Judges 14:5

SAMSON SLAYS A LION WITH HIS BARE HANDS

"Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid; and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion."

The picture that emerges here requires us to understand that a considerable time-frame is necessary to encompass all that is recorded here. The swarm of bees in the body of the lion and the amount of time needed for them to produce what appears to be quite a bit of honey means that weeks or even months might have elapsed before the wedding feast, the propounding of the riddle, etc. "`After a while' here can mean a relatively longer period of time."[8]

"A young lion roared against him" (Judges 14:5). "These words designate a lion between the age of a cub and a full-grown lion."[9]

"He rent him as he would have rent a kid" (Judges 14:6). Josephus wrote that "Samson strangled the lion,"[10] but the statements are not contradictory, for he probably did both." The explanation of such a super-human feat was simply that "the Spirit of God came mightily upon him."

"And he had nothing in his hand" (Judges 14:6). This fact lends greater significance to the slaying of the lion, because it was done with no weapons except his bare hands.

In all probability there were a number of trips down to Timnah, and on one of these Samson's father and mother were making the journey, in all probability making plans for the forthcoming marriage of Samson. It was on one of those trips that Samson turned aside to see the carcass of the lion and found the honey. Not only on this trip, but also on another, Samson had probably traveled much faster than his parents, making excursions from the projected path of the journey and then returning to their company.

"He went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well" (Judges 14:7). Prior to Judges 14:1, Samson had only seen the woman, and, apparently, this reference is to the first time that he had an opportunity to talk with her. Samson continued to be very pleased with his choice.

"He gave (honey) unto them, and they did eat; but he told them not that he had taken it out of the body of the lion" (Judges 14:9). Here again, the lawless nature of Samson is evident. "As a Nazarite, Samson was forbidden in the Law to touch a corpse (Numbers 6:6),"[11] and Samson not only violated that law, but gave his parents to eat of the honey also. The reason why he did not tell them where it came from was apparently his knowledge that, if he told them, they would not have eaten it.