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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 15:9-17

Here is, I. Samson violently pursued by the Philistine. They went up in a body, a more formidable force than they had together when Samson smote them hip and thigh; and they pitched in Judah, and spread themselves up and down the country, to find out Samson, who they heard had come this way, Jdg. 15:9. When the men of Judah, who had tamely submitted to their yoke, pleaded that they had paid their tribute, and that none of their tribe had given them any offence, they freely own they designed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 15:16

And Samson said ,.... In a kind of triumphant song: with the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps ; that is, with such an instrument he had slain heaps of men, who lay dead in heaps upon one another; in the words for an "ass", and for an "heap", is an elegant "paronomosia", not easy to be expressed in our language: with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men : this he said not in a proud and haughty manner, ascribing it to himself, as Josephus suggests F13 Antiqu. l. 5. c.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 15:17

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking ,.... Of delivering out the above song, which very probably consisted of much more than what is here expressed: that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand ; which he held in his hand had wrought by him through the means of it, and so served to animate him to praise and thankfulness; but having no further use for it, he threw it away: and called the place Ramathlehi ; that is, the casting away the jawbone, so Kimchi; but Ben... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 15:17

Ramath-lehi - The lifting up or casting away of the jaw-bone. Lehi was the name of the place before, Ramath was now added to it here; he lifted up the jaw-bone against his enemies, and slew them. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 15:16

There is a play upon the word, three times repeated, which means both “an ass” and also “a heap.” The spirit of riddle-making Judges 14:12, Judges 14:18 is apparent in this song of triumph (compare Judges 5:1; Exodus 15:1; 1 Samuel 18:6-7). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 15:17

Ramath-lehi - Either the “height or hill of Lehi,” or, “of the jaw-bone;” or, as in the margin, “the crestlag away of the jaw-bone,” with allusion to Samson casting it out of his hand, when he had finished his war-song. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 15:16

Judges 15:16. Heaps upon heaps, &c. Hebrew, a heap, two heaps. As much as to say, I have not only slain enow to make one heap, but two or more. I have slain a thousand men What could be too hard for him to do, on whom the Spirit of the Lord came mightily? This seems like a short hymn or song of triumph, which Samson uttered after he had routed the Philistines. It is strange that the men of Judah did not now, at least, come to his assistance. But he was to be a type of him who ... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 15:17-18

Judges 15:17-18. He called that place Ramath-lehi That is, The lifting up, or, casting away of the jaw-bone. He gave it this name in order to perpetuate the memory of this action. And he was sore athirst A natural effect of the great labour he had used. And perhaps there was the hand of God therein, to chastise him for not making mention of God in his song, and to keep him from being proud of his strength. One would have thought that the men of Judah would have met him with bread and... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Judges 15:1-20

Samson’s exploits (14:1-16:31)So dominant were the Philistines in Israel, that the Israelites had decided to live with them peacefully rather than try to rise up in armed rebellion. Samson had other ideas. He thought that his marriage to a Philistine woman would give him the opportunity to do some harm to the enemy (14:1-4).In spite of Samson’s desire to help Israel, he had little respect for either his Nazirite vow or the Israelite law. He handled a dead lion, married a Philistine woman and... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 15:16

With. Note the alternation of four lines. Another pointing of the second line given in Septuagint is, chamor chamartlm = "destroying I destroyed them", which by Figure of speech Polyptoton ( App-6 ) = I utterly destroyed them. There is also the Figure of speech Antanaclasis in the words chamor, "ass", and "destroyed". read more

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