of ancient Canaan, which at this time was under Philistine influence. The Philistines, known for their conflicts ...

Judges 14:17

Samson’s bride, desperate for the answer to his riddle, sheds persistent tears over the course of his wedding feast: *“However she wept before him the seven days while their feast lasted. And on the s...

Judges 14:18

*“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 he...

Judges 14:19

Samson receives a divine empowerment in these words: *“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the chan...

Judges 14:20

*But Samson’s wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.* (v.20) This short verse from Judges 14 provides a dramatic conclusion to the account of Samson’s initial marriage arrangement. S...