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 southwest of the hill country of Judah and known for its vineyards and proximity to Philistine territory. As the text in Judges 14:9 (NASB-95) describes, *“So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it, but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.” (v.9)* Samson’s choice to hide the honey’s unclean source from his parents points to a moral complexity, since under the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:2-8 NASB-95), he was never to touch anything dead, highlighting a tension between disobedience and God’s continued guidance in his life.

In the first part of the verse, Samson *“…scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went” (v.9)*. This visual underscores his unwavering confidence in his physical strength and in the power God had given him, but it also reveals a casual disregard for ritual purity. From a larger biblical perspective, the honey from a lion’s body symbolizes an unexpected provision that arises in a place of death, revealing God’s ability to bring forth good from dire circumstances. Yet, Israel’s vow-bound champion fails to respect his commitment fully, hinting at flaws that will escalate later in Samson’s story (Judges 16:1-20 NASB-95).

Next, the verse says, *“When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it, but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion” (v.9)*. Here, Samson includes his parents in the benefits of his discovery, but keeps the source secret. In ancient Israelite culture, contact with a corpse rendered a person ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:11 NASB-95). Samson’s withholding of information not only deceives his family, but also deprives them of making an informed decision as to whether they wanted to partake in something considered unclean. Nonetheless, God continues to work out His larger purposes through Samson’s imperfect judgments, foreshadowing how Jesus would later bring holiness and redemption to sinful circumstances (Romans 5:8 NASB-95).

This verse shows that even in moments of disobedience, God displays His sovereignty by providing spiritual lessons through unexpected means.