Judges 14:10

THE MARRIAGE; THE WEDDING FEAST; AND THE RIDDLE

"And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. And it came to pass when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; but if ye cannot declare it unto me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth the riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them,

`Out of the eater came forth food,

And out of the strong came forth sweetness.

And they could not in three days declare the riddle.'"

"And his father went down unto the woman" (Judges 14:10). This was, at least, the third trip that Manoah had made down to Timnah, and the elaborate feast which lasted for seven days and was attended by such a large company, "indicates that Samson's family was one of wealth and position."[12]

"They brought thirty companions to be with him" (Judges 14:11). "The `they' here were the parents or the relations of the bride, after the customs of the times, these were called to be the `children of the bride-chamber' (Matthew 9:15), and were invited because Samson had brought no companions with him."[13] It appears that the Philistine parents and relatives of the bride were diligent at putting on a big feast at the expense of Samson and his family.

The matter of the riddle is perfectly clear to the reader, because of the explanation regarding the lion and the swarm of bees had already been related earlier.