Shofetim 14:9

9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his av and em, and he gave them, and they did eat; but he told not them that he had taken the devash out of the geviyah of the lion.

Shofetim 14:9 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:9

And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating
Josephus F11 says he took three honeycombs, he means three pieces of the honeycomb, and ate the honey as he went along to Timnath; which he might do without touching the carcass of the lion, and defiling himself thereby, which, as a Nazarite, he was more especially to be careful of:

and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat;
who went down with him to the consummation of the marriage, and from whom he had turned a little aside; and now overtook them, and to whom he gave some of his honey to eat, which, having travelled some way, might be grateful to them. The above writer takes no notice of this, but says he gave of it to the young woman whom he betrothed, when he came to her; but of that the text makes no mention:

but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of
the lion;
either lest they should scruple eating it, being taken out of such a carcass; or that the riddle, which perhaps he meditated as he came along eating the honey, might not be found out, which might more easily have been done, had this fact been known by any.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 6.)

Shofetim 14:9 In-Context

7 And he went down, and talked with the isha; and she was right in the eyes of Shimshon [cf Prov 16:25].
8 And after a time he returned to take her [in marriage], and he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and, hinei, there was a swarm of bees and devash in the geviyah of the lion.
9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his av and em, and he gave them, and they did eat; but he told not them that he had taken the devash out of the geviyah of the lion.
10 So his av went down unto the isha; and Shimshon made there a mishteh; for so used the bocherim to do.
11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought shloshim companions to be with him.
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