Judges 14:14

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 14:10-20

We have here an account of Samson's wedding feast and the occasion it gave him to fall foul upon the Philistines. I. Samson conformed to the custom of the country in making a festival of his nuptial solemnities, which continued seven days, Jdg. 13:10. Though he was a Nazarite, he did not affect, in a thing of this nature, to be singular, but did as the young men used to do upon such occasions. It is no part of religion to go contrary to the innocent usages of the places where we live: nay, it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 14:14

And he said unto them, out of the eater came forth meat ,.... Out of a devouring eater, such as the lion is, came forth honey, or that was taken out of it, which Samson, and his father and mother, ate of, and which was the common food of some persons, as of John the Baptist: and out of the strong came forth sweetness : not only out of that which was strong in body while alive, but of a strong and ill scent, as the carcass of a dead lion is, and out of that came forth honey, than which... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 14:14

And he said unto there - Thus he states or proposes his riddle: - Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. Instead of strong, the Syriac and Arabic have bitter. I have no doubt that the riddle was in poetry; and perhaps the two hemistichs above preserve its order. This was scarcely a fair riddle; for unless the fact to which it refers were known, there is no rule of interpretation by which it could be found out. We learn from the Scholiast,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 14:14-15

Three days ... on the seventh day - Proposed alterations, such as “six days ... on the fourth day,” are unnecessary if it be remembered that the narrator passes on first to the seventh day (at Judges 14:15), and then goes back at Judges 14:16 and beginning of Judges 14:17 to what happened on the 4th, 5th, and 6th days.To take that we have - See the margin. They affirm that they were only invited to the wedding for the sake of plundering them by means of this riddle, and if Samson’s wife was a... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Judges 14:1-20

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

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Judges 14:14

Judges 14:14. Out of the eater, &c.— We do not perceive in this version, the opposition which there ought to be between the two latter terms, as there is between the two first; for what opposition is there between strength and sweetness? But, as Bochart has judiciously observed, there is this opposition in the original; for, in the Arabic language the word mirra, which implies strength, comes from marra, which signifies to be bitter; and therefore, the antithesis of the words is this, "Food... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Judges 14:1-20

2. Samson’s intended marriage to the Timnite ch. 14Chapter 13 describes Samson’s potential: his godly heritage, supernatural birth, calling in life, and divine enablement. The Israelites enjoyed each of these privileges, as does every Christian. Chapter 14 reveals Samson’s problem and God’s providence."Despite all these advantages and this special attention, Samson accomplishes less on behalf of his people than any of his predecessors. Perhaps herein lies his significance. . . . Though Samson... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Judges 14:10-14

Samson’s further willful behavior 14:10-14It was customary among the Philistines for a seven-day feast to precede the actual wedding ceremony (Judges 14:10). In Samson’s case the groom provided this feast, and it took place at the bride’s home. It is most probable that during this seven-day feast Samson drank wine. Drinking was a standard activity at this type of celebration, especially among the pagans. Since he had previously disregarded the Nazirite prohibition against touching a corpse, it... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 14:1-20

The Marriage of Samson1-5. Samson chooses a wife among the Philistines. He and his parents go down to Timnath.2. Timnath] some 4 m. SW. of Zorah, allotted to Dan (Joshua 19:43); it was retaken by the Philistines in the reign of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:18). Get her for me to wife] It was customary for parents to conduct the negotiations and pay the dowry: cp. Genesis 34:4-12.3. Cp. Genesis 24:3; Genesis 26:34; Genesis 27:46; Genesis 4. It was of the Lord] God purposed to use Samson as a weapon... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Judges 14:14

(14) Out of the strong came forth sweetness.—The antithesis is not perfect, but we cannot strain the word “strong” to mean “bitter,” as the LXX. and Syriac do. Josephus gives the riddle in the form,”the all-devouring having generated sweet food from itself, though itself far from sweet” (Antt. v. 8, § 6). The whole of Samson’s life has been described by Ewald as “a charming poetic picture, in which the interspersed verses gleam forth like the brightest pearls in a circlet.” It must be confessed... read more

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