Judges 14:1

1 And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Philistines.

Judges 14:1 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:1

And Samson went down to Timnath
A city which by lot fell to the tribe of Judah, but was afterwards given to the tribe of Dan, and now in the hands of the Philistines, ( Joshua 15:57 ) ( 19:43 ) . Judah is said to go up to it, because the place where he lived lay below it, ( Genesis 38:13 ) , but Samson is said to go down to it, because he lived above it. The Jews ^F20 differ about the reconciliation of these two places; some say there were two of this name, the one is a descent, and the other is an ascent; others say there was but one, so situated, that they that came to it on one side ascended, and they that came to it on the other side descended. Bochart ^F21 approves of the former. According to Bunting ^F23, this was twelve miles from Eshtaol, where Samson lived:

and saw a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines;
who at this time dwelt there; he saw no doubt many other women besides her, but he took special notice of her, and entertained a particular affection for her; or, in other words, on sight of her fell in love with her.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 10. 1.
F21 IIierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 4. col. 763, 764.
F23 Travels p. 115.

Judges 14:1 In-Context

1 And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he went up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Phylistines; and now take her to me for a wife.

3 And his father and his mother said to him, Are there no daughters of thy brethren, and a woman of all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Sampson said to his father, Take her for me, for she right in my eyes.

4 And his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought to be revenged on the Philistines: and at that time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.

5 And Sampson and his father and his mother went down to Thamnatha, and he came to the vineyard of Thamnatha; and behold, a young lion roared in meeting him.

Footnotes

• [a]. Observe, ????f???? here and elsewhere is rendered Philistines.